Sanabul Lab Series Body Protector Review with Tim Welch and Suga Sean O'Malley

In this video, Tim Welch – head mma coach of UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley – explains why he likes the Sanabul Lab Series Body Protector!

Highlighting a minimalist, lower profile design – the signature look of Sanabul’s Lab Series product collection – Tim immediately notes the light and compact frame of the body protector. With the lighter weighted padding, absorbing strikes may be a concern… right? Not necessarily, so don’t let that fool you. 

Tim notes that the padding is really dense, so despite the seemingly lighter and thinner pads, the padding will hold up well against strikes. The impact distribution is a great feature that you will really see and understand once you’ve worn it! 

With other body protectors and pads, Tim says that he can really feel the force of the strike through the pads, causing soreness throughout the rest of the day and in the following days. With the Lab Series Body Protector, Tim says he doesn’t have this issue.

In addition, he explains that the Sanabul Body Protector is a great way to supplement conventional pad holding. Many trainers prefer to just hold Thai pads or focus mitts, which is completely fine. Tim believes that wearing a body shield while doing the same padwork with these pieces of equipment can allow for better flow and realistic fight-simulation aspects, when it comes to mixing in body shots. 

He’s not the only one who believes this, as seen in videos online. High level striking coaches like Henri Hooft, Trainer Gae, and many other Muay Thai champions and successful fighters turned coaches use their Thai pads/focus mitts while wearing a body or belly pad. Tim prefers to use the Lab Series Protector with the Battle Forged Air Mitts and/or the Lab Series Striking Paddles (both linked at the end of this article)

When holding for Sean in the video, it is evident that the body protector is not clunky and does not get in the way of Tim holding for Sean’s strikes. It actually allows him to get the pads/paddles ready for the next strikes in the combo or a new combo, as it gives an additional target for Sean to hit in the meantime. This could also be due to the relationship and flow the two have built over the years, but the seamless transition between strikes and combos was noticeable thanks to the body protector

Crafted with durability and performance in mind, featuring high-quality materials and innovative design elements. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned athlete, this body protector was designed to enhance your training sessions and help you perform at your best.

Battle Forged Air Mitts 

Lab Series Striking Paddles

Thank you for reading - you can check out the Sanabul Lab Series Body Protector here!