In Case You Missed It: Recap Of The Free Pad Holding Workshop at Mississauga Elite Training Center with Tyler McKinnon By Ryan McKinnon
Last Saturday, the Mississauga Elite Training Center hosted a free pad holding workshop for students that promised to improve upon a dimension of Muay Thai that often gets overlooked.
For over 90 minutes, eager participants learned the basics of pad holding from Tyler McKinnon, competition team coach at Lanna MMA and primary pad holder to their fighters.
Approximately 16 students took time out of their Saturday morning to attend this educational (and entertaining) event. Students learned how to hold for all 8 Muay Thai weapons one at a time, and how to make small transitions between each technique. Perhaps the biggest eye opener was how to really hold for the dreaded Muay Thai swing kick.
The amount of head nodding was a positive sign that each person in attendance took away some new information to apply to their respective skill set. Tyler has spent more of his Muay Thai career holding pads than hitting them. He has sacrificed his time as a fighter to help students achieve their goals as athletes and fighters. Saturday was no exception. Staying over time, Tyler made sure to get a good look at everyone?s pad holding technique, and made slight adjustments when necessary.
He commented that he was extremely impressed with everyone?s energy, willingness to learn, and their strong base of pad holding knowledge, which helped make the work shop flow smoothly. I was extremely pleased with the turnout and the energy in the school. Everyone had good questions and focused on the small details that make a big difference in pad holding. I am excited to implement what we all learned into future lessons. Now we can start throwing elbows with confidence!
This work shop was the second of many that we have in store for the students of the Mississauga Elite Training Center Muay Thai program. As everyone?s comfort level grows as pad holders, we will introduce an intermediate and advanced level work shop to sharpen our skills, and improve upon our fundamentals. Tyler also expressed his desire to teach a clinching seminar, which was received positively by the group. Thank you to everyone again for coming out and giving 100% effort on Saturday. With this energy and commitment, I envision some great things ahead for this growing program. I am excited to play a role in everyone?s journey to becoming better athletes, fighters, and martial artists. Please stay up to date with all of the news and events by checking this blog and the Facebook group often.
