You really can’t hold pads for someone without knowing ahead of time what they are going to throw. In fact, it’s pretty much your job/responsibility as the pad holder to call out the combination you want them to throw before they throw it.
Holding pads is as much of an art as hitting pads, and as such takes significant time to gain a high level of proficiency in.
That said, if you start with basic combinations or just having your client repeatedly throw the same punch (left Jan for example) you can start to get a feel for that person’s timing and power and make the necessary adjustments. You don’t have to try to be Roger Mayweather or Freddie Roach and string together crazy intricate and long combinations.
The main details about holding pads are:
- providing enough force/stability with the pad into the “fighter/client’s” punches so that it feels like a solid target to them without crushing their punch or hurting them (this is less of an issue with more skilled fighters)
This is done by both creating some kinetic energy/impact/movement into the punch with the pad and by having proper body alignment so you can support the forces you are encountering. In some cases (either for certain punches or when working with certain individuals) this can mean doubling up the pads/re-enforcing the pads so you can provide extra support.
- Being in the right place at the right time. Timing is probably the most important skill set in all of fighting. With good timing everything feels crisp, smooth, fluid, and “easy”. Poor timing on the other hand makes things feel awkward, strained, “herky jerky”, and “hard”.
If you do not have the pads in the right place at the right time, the person punching is not going to enjoy hitting them as your poor timing is going to really mess up their timing as well.
- Accurately mimicking the targets and attacks that a person would be encountering in a fight/ring/Cage. This means that for instance when I throw a jab with the pad so my fighter can slip it, I want to actually aim at their head (where it is, not where it’s going to be), not to purposely miss so they can “feel good” about slipping a fake punch. You can chance the surface area somewhat by trying to touch their nose/forehead with the flat side of the pad rather than the end and you can go slow at first, so they can build skill and confidence. But you don’t want to “swat it” or throw it over their opposite side shoulder.
Likewise, when holding the pads you want to try to mimic the target being hit. For instance the Overhand Right Cross is aiming to hit the side of the jaw/chin (or sometimes temple) so when you catch the punch with your left pad, you want to try to meet the punch just slightly before centerline (about where the Side of the jaw/chin would be) and you want to angle the pad like the side of the jaw/chin.
My advice is to start with simple, fairly uncomplex combinations and slowly start to add intricacy and length to your pad holding routines. Even simple stuff like:
-You throw an Overhand Right/Right Hook, fighter Weaves it to their left, Fighter comes back with a Left Hook, Short Right (or Right Uppercut if yiu’d Prefer), Left Hook
-You Jab, Fighter slips to their Right, Fighter counters with Right Cross, Left Hook, Right Cross
And other very simple, but fundamental combinations are always going to be relevant for fighters of any level and will let you gain skill in holding a feeding combinations while not overwhelming you with complexity.
Hope this helps. Good luck.
