Pad drills are affective ways to practice bunkai applications and other fighting and practical self-defense techniques. Live partner training is indeed essential for effective practical karate training. However, we cannot (and should not) go full force when training with partners, as we would end up seriously injuring each other. When we want to strike hard and develop power in our techniques, we should use effective pad drill exercises. In this video, Sensei Hogsette demonstrates two pad drills: one designed to practice a basic bunkai for the opening movements of Fukyugata 1, and another that works in elbows with a jab-cross combination. This second drill also familiarizes students with a basic principle of kata: the non-striking hand can sometimes be used for targeting. That hand can grab the back of the head, for example, thus allowing you to know through touch exactly where his head is so that you can strike it more accurately with your elbow techniques.
