Women's Intermediate - Pad Work Focus

Mobilisation (5 minutes)

• Neck rolls: 10 each direction
• Shoulder circles: 10 forward, 10 back
• Thoracic rotation: 10 each side
• Hip circles: 10 each direction
• Wrist rotations: 10 each direction
• Bodyweight squats: 10 reps
• Arm swings across chest: 10 alternating

Warm-Up Drills (8 minutes)

Shadow boxing at pace (4 mins)

2 x 1.5-minute rounds. Full range of punches. Movement between combinations. The pace should be higher than a beginner session. These members know what they are doing.

"This is not a beginner class. You have been training for months. Throw with intent. Move with purpose."

Footwork and jab warm-up (4 mins)

In front of the mirrors. Step forward, jab. Step back, jab. Step left, jab. Step right, jab. 2 minutes. Then: step forward, jab-cross. Step back, jab-cross. Step left, jab-cross-hook. 2 minutes. Build the combination complexity with each direction change.

Main Session (38 minutes)

Pad Work Block 1: The 1-2-3-2 (10 mins)

Pairs. This is the core combination for the session: jab, cross, hook, cross. Four punches with a natural flow.

Drill (8 mins):
3-minute rounds, swap. Run twice. Full speed by round 2.

Coaching cues:
- "The hook is the pivot point of the combination. Get the pivot right and the final cross has power."
- "Do not pause between the hook and the last cross. It is one flow. Jab-cross-hook-cross. Four beats."
- "The last cross is the hardest because your body has already rotated for the hook. You need to reset and drive through."

Speed test (2 mins):
Each member throws 5 repetitions of the 1-2-3-2 on pads. Coach observes which repetition was the cleanest. Quick individual feedback: "Your third rep was the best. The hook had a clean pivot."

Pad Work Block 2: Movement and Combination (10 mins)

Pairs. Pad holder moves. Worker follows and throws combinations.

Drill 1: Forward pressure (4 mins)
Pad holder retreats. Worker follows in stance and throws 1-2-3-2 when in range. After the combination, the pad holder moves again. Worker follows, throws again.

2-minute rounds, swap.

"Do not reach. Step into range, then throw. Your feet get you there. Your hands do the work."

Drill 2: Angle and throw (3 mins)
Pad holder stands still. Worker throws a combination, then pivots 45 degrees before throwing the next combination. The angle change simulates real movement around an opponent.

2-minute rounds, swap.

Drill 3: Retreat and throw (3 mins)
Pad holder walks forward. Worker moves backward, finds range, throws a combination, then continues retreating. This trains the back-foot combination.

2-minute rounds, swap.

Pad Work Block 3: Call and Respond (10 mins)

This is where pad work becomes real training.

Pairs. The pad holder calls combinations by number. The worker must hear, process, and throw the correct combination without hesitation.

Start with familiar calls:
- "1-2!" - jab-cross
- "1-2-3!" - jab-cross-hook
- "1-2-3-2!" - jab-cross-hook-cross

Then add complexity:
- "1-2, body 3!" - jab-cross, hook to the body
- "Double 1, 2-3!" - double jab, cross-hook
- "1-body, 2-3!" - jab to the body, cross-hook

3-minute rounds, swap. Run 3 times. Each round, the pad holder increases the pace of the calls.

"This is how real pad work runs. Your coach calls it, you throw it. No thinking time. Hear and respond."

If the worker throws the wrong combination, do not stop. The pad holder feeds the next call immediately. The pace forces instinctive responses rather than deliberate thought.

Heavy Bag Application (8 mins)

4 x 1.5-minute rounds. 30 seconds rest.

• Round 1: 1-2-3-2 on the bag. Repeat the combination continuously. Build the muscle memory.
• Round 2: call and respond. Coach calls combinations for the whole group. Everyone throws what is called.
• Round 3: freestyle at pace. Use everything from the pad work. Movement between combinations.
• Round 4: power round. Same combinations but with full commitment on every punch. Sit down on the shots.

Conditioning Finish (7 minutes)

• 30-second combination burst on the bag (1-2-3-2, reset, repeat), 15 seconds rest x 4
• 20 press-ups
• 20 Russian twists
• 30-second plank
• 20 squat jumps

Cool Down and Reflection (3 minutes)

Shoulder stretch: 15 seconds each. Forearm and wrist stretch: 15 seconds each. Chest stretch: 15 seconds. Quad stretch: 15 seconds each.

"You are past the beginner stage. Your combinations today were sharp, fast, and clean. The next progression is adding defensive movement between combinations. Punch, slip, punch. That is where real boxing lives."

Coaching Notes

• This session is explicitly for intermediate members. Do not hold back the pace or complexity because it is the women's class. These members have been training for months. They are athletes. Treat them accordingly.
• If a member is newer and joins this session, scale them back to simpler combinations (1-2, then 1-2-3) but keep the pace high. They will rise to the level of the group.
• The call-and-respond pad work is the most valuable part of the session. It develops the instinctive reaction that separates beginners from trained boxers. Spend extra time here if the group is responding well.
• Pair members of similar height where possible. Height mismatches make pad holding awkward.
• Watch for members who slow down when the combinations get complex. The solution is not to simplify the combination but to practise it more. Complexity becomes simplicity through repetition.
• For advanced members in the group who are ready for more, add a defensive reaction after the call-and-respond: the pad holder taps the worker's shoulder after the combination, and the worker must slip before the next call.
• This session works as a standalone or as preparation for the first sparring women's session. Members who can execute these combinations under pad pressure are close to sparring-ready.