Muay Thai Pads

Thai pads are training equipment designed to withstand all manner of Muay Thai strikes. Used by a coach/trainer as objects for a partner to strike. When in the hands of an expert, Thai pads are highly effective for building hand-eye coordination, technique, conditioning and more.

Sold in pairs, they can be used one in each hand or in combination with other pad or mitt types. The best Thai pads are made from high quality materials but are lightweight enough to not wear out the coach. Cow hide leather or semi-leather with durable straps and robust stitching are key for durability. Weight and arm rests are useful for minimising the force felt by the pad holder from strikes.

Focus mitts are designed for precision and speed work. Slightly larger than hands, they are primarily used by a coach to train a student's boxing or elbows, however, they can be used for knees and kicks with a student who is accurate.

Lightweight, yet densely padded, focus mitts have finger slots and additional features to minimise injury risk for the wearer. The best focus mitts are made from high quality leather or semi-leather, have dedicated padded areas just for the wearer and are robustly stitched throughout.

Muay Thai belly pads resemble a large belt with a large middle section that is heavily padded. This middle section may have embossed areas designed for specific targeting.

Belly pads are often worn alongside pads of any kind but can be worn alone if the focus is on knee or teep work. They are great for developing teeps, body strikes of all kind and in-close, clinch work.

The best belly pads have thick padding in the striking area to minimise injury risk for the wearer. They also have a secure fastening whether it be hook-and-loop or buckles. A strong fastening is key to ensure minimal movement while training.

Hybrid Thai pads, or hybrid kick mitts, are a merger between Thai pads and focus mitts. Providing the speed and flexibility of focus mitts, with the endurance and added size of Thai pads, hybrid pads enable coaches to work all kinds of strikes at speed, with minimal risk of injury or arm fatigue. Being a merger though, they aren't as quick to move as focus mitts, nor can they take explosive kicks as well as Thai pads. However, as a middle ground, they enable coaches to work on a wide range of techniques with maximum comfort.

The best hybrid mitts have thick padding and a dedicated hand slot with wrist support. They should be made from high quality leather or semi-leather and stitched with extreme care.

When starting out in Muay Thai, hitting solid Thai pads is going to feel uncomfortable. You're likely to feel some sting and likely get some bruising on your shins and feet. You could get some bruising on your elbows and knees when hitting Thai pads too. These are some of the most common injuries in Muay Thai.

Yet, over time, as your shins become conditioned and you can more accurately hit the pads with your shins, the damage and pain will subside. You'll find you can smash pads at full power without really feeling it. Patience and repetition are key.

Holding Thai pads is hard. It is an art in itself. It takes years of practice and effort to truly understand how to use the pads to develop students. When starting out, you need to focus on placement as even the slightest incorrect angle can result in an injury to your partner, especially when boxing.

Once you understand placement and timing, you can incorporate movement. Then return strikes to your partner as if emulating a fight. Watching pad experts, working with them on the pads and holding them for others is all needed to learn.