I totally disagree mate, why not incorporate fights into the gradings instead, at least this way you can make a real judgement on someone & have an even skill matchup when they begin fighting (how many fights fought/skill level etc) & the 1st few fights could be in-club or local ones maybe even with full pads on.
Your body WONT learn much from just being beaten the crap out of.
You say "trust me try this some time"??? what's that supposed to mean?
The way the pad man is in the video is how we trained all the time anyway? always hitting back after every combo the fighter would throw thus getting him used to being hit back straight after a combo or at random moments & belting him with the pads when you could still see an opening or teeping him in the guts when he goes to throw a kick.
Any more gaps would then be shown up in sparring using body pads until they could defend themselves, only then would they have the pads removed & start defending without them on.
"The test is a perfect prelude into fighting" - is this how they do things in thailand & is it a proven test?
"I would be willing to bet that many of the mediocre fighters from UFC past and present would have trouble passing the test with good kicks and knees (not just throwing the kick up to lightly tap the pads)"........and the ones thrown in the video's are of a higher standard then?
Sorry for all this but i think time would be better spent on at least having a closer matched padman/fighter because this is how the usualy try to match you when fighting.
I got stitched up in my 1st fight when i later found out that the guy was using me more as a warmup before fighting in Thailand (i took a big left hook in the last 20 secs of the fight after being exhausted from defending myself against a much higher skilled /experienced person) and looking back i think i would have learned a lot more from a more evenly matched person when 1st going into fighting.
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