Issue 127

April 2015

Balance, reaction, agility, acceleration, deceleration – the core values required to hold mitts and train with pads

Kevin Kearns

S&C coach to elite athletes, each issue he presents his best training tips.

The concept of holding mitts for training appears simple, but a lot of people don’t know there are huge benefits to focus mitt and Thai pad work. I’ve been holding them for more than 15 years now and it’s as much an art as it is a science. I credit my teachers like John O’Brien, John Frankl, Mark DellaGrotte and Sifu Kim Maysaii. Each person taught me a little more about the art during every training session.

I picked up the concept of BRAAD (balance, reaction, agility, acceleration, deceleration) from one of my first functional training mentors, JC Santana. He was one of the first pioneers to introduce it into the world of functional strength training. 

When you look at this concept it makes perfect sense for cross-training across a variety of sports as well as in the general fitness market. It could burn between 800 and 1,100 calories in just 45 minutes, so it’s no wonder fighters are in such great shape. 

Couple that with the impact training for the tendons, joints and proprioceptive demand on the whole body and it’s a real wonder why more people who are looking to get or stay in shape aren’t reaching for the pads.

The point of this type of training that’s so often missed, however, there are also benefits for the pad holder. The way I was taught by my teachers is: if you’re holding pads, you’re defending. You’re not waiting for the bus. 

The act of holding mitts carries over to many other sports as well. You start to see punches and angles and you get a full picture of your opponent.

Finally, the amount of core strength and coordination it takes to hit and hold mitts is largely unmatched in other fitness methods. Where else can the holder and hitter both gain all these benefits? Let’s get down to the main concepts.

B – Balance 

You need balance in every sport, just like you do in the rest of your life. The stance for boxing or kickboxing mimics the athletic-ready stance for most sports activities. 

The back heel is off the ground for mobility, explosion and fluidity of movement. There’s a slight turning of the back hip to load the power side. The elbows are over the hips in a ‘goal post’ fashion and the thumbs are at eyebrow level. 

Your weight should be evenly distributed between both legs at all times. This way the power will be easily generated from the core and ground. The stance should be the same for the pad holder too. 

Why? Simple muscle memory. You want to reinforce the proper stance constantly.

R – Reaction 

When hitting pads the striker must react to the commands of the holder. The striker must be ready to attack at anytime. This heightens the sense of spatial awareness and visual cues. 

Over time the striker will begin to read the coach’s intentions on the pads. At the same time the holder also gets the benefit of timing when to meet the strikes. This takes practice.

A – Agility 

Mark DellaGrotte from Team Sityodtong is famous for saying, “Anyone can fight forward, but can you fight backwards and side to side?” At Burn With Kearns we always teach stance and striking technique first in our White Collar Fight Club. 

Why? It takes time to move and hit. It’s like patting your head and rubbing your stomach times 10. The ability to move fluidly is essential for both striker and coach – not only in the fight game, but in all sports. 

My other coach, John O’Brien, would say, “Footwork will save your life.” The agility it takes to shift, change levels, circle off and attack all at the same time raises the bar for the concept in this department.

A – Acceleration

Being able to accelerate quickly in any sport is a huge benefit, whether you face one opponent or multiple opponents. We’ve heard about the advantages of an fighter’s explosiveness in the Octagon many times. It could be the deciding factor in them winning a bout. It’s all about being able to throw your strikes faster than the your opponent. 

With proper instruction, training and conditioning from the right coach, a trainee can excel in their ability to launch a quicker attack. This could translate into hockey where a player hits a slap shot or in tennis where a player drives a serve.

D – Deceleration

As important as it is to explode a technique, it’s also of great importance to recoil or slow the attack down once it’s done its job. One of Newton’s laws of motion says “an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.” 

We’ve all heard many coaches say, “Don’t over-commit.” If your opponent disappears like a ghost, you don’t want to be left wide open by lunging into thin air. The ability to recoil or decelerate will save your body in the long term. 

That’s also why actually hitting a target is better than striking in the air. Hitting something causes a natural deceleration and reinforces your brain’s targeting system.

BRAAD WORKOUT

Complete the following five championship rounds. Novices aim for boxing's three-minutes rounds, but experts should shoot for MMA's unforgiving five-minute rounds.

Round 1

In a Thai boxing stance, start with a jab-cross, but sit down on your power cross.

Round 2

Keep the stance and add two more punches to the combo: jab, cross, left hook and right uppercut.

Round 3

Same stance again, but now switch to elbows and knees: jab, cross, left elbow to the head and right knee to body.

Round 4

What we call 'run the ladder': left hook to the head, right hook to the head, left hook to the body and right hook to the body.

Round 5 

The finisher: jab, cross, left elbow, right elbow, left knee and then finish with a right knee.