What's the point of mitt drills?

I first did mitts as a boxer over 50 years ago. It was one of my favorite things to do. I still enjoy doing mitts as a trainer. The use of mitts can vary qreatly. I use them mostly to teach counterpunching and movement. A hit and not get hit style. Increasing head movement and teaching angles and side to side movement. I have been very successful at this. It is good to help a boxer find his range and to teach good inside fighting skills. I read people saying Mitt work is not necessary, all a boxer need do is spar. I would never let a boxer spar until he or she mastered the basic of what I teach with the mitts. We have a very well rounded gym and we have several coaches. We all do mitts differently. One does cardio, speed and accuracy. Another works with heavier padded mitts and chest protection. It is a proven method. In the past 27 years we have had 20 or more national champs. We have also had a few world champs.

 

Still giving a false sense of learned accomplishment. Plus there's nothing to indicate that your fighter is in a simulated fight.

 

Did you even read what I wrote? LOL

 

Yes! Here's my point just because I do pads with the "PADMAN" of George foreman doesn't mean that I fought big George nor does it prepare me to fight him. Secondly head movement is staged with cadence and has little reality to moving ones head after getting hit.

Thirdly why not hit the speed bag instead of pads. Pads teach one to lift the elbows, and to square up.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=H6joxmQFnCw

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FGZzK5XOx3k

Lastly pads teach fighters to lift the elbows.

 

There are so many things wrong with your logic or the lack thereof. Mitt work is only one of many training techniques. I am not a big fan of the heavy bag but I use it. I prefer the double end bag. I see the speed bag as a very small part of training. My fighters skip rope but I prefer they shadowbox. I prefer the tear drop bag over the heavy bag. We all have preferences but to exclude one piece of the puzzle makes the puzzle incomplete. As to your point about the elbows being up and the boxer squaring up when doing mitts. All I can say is, not in my gym. I use Mitt work, "as I said in my original post" to teach counterpunching and DEFENSE. If a boxer listens and committs to the Mitt training I offer. He/she will be very tight defensively. Not to mention, they will be an overall better all around boxer.

 

How will skipping and speed bags make them a better boxer? Heavy bag will strengthen the fighter.

Flatlander here's my point your defense won't mean sheet after the first solid blow has landed. All that Rollin around won't work with swollen ribs or with the air knocked out of you.

Certain tribes of Africa the Bantu is where most African Americans originate. The Bantu roll their shoulders when they sing and dance. However for the rest of us rolling the shoulders isn't natural. What is natural for us is siding up and pulling the left shoulder back.

Lastly most pad work is down with short punches this comes from squaring up with left toe aligned with the right heel. Weight on the lead foot, head over the center. They do this inorder to slip a very tiring movement I can throughly assure you.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GAC0PMMvNn4

To quote Andy boxing is a sideways sport.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uZnMsB7vX6c
Mayweather's shoulder is pointed directly at his opponent this easily done when the heels are aligned. With the shoulder pulled back.

 

For any fighter power is the greatest asset, padwork done over a period of time will eventually result in the loss of a fighters power. This is due to unnatural forces generated when hitting the pads, like hitting a brick wall in comparison with hitting a head or body, there is no give in the pads and this causes injuries!

 

A true complete fighter will know how to condition themselves with regards training, nutrtition, tactics and mental preparation. It amuses me when so called champions have a team of so called experts telling what to do; strength and conditioning coach, boxing coach,
pad man, sports pyscologist, etc

 

When I see a fighter has a team like this I see weakness in the fighter!

 

If you can do pad work effectively it is great if you can't well then good luck.

Effective pad work is simulating a fight in a way that the fighter can focus without worrying to much about what is coming back at them. Too much sparring isn't good for a fighter mentally and physically.

If you do pad work like Mayweather does then you might as well be doing nothing because all it is is standing in the pocket trying to look good. It doesn't use footwork nor head-movement. The fighter has too much of a false sense of security.

Pads can also help you get snap into your punches. If you push your punches then it will come out on the pads. On the heavy bag it isn't shaped like a person. In the sense that with mitts you can emulate the odd angles at which parts of the body are shaped.

 

Mayweather never trains on camera like he does off camera. Actually very few boxers do. No reason to let your next opponent know what you are working on. Apparently based upon some people's opinions here, the world's trainers are doing it all wrong. Hopefully these aspiring trainers can one day take over and do things right. Meanwhile the rest of us will continue making national and world champions. It is hard to argue with success.

 

I just disagree with some of this new bull**** that they emphasize like mitt work. Waaaaay over emphasized when you get past the novice level. The reason why fighters today are utter **** when compared to the great fighters like Ray Robinson, Dempsey, Ali, and Joe Louis.

 

You mean to say that the camera is playing tricks? Where's the science to back up your claims? We've worked laboriously to dispel the memes of the speed bag training routine, skipping and road work. Have you read any of it? atsch

 

The Art and Science of boxing has been very successful using the techniques that you for some reason have been inspired to dispel.

 

If this is not obvious to you, then I can't help you. The main purposes of a heavy bag in my opinion are stamina and cardio and getting use to punching a hard and heavy target. I have not seen any evidence of it increasing strength per say but if one learns solid technique and execution one will hit harder. Most hand and elbow injury issues come from hitting the heavy bag improperly.