The Importance of Belly Pads and Chest Protectors in MMA striking training.

Training in striking methods in mixed martial arts can come from a variety of sources. Most common are Muay Thai (or Kickboxing forms), Boxing and less common Karate or Kung Fu styles. Regardless of the school of practice, the methods practiced are ultimately limited by two factors: the body of knowledge studied and the equipment available to practice and train those techniques. The goal of MMA is to excel at an area or range of combat that will give an athlete an advantage and hopefully victory over an opponent. The body of knowledge, or the number, variety and effectiveness of the skills you study will be determined by your coach(es) and the style of sports or martial arts you pursue. What you can do with that information will be funneled in its scope by the equipment you have available to train with. Creativity can do a lot to expand the range and focus of training methods, but ultimately it comes down to the information and the tools you have to express that information.

Most combat athletes will have access to focus mits and/or Thai Pads at the early part of their striking training. Glove drills are also easily incorportated into fight training since most fighters commonly acquire these early on. While some punches and knees can be practiced in combination and flow on the various hand held pads, care and restraint must be maintained to prevent injury. At this level of training it is possible to acquire the techniques of  executing strikes to the body, but the effectiveness of the strike is hard to gauge, as is the kinesthetic feel of landing a realistic strike. A well thrown strike will can have a particular effect on the posture and movement of both the striker and the one struck. Also, it is harder for a training partner to actively engage the trainee in defensive cover checking or counter techniques when the trainer is occupied or burdened with applying the majority of his/her effort or attention in holding pads for body strikes. Both of these issues are illeviated with the addition of a belly pad or body protector.

What most fighters lack in equipment, due to its expense or oversight is the belly pad or body protector. But when they are used and implemented correctly into training, the results become immediately apparent. Where combinations on the hand held pads are used, it becomes now easier to insert shots to the body where at other times it was not feasible due to the limitations of structure and form of the human body – we only have two hands after all!  Bob and weave drills can now include body hooks with reasonable hard strikes which not only add to the conditioning effectiveness but increases functionality of these supplemental strikes. The usefulness of body protectors is also greatly appreciated when working on counters and clinch entry techniques. Allowing the trainer to properly throw attacks at the trainee while the trainee gets to defend AND simultaneously attack and move into range by attacking the body is only possible where the trainer can supplement his protection with a body pad. Freedom of creativity on the part of the trainee is also increased when you allow them to insert at random follow up “extra credit” strikes that add to the workout. This adds to the offensive creativity and helps keep them from turning drills into robotic exercises. It also gets to be effective to have supplemental protection when you athlete begins to generate power that is no longer manageable with hand held pads alone. Also if the body pads allow enough freedom of movement, they can be incorporated into sparring to allow athletes to train at a more physical level that was unsafe before.

If you are a striker or MMA athlete and your training feels like it has plateaued and you have not incorporated body protectors or belly pads into your training, than this may be the next step for you. The added level of safety combined with the broader scope of techniques can be very rewarding. If you have questions on training with belly pads or body protectors, or you have a cool drill you have incorporated, please contact us in the comment section, face book page or blog!

About the author

Ray White's Midwest Martial Arts teaches Muay Thai and Mixed Martial Arts to students, amateur and professional fighters from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. He can be reached at the SMB Academy in Battle Creek Michigan, at www.facebook.com/RayWhiteMMA and at www.mmacoachescorner.com .