Padwork combinations

[Steve P]

See where this one goes....

I have been doing exclusively padwork training for over five years now, and I think you learn a lot about the sport training others. There is no "padwork school" so you start pretty basic and go from there. I have kept an open mind, and made my own boxing and kickboxing style based on:

- Techniques I personally liked
- Watching my own trainer do padwork training
- Watching other trainers warm up fighters before a bout
- Watching padwork clips on youtube
- Making up my own combinations
- Researching great fighters and watching their style/combo's

When I do rounds, I have the first minute of each power/aerobics, then I mix it up with defensive (parry/duck/slip) or combo's, finishing off with a bit of a sprint.

I have made up a few "drills" which are designed to power up technique, and use body mechanics to load up the next punch.

I like seeing fighters I have done padwork for have a bout, particularly when one of my combo's get's unleashed. It is actually a good feeling to see as a trainer, proving your technique.

So - what combinations do you see on the pads, that work...

Steve P

[TSINGANI]

personally... with no disrespect to any schools of thought...

im not a big fan of pre-rehearsed combinations.

the student should be reacting instantaneously to targets being held by the pad holder, or the pad holder should be catching the students technique and attacks.

over time, a student/pad holder rapport should develop, so that the pad holding session is much like a real fight ( i find hitting pads harder than real fights sometimes)

i personally believe that too many pre- rehearsed combinations make the fighter somewhat robotic... and unable to adapt to the circumstances of a fight.

certain movements and tricks are essential to set up scoring shots, but too much reliance on 3-4 hit combos sets the fighter up for some serious hurting

[Steve P]

Padwork should be fast, and if the fighter isn't knackered at the end of it you aren't working them hard enough. Whilst padwork should be random, and similar in rhythm to a fight there is also a spot for teaching them combinations. A combination that comes second nature to a fighter is a valid tool for the toolbox.

A couple that work well - flow - and are powerful I picked up from fighters like Stan "The Man" Longinidis, Tyson and Sam Greco.

Stan Longinidis's was quite simple, and worked. Left hook, right cross, and low right round kick. He would also reverse it, low right round kick, left hook and finish off with a right cross. Stan of course had flashy techniques like his high kicks and overhand right that he could pull out before you could blink.

Tyson, on fighting a taller opponent would get throw a left jab to close the gap, and whilst under the guard follow up with a right rip (to bring their head down), right uppercut, left hook and then right cross.

Sam Greco was big on front kicks - left front, followed by right cross, or right front followed by left hook. One of his most devastating knockouts was a front kick feint followed by a right cross.

Combinations that are high/low, inside/outside, hands/feet are hard to defend against as they are coming from different angles and levels.

Jeff Fenech dominated southpaws by leading with a right cross, left hook, right cross. This capitalised on southpaws being used to orthodox fighters leading mostly with a left jab. All the time making sure there footwork is outside so you are fighting outside the guard.

The list goes on. If you see make up your own combinations, or even learn from others, and it is workable technique - why not perfect it. Combinations should have speed (which gives power), offer a fighter balance, and body mechanics which lead one shot into the next.

Padwork should be random also, but going back to basics to give a fighter something "natural" to pull out rounds them out as a fighter.

You see a lot of newer fighters that are snap-shooters, where they will see an opportunity and only throw a single shot rather than capitalising on it and following up. Throwing two and three punch/kick combo's add up on the points card.

Like I said at the start, padwork should also be random but there is definately the need to teach them combo's.

I also believe with padwork the first 30 seconds or so should be a hard/fast drill to get their heart-rate up. You can mix it up a lot here - 20 seconds of L/R on the pads with the last 10 seconds sprinting. Another one is left hook - right cross - left hook - right uppercut repeated in a cycle "pumping fast" for 30 seconds. There are heaps of others.

Anyone else got a view on how to get the best out of a kickboxer on the pads?

Steve P

[purple warrior]

Gday Steve P

Great observations that you've come up with so far...

Pad work is an art form in itself, its something that takes a long time to get proficient at and something that you,ll never master...well i,ll never master it[B)]

There maybe some hesitation on here though, as trainers may not wanna give away there trade secrets, kinda like how the AFL coaches don't want people seeing there set plays and that sorrta thing...

Although having said that, with stuff like You Tube and Facebook etc, its easy to see and do some research on your next opponent...

Padwork could also change pending the ring experience of your fighter etc etc...then you've got your clubs/gyms that train for recreation sake and not for competition..then you have some gyms that only hit pads with no sparring, but that's probably another topic...

I,ll leave now, and let the experts take over[^]

[Hironaka]

quote:Originally posted by Steve P

Padwork should be fast, and if the fighter isn't knackered at the end of it you aren't working them hard enough. Whilst padwork should be random, and similar in rhythm to a fight there is also a spot for teaching them combinations. A combination that comes second nature to a fighter is a valid tool for the toolbox.

A couple that work well - flow - and are powerful I picked up from fighters like Stan "The Man" Longinidis, Tyson and Sam Greco.

Stan Longinidis's was quite simple, and worked. Left hook, right cross, and low right round kick. He would also reverse it, low right round kick, left hook and finish off with a right cross. Stan of course had flashy techniques like his high kicks and overhand right that he could pull out before you could blink.

Tyson, on fighting a taller opponent would get throw a left jab to close the gap, and whilst under the guard follow up with a right rip (to bring their head down), right uppercut, left hook and then right cross.

Sam Greco was big on front kicks - left front, followed by right cross, or right front followed by left hook. One of his most devastating knockouts was a front kick feint followed by a right cross.

Combinations that are high/low, inside/outside, hands/feet are hard to defend against as they are coming from different angles and levels.

Jeff Fenech dominated southpaws by leading with a right cross, left hook, right cross. This capitalised on southpaws being used to orthodox fighters leading mostly with a left jab. All the time making sure there footwork is outside so you are fighting outside the guard.

The list goes on. If you see make up your own combinations, or even learn from others, and it is workable technique - why not perfect it. Combinations should have speed (which gives power), offer a fighter balance, and body mechanics which lead one shot into the next.

Padwork should be random also, but going back to basics to give a fighter something "natural" to pull out rounds them out as a fighter.

You see a lot of newer fighters that are snap-shooters, where they will see an opportunity and only throw a single shot rather than capitalising on it and following up. Throwing two and three punch/kick combo's add up on the points card.

Like I said at the start, padwork should also be random but there is definately the need to teach them combo's.

I also believe with padwork the first 30 seconds or so should be a hard/fast drill to get their heart-rate up. You can mix it up a lot here - 20 seconds of L/R on the pads with the last 10 seconds sprinting. Another one is left hook - right cross - left hook - right uppercut repeated in a cycle "pumping fast" for 30 seconds. There are heaps of others.

Anyone else got a view on how to get the best out of a kickboxer on the pads?

Steve P


Great post.

[Steve P]

Purple warrior - excellent point about youtube and facebook to research your opponent. We had a pro fighter a few weeks back coming up for a boxing bout, and via youtube we learned he was a southpaw, and was able to see what techniques worked well against him. We trained against a southpaw, and typical of the fight game, got a last minute cancellation and matched at short notice against an orthodox fighter.

One comment I got from the fighter out of the youtube research was it takes the "unknown" factor out of the match - they see their opponent, and see that they may not be as bad as their reputation.

It can work against you though .... one up and coming thaiboxer I help train (he just turned pro) is now on youtube, and noticing he is getting a few more cancellations of bouts. He was out of the local fight scene for a while, living and fighting in Thailand. Is the internet responsible? Major fighters make it onto fox, but there are plenty of other fighters (on the way up) who don't have the scary profile yet.

Back on the combination front, another one that worked for Mark Hunt when he was fighting an opponent with tight hands was throwing a flurry of left and right, then a left hook behind the opponents gloves. On the recovery from the hook, he would pull down their guard and make an opening for a right cross.

Combinations can be both offensive and defensive. When doing padwork with fighters, I like to mix it up a bit and throw a few without notice. They react with a combination - be it against a jab, front kick, or round kick. Obviously you start slowly with newbies, but seasoned fighters get to react to your body movement and it becomes instinctive to defend and counter. It can help keep them safe.

There are plenty - how to fire up when you have an opponent in a corner, how to keep them on the ropes, and even coming off the ropes offensively. There are counters when ducking, slipping.

Aerobic (fast padwork) can't be underdone. You see the difference in the later rounds. The technical and fit fighter often comes out on top. I guess that is why in Thai boxing winning the early rounds doesn't score as highly as winning the later rounds.

Any more on training fighters or is it buried?

Steve P