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Thread: Focus Mitts for Wing Chun?

  1. #1

    Focus Mitts for Wing Chun?

    Hey guys,

    I'm interested in incorporating some other things into my training. Anyone have any advice or experience using focus mitts to train wing chun striking and movement?
    Matt
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    www.youtube.com/mvbrown25

  2. #2
    I think Thai pads work well allowing you to work chasing footwork, angling and turning, and driving in much better than boxing pads because they provide a flat plane that can function like the centre of an opponent and can be punched with both fists.

  3. #3
    A body shield is also really good

  4. #4
    Used them a bunch in the past, these days i prefer thai pads.

    What attributes are you trying to increase specifically?

  5. #5
    I was thinking for combinations with distance. training to not over extend. Obviously footwork would be a huge byproduct. also, I think it would be useful to have your partner slap/tap you with the other pad randomly while your hitting the other mitt intentionally trying to catch your timing. I dont know. Just ideas stolen from boxing! My line already has pretty good movement much more akin to upright boxing if you will. in my opinion. So I think maybe some intermixing of training might help. Oh yeah, also low high strikes. It seems that a lot of people, including myself, don't really generate as much power with low/high as they should/could.
    Matt
    ______________________

    www.youtube.com/mvbrown25

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by mvbrown21 View Post
    I was thinking for combinations with distance. training to not over extend. Obviously footwork would be a huge byproduct. also, I think it would be useful to have your partner slap/tap you with the other pad randomly while your hitting the other mitt intentionally trying to catch your timing. I dont know. Just ideas stolen from boxing! My line already has pretty good movement much more akin to upright boxing if you will. in my opinion. So I think maybe some intermixing of training might help. Oh yeah, also low high strikes. It seems that a lot of people, including myself, don't really generate as much power with low/high as they should/could.
    Quite hard to do with wing chun. What do you plan to do with pads thrown at you? Move or cover like a boxer? Having them throw punches at you, move, pressure you and so on while you both wear body protectors is more useful I think. That way you can work the wing chun defensive punching approach vs a more conventional boxing style

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by guy b. View Post
    Quite hard to do with wing chun. What do you plan to do with pads thrown at you? Move or cover like a boxer?
    Not quite sure yet. Just an idea right now. I like the idea though. Thai pads and geared up sparring is boring to me in a lot of ways. I'm already pretty good at getting at the body. I'm more interested in doing combinations and training accuracy. That's how you get them. A nice combo with good timing does a thousand times more than chain attacking into the same target. And i dont mean dont attack center. Its one of the benefits the rotation wc1277 talks about. high/low/left/right, its all good! Hitting the same target is unrealistic anyway if you really hit them with the first one.
    Matt
    ______________________

    www.youtube.com/mvbrown25

  8. #8
    The reason for using focus mitts in WCK would be the exact same reason boxers use them, and the exact same reason boxing trainers like Freddie Roach use them. It provides a realtime 1-on-1 feedback session platform for training strikes with realistic movement. So for a WCK sifu, for example, this would provide an ideal private lesson environment to build someone's hand skill progressively to include offense and defense.

    There is absolutely nothing about a focus mitt and mma glove (5oz) environment that dictates that WHAT you train has to be boxing and not WCK. If you think there is, then perhaps what's wrong is your WCK or your inflexible interpretation of it, not the hand wraps or targets you are using.

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Eric_H View Post
    Used them a bunch in the past, these days i prefer thai pads.
    Thai pads if you are involving kicks, knees and elbows into the sessions. Focus mitts train speed and accuracy (precision striking to smaller target) with the hands. You can train mostly the same things with either, my feel is that the mitts are a little quicker pace and help hone in my hand accuracy a little better.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Wayfaring View Post
    Thai pads if you are involving kicks, knees and elbows into the sessions. Focus mitts train speed and accuracy (precision striking to smaller target) with the hands. You can train mostly the same things with either, my feel is that the mitts are a little quicker pace and help hone in my hand accuracy a little better.
    A Thai pad is better I think because you are mostly chasing centre in wing chun, not cracking off shots in all directions like a boxer. You can hit the thai pad with both hands and it can be moved around like a shifting opponent. A body shield on a moving opponent with attacking arms is even better.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by guy b. View Post
    A Thai pad is better I think because you are mostly chasing centre in wing chun, not cracking off shots in all directions like a boxer. You can hit the thai pad with both hands and it can be moved around like a shifting opponent. A body shield on a moving opponent with attacking arms is even better.
    I actually agree with this.

    Over the years ive had issues wiith both my elbows (compacted ulnar nerve) and have had trouble holding focus mitts when boxing so i often use the Thai pads in both Thai and boxing training.
    I played with both and found the MT pads a better fit, IMO, for WC for much the same reasons as above. Having said that, i have never really felt the need to us a body shield but its not to say im against it

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by guy b. View Post
    A Thai pad is better I think because you are mostly chasing centre in wing chun, not cracking off shots in all directions like a boxer. You can hit the thai pad with both hands and it can be moved around like a shifting opponent. A body shield on a moving opponent with attacking arms is even better.
    Makes no sense.

    First, no mitt session is "cracking off shots in all directions", even by a boxer. Focus mitts are held near pertinent targets, and at the same range as pertinent targets.

    Second, here's a novel concept - you can actually hold EITHER focus mitts or thai pads at or near your centerline. WOW!!!!! And the benefit of focus mitts near your centerline is to train a more specific and smaller target near your centerline, say closer to COG.

    Third, "You can hit the thai pad with both hands and it can be moved around like a shifting opponent". Do I really need to point out that you also can hit focus mitts with both hands and move them around faster like a shifting opponent as they weigh a lot less than thai pads??? OK I didn't think so.

    The body shields do work well, and I see many boxing and MT / MMA coaches using body shields in combo with focus mitts. Not so much body shield + thai pad as it's a little redundant.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by GlennR View Post
    Over the years ive had issues wiith both my elbows (compacted ulnar nerve) and have had trouble holding focus mitts when boxing so i often use the Thai pads in both Thai and boxing training.
    This is a great reason to use thai pads over focus mitts. In your situation repetitive impact trauma would be greater with the lever of the impact point of focus mitts on your elbow vs. having the entire forearm covered.

    I played with both and found the MT pads a better fit, IMO, for WC for much the same reasons as above. Having said that, i have never really felt the need to us a body shield but its not to say im against it
    "a better fit for WC"

    Why can people not see training methods and value inherently and have to tack on what is and is not appropriate for WCK?

    That's a completely false statement. Each target - thai pads or focus mitts are specifically engineered to develop different characteristics. They do overlap a bit. Use the proper thing to develop the attribute you want. Stop generalizing "for all WCK".

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Wayfaring View Post
    Makes no sense.

    First, no mitt session is "cracking off shots in all directions", even by a boxer. Focus mitts are held near pertinent targets, and at the same range as pertinent targets.
    My experience of focus mitts is that they are held in convenient places to develop specific punches rather than in realistic places wrt a moving opponent. I don't find that focus mitts map as well to a real moving opponent as Thai pads.

    Second, here's a novel concept - you can actually hold EITHER focus mitts or thai pads at or near your centerline.
    Thai pad presents a plane like a body and it actually has a centre you can hit. A focus pad presents a point. You can hold it in front of your cog but then why not just wear a body shield?

    Third, "You can hit the thai pad with both hands and it can be moved around like a shifting opponent". Do I really need to point out that you also can hit focus mitts with both hands and move them around faster like a shifting opponent as they weigh a lot less than thai pads?
    A Thai pad can be moved as fast as a shifting opponent and tends to keep in a realistic frame of movement. Focus mitts can certainly be moved faster but they can also be moved unrealistically much more easily which trains exactly nothing. Good focus mitt work is very rare. Thai pads much easier to get right.

    The body shields do work well, and I see many boxing and MT / MMA coaches using body shields in combo with focus mitts. Not so much body shield + thai pad as it's a little redundant.
    Body shield and nothing is what I use. Then you have your hands free to help the trainee learn the purpose of wing chun while being able to hit you to the body

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Wayfaring View Post
    That's a completely false statement. Each target - thai pads or focus mitts are specifically engineered to develop different characteristics. They do overlap a bit. Use the proper thing to develop the attribute you want. Stop generalizing "for all WCK".
    Wing chun is a certain thing with certain characteristics. Some training methods fit better than some others. I prefer Thai pads because I think they fit wing chun better. If you prefer focus mitts then that is your perogative

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