Focus mitt

Focus mitts front and reverse sides.

A focus mitt is a padded target attached to a glove and usually used in training boxers and other combat athletes.

The person holding the focus mitts will typically call out combinations and "feed" the puncher good counter-force while maneuvering and working specific skills. Focus mitts are often used as an augment to sparring, with more explicit focus on the puncher than the feeder, especially to develop good punch combinations and defensive maneuvers such as "slipping," "bobbing" and "weaving."

When wearing focus mitts it is important not merely to hold them but to actively "feed" them into the punches, to balance their force and prevent injury to both parties.

Similar to a focus mitt but designed for different purposes are heavier thai pads used in muay thai boxing and kicking shields used in a variety of martial arts to help gauge distance and practice techniques with kicks, knees and elbows.

Working with focus mitts

It is often said that holding focus mitts can be as taxing as striking them. Typically, the person wearing the focus mitts will yell a number that represents a combination. For example, yelling "three!" might signify that the striker should throw a jab, followed by a cross, followed by a hook in rapid succession. Defensive maneuvers are often incorporated into the combinations as well.

Improving punching technique relies upon the person wearing the focus mitts knowing where to set his/her hands, as well as knowing how to time the movement of the focus mitts. Typically the holder will comment on how the striker can improve his/her technique between combinations.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Focus mitts.