How to hold pads for muay thai or kickboxing

Learning how to hold pads for muay thai and kickboxing is a much needed skill in other for you and your training partner to make the most out of your workout.

The quality muay thai pad drills is heavily dependent on the quality of the pad holder. A good pad holder follow a few basic principles that help their striking partner get the most out of the training experiences.

Below are some basic examples on how to hold pads for muay thai or kickboxing.

Avoid tucking your thumbs underneath the grips of the pads. A full five-finger overhand grip (also known as a “monkey grip”) will prevent you from injuring your thumbs when the force of a strike lands on the pads.

When holding pads for Muay Thai or kickboxing, maintain a regular fight stance – one leg forward and the other back. It also helps to shadow your opponent if they are in an orthodox or south paw stance.

This will ensure you are prepared for incoming strikes. When readying yourself to absorb strikes, you should make sure your head, face, legs, and other body parts are well protected.

For example, hold the pads at the level of your partner’s face for head strikes. Also, for strikes such as roundhouse kicks, be sure to adjust the pads lower if your partner is still learning the technique and cannot yet strike a certain height without sacrificing technique.

Pad drills help to develop both offensive and defensive skills, and for those still building on the fundamentals, they are a way to improve skills before moving on to more advanced glove-on-glove drills.

When your partner’s strikes land on the pad, there shouldn’t be very much, if any, give. Meet the strike with the pad using your own resistance (kind of like a game of “pat-a-cake”), gauging it to the power your partner uses.

As a muay thai pad holder, you are like a coach. It’s up to you to lead your partner during the drill. You set the intensity, and you’re a valuable source of constructive feedback.

Correct bad Technique and pay attention at all times. If you lose focus as a pad holder, you and your partner are more likely to encounter poor technique and possibly injury.

So be ready whether it’s a powerful muay thai roundhouse kick or a kickboxing combo that includes close-range strikes. How you hold pads are crucial for partner drills and proper pad techniques ensures that your partner doesn’t develop bad habits.

It helps prepare them for more advanced drills down the road.