1. Either set of principles can be applied. A bjillion losers in MMA use the standard focus mitt training..... Ergo all losers use focus pads.... Your statement & criticisms are pure rhetoric....
2. See Point 1. If the worst are doing focus mitt drills, is there is massive invalidity to it...???
3. Yes, focus pads are standard fare @ many karate schools. I believe Kyokushinkai was among the 1st karate styles to adopt focus pads.... So keep using them....
I don't use focus pads & never will....
A competent instructor would approach the issue by addressing it how??? :icon_conf
Will be putting up a vid of Machida doing the same thing Thompson did pre-UFC 145 (where WB took a drubbing from a MMA journeyman (as one pre-eminent poster here, Ethan, put it.)).
Be happy Jukai
Keep using focus pads..........
KarateStylist