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Over the last few years the Martial Arts have played a pivotal role within the fitness industry and have revolutionized the way we view exercise and total body conditioning.
Through the introduction of Tae Bo, Boxercise, Cardio Kickboxing & Body Combat classes, we’ve literally seen an inundation of people wanting to reap the many rewards and benefits of these classes. For many people, this is another alternative to the archaic aerobic classes of the 80’s & certainly another avenue for overall fitness. For others however, this form of exercise aligned with a healthy diet, can literally transform anyone into a healthier lifestyle within weeks.
Personal Fitness instructors all over the world have also discovered the benefits of Boxing and Pad work as means to get people in shape, lose weight and develop cardiovascular conditioning. Whilst its great to see the rapid growth of these alternative classes, what most people don’t realize, are the origins of the pad drills we simply take for granted.
As early as the 1960’s, Bruce Lee was using focus mitts as part of his daily training program. Although most people view Bruce Lee as a movie star, the reality is, he was a martial artist & pioneer of expressing the human body. Bruce Lee realized very early, that in order to get his body in top fighting condition, he had to research many areas of human development. His thirst for knowledge in the areas of physiology, kinesiology, fitness, nutrition and of course combat was evident by his personal library consisting of more than two thousand books. Through Bruce Lee’s personal fighting style of Jeet-Kune-Do, he developed many combative drills for the use of the focus mitts. In addition to their combat application, the focus mitts also served as an avenue for total body conditioning in the areas of upper and lower body strength, cardiovascular conditioning and proper bio-mechanical execution of all techniques.
For the Jeet-Kune-Do practitioner, precedence is on the pad holder or what we refer to as the feeder. The feeder plays an important role in the sense that not only is he/she the coach but more importantly, will determine the intensity of the workout. One of the unique aspects of the Jeet-Kune-Do practitioner is the ability to be alive and dynamic throughout the whole feeding process, creating a spontaneous reaction from the student with no thought process.
The Jeet-Kune-Do pad workout is about fine-tuning the athlete, it is a higher level of training whereby no static movements exist & emphasis is on aliveness. Throughout the early stages, the Jeet-Kune-Do student is taught various pad positions then slowly introduced to the many tools by which the pads can be hit. Each phase taking the student to a higher level of training, whereby the student is freelancing many hand & foot combinations then having the feeder return many more variables or counter attacks to the sound of energizing music. This type of workout not only develops the student combatively but more importantly gets the heart pumping and promotes overall conditioning and muscle endurance. Studies have shown that several sessions of pad work can:
- Burn up to 2500 kilojoules per session
- Improve efficiency of heart & lungs
- Lower blood pressure
- Increase blood supply, especially red blood cells & hemoglobin
- Makes body tissue healthier as it gets more oxygen
- Conditions heart
- Promotes better sleep
- Promotes toning & muscular strength
- Helps improve hand/eye coordination
- Improve timing
- Improve balance & footwork
Jeet-Kune-Do pad work is particularly suitable for women, because it strengthens and firms the lower abdomen, hips and inner thighs. These areas when conditioned restore muscle tone and health, improving overall appearance. In addition to the physical conditioning, Jeet-Kune-Do is also about developing self preservation skills & having the confidence to deal with aggression head on, as all the pad drills transcend to what they were originally designed for… combat.
Bruce Lee was fanatical when it came to his personal training regime, he literally spent thousands of hours experimentation and fine-tuning his craft to the point of self-perfection. Today, Bruce Lees legacy and training methods can be found in the many Jeet-Kune-Do schools world wide. Through Bruce Lee’s genius, much of the fitness fad of today can be attributed to him and his development of Jeet-Kune-Do.
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