We did a bit of contact work in class last night. I know a lot of places use focus mitts and kick shields, but I’m not a fan. Focus mitts don’t offer enough resistance and kick shields are too “squishy.” Because I teach in a health club, I have access to a closet full of “normal” workout gear, and I’ve found that yoga blocks and foam rollers are great targets for impact drills.
Yoga blocks are great punching targets. They’re firm, but not so hard or abrasive that they’ll damage your hands. I have students pair up, with one student punching while the other student holds the yoga block vertically against their chest to provide a target. Not only does this give good resistance, but it gets students used to punching hard with a human body in front of them. As an added bonus, the student holding the block gets accustomed to taking a bit of impact.
Foam rollers are great kick targets. You can hold them in front of your chest as a target for front kicks, side thrust kicks, and back kicks. You can turn to the side and have a good target for roundhouse kicks. You can even hold it out horizontally away from your body to provide a good target for side snap kicks. Again, they’re firm, but not so hard that your students will damage their feet.
If you don’t have access to these things, you can buy them relatively inexpesively on Amazon, but I often find them very cheaply at thrift stores or discount stores like TJ Maxx or Ross.
