Hey friends, it's Lizzie! Every kickboxing class has a moment where the coach says “partner up, one holds, one hits,” and half the room quietly hopes to hit first. I get it. Hitting is the fun part. But ten years in, I'll tell you the thing nobody says out loud: holding pads well is a skill, and it made me a better kickboxer. Here's what I've learned about the half of class you didn't sign up for.
Why holding is not a break
When you hold for someone, you're their target, their timer and their coach's eyes for three minutes. If you drift, drop the pads, or hold them at the wrong height, your partner learns the wrong thing and gets nothing from the round. Holding lazily is the fastest way to become the person nobody wants. Holding well is the fastest way to become the person everyone does.
What good holding looks like
- Hold with intention. Pads firm, arms engaged, ready for the strike rather than waiting to be hit. A pad that gives too much is no fun to hit and no good to learn on.
- Learn the timing from your coach. Ask your coach to demonstrate the right pad position and response for the exact strike. Start slowly and stay within what you have been taught.
- Call the combination clearly. “One-two, low kick.” Loud, early, the same words the coach uses.
- Match their level. A beginner needs slow, predictable pads. An experienced partner wants you to move, angle, and make them work. Read the person.
- Keep your own guard. Pads up covers your face too. The first time a kick skims a pad and finds your ribs, you'll understand why.
- Ask your coach to show you once. Where your hands go, how you brace for a kick, how to hold for a knee. I'm not going to teach that in a blog post; five minutes with your coach beats anything I could write.
What holding taught me about hitting
Timing, mostly. When you hold for a hundred people, you start to feel when a punch is coming before it comes: the shoulder, the breath, the little shift in the feet. That reading transferred straight into my own rounds and into sparring. You also see every mistake you make yourself, in someone else's body, from a foot away. Dropped hands, flat feet, a kick that stops short. It is the most honest mirror in the gym.
Holding for beginners
This is my favorite job in the room. A beginner's first pad round is terrifying for them, and a good holder makes it survivable: slow calls, pads exactly where they need to be, a “nice” when something lands clean. My first class was overwhelming, and that is exactly when a kind holder matters most. You get to be that person for someone. Take it seriously.
Holding for someone better than you
Also a gift, if you let it be. Ask what they're working on, agree on a pace you can manage, and have your coach check the setup. And don't apologize every time you're a beat late; say “again” and reset. Good partners would rather hold for someone who is trying than someone who is sorry.
The mistakes I see most often
- Talking through the round instead of calling combinations.
- Coaching your partner's technique uninvited. There is one coach in the room.
- Pads at chest height for a partner who is a foot taller than you, or a foot shorter.
- Checking your phone between rounds while your partner waits, wrapped and ready.
- Going soft on the pads to be “nice.” Firm pads are the kind thing.
The women's room note
Real talk: fight gyms skew male, and a woman holding pads will sometimes get a partner who assumes she can't hold properly. You do not have to prove yourself by accepting more power or speed than you can manage. Speak up, ask for a reset, and involve your coach if your partner does not respect your limits.
Where this fits in getting good
If you want to improve faster, volunteer to hold first. You will learn timing, see technique from the outside, earn partners who go light when you need it, and become the person the coach trusts to hold for the new girl on her first night. That last one is the whole gym in one job. Everything else about progress is in how long it actually takes to get good.
Thai pads vs focus mitts, from the holder's side
Focus mitts are the small hand targets for punches; Thai pads are the long rectangular ones strapped to your forearms for kicks and knees. Holding mitts is about placement and timing: the pad appears where the punch should land, right as it should land. Holding Thai pads is about bracing: you take a kick on your forearm through the pad, so your stance and your core do the work, and a lazy stance gets you knocked sideways. Both take a few sessions to feel natural. Ask your coach to check your Thai-pad stance before someone throws a real kick at it.
The round-timer trick
Clear calls and timely resets can help the round flow more smoothly. Agree on the pace with your partner and follow the coach's drill rather than rushing to squeeze in more combinations.
Hold, then hit, then hold again
If you can, volunteer to hold the first round of any pad session. You'll be warmed up by the time you hit, you'll have watched the combination land from a foot away, and you'll have earned the partner's attention for your own round. It's a small thing that makes pad rounds better, even before you notice why.
One last thing about saying yes to holding
The people who get the most out of a class are almost never the ones who hit first. They are the ones who hold first, watch closely, hit second, and hold again without being asked. Ten years in, that is still the partner I try to be, and it is still the partner I hope to get. Volunteer for the pads this week. Pay attention to the timing, listen to your partner, and ask your coach for one thing to improve.
Your Questions, Answered
How do you hold pads for kickboxing? Ask your coach to demonstrate the grip, pad position, bracing and timing for the exact strike. Start slowly, agree on the combination with your partner, and pause if you are unsure.
Does holding pads make you a better fighter? It did for me. You learn to read a punch before it lands, you see your own mistakes in someone else's body, and you earn partners who go light when you need them.
What should you do if your partner is much better than you? Ask what they are working on, agree on a pace you can manage, and have your coach check the setup. Reset when needed; you do not have to accept more speed or power than you can handle.
