I have been working the focus mitts lately with Brian Olsen from NEMMA Fitness (www.nemmafitness.com). Brian is a former standout college wrestler and 9-1 in MMA. We was a WEC Heavyweight Champion contender and now has a new MMA gym in West Hartford, CT. It is a great facility and a great training environment.
One of Brian’s skills is boxing for MMA. We have been working as much as we can on boxing for MMA and using the focus mitts for training, along with lots of sparring. The focus mitts offer such a different dynamic compared to a heavybag or pads. Your trainer can move with you, set up combinations, and even return fire. Focus mitt training works on your hand speed, coordination, and distance. You learn what combinations work for you, and improve the speed of the those combinations
With MMA, your trainer can add sprawls, knees, and even kicks. This allows you to work all ranges of your standup game and defense. A good trainer will also let you know when you’re making critical mistakes, like dropping a hand during a combination. Committing to much to a punch, etc.
The only drawback with focus mitt training and working on striking for MMA, is that if you want to truly be a good striker, you need to work the mitts almost every day. The other drawback to that, is most people do not know how to hold the mitts properly and do not know how to use them as an effective training tool. But, when you get a trainer who knows what they’re doing, how to work them with you, the focus mitts can be a valuable tool in your MMA training.
