Focus Pads

If you are looking to improve your martial arts training and more specifically, improve your punches and kicks AND you have a training partner, then you might want to consider getting some hand held training gear as opposed to a hanging punching bag (or in addition to a punching bag if you train at home).

Here are a few benefits of training with striking and target pads:

01 Improved Coordination in the Martial Arts by striking smaller targets.

Since the surface area you will be striking is smaller than that of a large punching bag, you will need to have a little more hand and foot coordination to hit your target. There is a lot of flexibility in this area when you are using hand held training gear. For example, you can start with larger pads and targets and work your way down to smaller ones.

02 What is in your Mobile Martial Arts Dojo?

Since you can buy martial art striking pads and targets in a variety of sizes - you will most likely be able to transport them almost anywhere you go. Whether you plan to train in the park, head over to a friend's house or take them to a seminar - they are much easier to move around compared to a heavy punching bag or something that requires more space or time to set up.

03 It is harder to punch or kick a moving target!

Naturally, having smaller targets already makes it harder to hit. However, you also can consider that with hand held training pads, you can increase or decrease the difficulty of hitting them by changing a few variables. For example, your partner can hold a target really high or in more challenging locations for you to kick or punch. In addition, you can move the targets around which increases the level of difficulty dramatically.

04 Striking multiple targets to prepare for fighting multiple attackers.

Since you can put one target or pad on each hand or arm - you have more areas to strike and kick. If you have more than one training partner, you can create a kind of multiple-opponent training session. This is great if you can have people circle around you with a variety of punching and kicking bags. You are only limited by your imagination when it comes to this type of training.

05 Variety is your choice when looking to buy a focus mitt or kicking pad.

Probably the most obvious benefit of hand held striking devices is that you can buy slightly different targets, pads or bags. They even come in a variety of colors (such as the pink focus mitts designed to target the female market) Here are a few of the popular choices:

Air Shield

These are filled with air or have an air-filled center similar to the way an inner tube works with a car tire. These are great for front kicks and usually require two hands to hold.

Foam Padded Kick Shields

These are foam-filled pads that come in a variety of sizes and shapes. The two-handed versions are great for practicing side kicks.

Hand target pad

These are the types of pads that you can put on your hands or hold in one hand. The most popular is the hand striking pads that fit over the hand like a glove called a focus mitt. These are great for developing boxing skills like the jab, cross, hook and uppercut. Having two pads is necessary for anyone serious about learning combination punching skills and boxing.

There are others martial art striking pads that have a handle and the target extends off from this handle. These are better for practicing high kicks that use the foot - such as the instep, ball of the foot and heel.

Muay Thai pads

These pads have very thick foam filling and are great for students that want to improve their round kicks and kick against a pad that doesn't offer as much padding as other targets. These are a must for anyone looking to learn full-contact fighting.

Whatever your choice or choices, adding striking pads and focus mitts to your home training gym will help you to improve on those skills needed for advanced martial arts training.

Visit Pad-Up Martial Arts Equipment for a wide variety of high quality Martial Arts Hand Held Punching Bags, Striking Pads, Focus Mitts, punch bags, free standing punch bags, heavy bags, Body Opponent Bags (B.O.B.), bag gloves, protective equipment, Boxing Equipment, Sparring Gear, Sparring Gloves and more.

Rick Tew is an internationally acclaimed Sensei or teacher in the martial arts and founder of CMS - College of Martial Science and NinjaGym. He runs Live-In Short and Long term Martial Arts Training and Adventure Camps in California and Thailand. Visit Rick Tew's NinjaGym Martial Arts Blog here. http://www.ninjagym.com/dojo

Utilizing the martial arts as a gateway to excellence, he created his personal development programs. His courses are for everyone who wants to integrate mind, body, and spirit to access his or her true potential.

Rick Tew's Winjitsu, The Mental Martial Art System for Success, has helped his students to overcome their fear and become successful in what they love and passionate about.

Roush Brake Pads - Rear [00-04 Ford Focus ZX3 / ZX5] $53.6 "These semi-metallic brake pads are designed for performance applications, and are compatible with stock Focus calipers."

Roush Brake Pads - Front [00-04 Ford Focus ZX3 / ZX5] $66.97 "These semi-metallic brake pads are designed for performance applications, and are compatible with stock Focus calipers."

Focus $10 Focus

In Focus $14.29 In Focus

I&I Sports Square Martial Arts Focus Target Pads (Pack of 10) $120.8 These I&I Sports square martial arts focus pads feature triple stitching along all of the stress seams. With a solid over-sized foam core, these target pads last three times longer than conventional dipped foam models.Traditional square focus padsColor: BlackReinforced commercial fiber shellTriple stitched along all stress seamsSolid over-sized foam coreDual web hand strapsResists tears, rips, weatheringLasts three times longer than conventional dipped foam modelsDimensions: 9 inches x 11 inches x 3 inchesGreat for all types of martial artsPackage of 10 pads

Baer Brake Pads - Sport Touring Brake Pads Front [04-07 Focus] $92 "The newest member of the Baer family, the Baer SPORT-TOURING Brake Pad line, offers impressive friction levels and completely tame street manners. This added performance with negligible amounts of dust and low noise makes these pads a great enhancement for stock brake systems, as well a natural compliment to Baer Claw?« Systems. Baer SPORT-TOURING pads offer the best Domestic coverage for cars and trucks in the performance market with more than 1,500 vehicle applications. Over three hundred additional part numbers for foreign and domestic applications are being released over the coming twelve months. Baer SPORT-TOURING compound are the logical choice to deliver performance without compromising civility. High-Friction compound delivers dramatic / repeatable performance. Positive-Molding process ensures low compressibility and positive pedal feel. Rubberized, mechanically-fixed anti-noise shims virtually eliminate noise."

The Focus $6 The Focus - X5

MMA Focus Pads from TKO Sports $63.64 Longer design offers a larger striking surfacePremium leather constructionReinforced stitching adds durabilityAdjustable hook and loop closure for comfortable and secure fit

Hawk Brake Pads - HPS (Front) [00-04 Ford Focus (Except SVT)] $90.54 "HPS - High Performance Street disc brake pads are world renowned for increasing stopping power on your street legal vehicle. Increasing the performance of your vehicles braking system is easy when you choose Hawk Performance?ÇÖs HPS braking compound. This unique Ferro-Carbon formula was developed for street performance using the safety and quality of Aerospace and Motorsports severe-duty friction technology.;;The High Performance Street compound offers a higher coefficient of friction over stock brake pads and can provide you 20-40% more stopping power and higher resistance to brake fade than most standard replacement pads. Less fade means you?ÇÖll have a highly durable brake pad with less brake dust.;;Hawk Performance burnishes its High Performance Street brake pads as a final step in the factory, but all brake pads have to be bedded-in with the rotors (new or used) that they will be used against. Properly bedding-in new brake pads results in a transfer film being generated at the pad and rotor interface to maximize brake performance."

Hawk Brake Pads - HPS (Front) [02-04 Ford Focus SVT] $94.79 "HPS - High Performance Street disc brake pads are world renowned for increasing stopping power on your street legal vehicle. Increasing the performance of your vehicles braking system is easy when you choose Hawk Performance?ÇÖs HPS braking compound. This unique Ferro-Carbon formula was developed for street performance using the safety and quality of Aerospace and Motorsports severe-duty friction technology.;;The High Performance Street compound offers a higher coefficient of friction over stock brake pads and can provide you 20-40% more stopping power and higher resistance to brake fade than most standard replacement pads. Less fade means you?ÇÖll have a highly durable brake pad with less brake dust.;;Hawk Performance burnishes its High Performance Street brake pads as a final step in the factory, but all brake pads have to be bedded-in with the rotors (new or used) that they will be used against. Properly bedding-in new brake pads results in a transfer film being generated at the pad and rotor interface to maximize brake performance."

Hawk Brake Pads - HPS (Rear) [00-04 Ford Focus (Except SVT);;02-04 Ford Focus SVT] $72.18 "HPS - High Performance Street disc brake pads are world renowned for increasing stopping power on your street legal vehicle. Increasing the performance of your vehicles braking system is easy when you choose Hawk Performance?ÇÖs HPS braking compound. This unique Ferro-Carbon formula was developed for street performance using the safety and quality of Aerospace and Motorsports severe-duty friction technology.;;The High Performance Street compound offers a higher coefficient of friction over stock brake pads and can provide you 20-40% more stopping power and higher resistance to brake fade than most standard replacement pads. Less fade means you?ÇÖll have a highly durable brake pad with less brake dust.;;Hawk Performance burnishes its High Performance Street brake pads as a final step in the factory, but all brake pads have to be bedded-in with the rotors (new or used) that they will be used against. Properly bedding-in new brake pads results in a transfer film being generated at the pad and rotor interface to maximize brake performance."

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 8th, 2009 at 10:20 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.