heavy bag gloves

[Thuggish]

im going to try a second time to get a conversation started about something in this forum. to all you heavy bag users out there: what kind of gloves do you prefer when pounding on it, and why?

[Hairydog]

Well, though i hear boxers say you can injure yourself hitting on the bags without gloves, if you just use proper technique you'll only get light bruises at worst. That's all i get on any heavy bag i've ever used.

[WhiteBelt]

Wrap hands and use gloves. I don't want to take the chance of down time.

 

It doens't matter which gloves, but padding is great.

[Luckykboxer]

I do this alot..

 

some background info..

 

I am a pro kickboxer, I am a pit fighter, have karate adn muay thai training.

 

I am big... 230ish pounds give or take 10 depending on time of the day it seems

 

I use hand wraps, and depending on the type of bagwork i am doing i will either wear 16 ounce gloves, or 12 ounce gloves.

 

I hate using bag gloves, they dont fit right, they dont have a very good edge to hit with and they seem to be distracting.

 

They also have no weight, so it doesnt help train your muscles as well as the heavier glvoes do.

 

just my opinion though

[aefibird]

When working on my heavy bad at home I use either no gloves or Blitz fingerless gloves.

[Luckykboxer]

I have tried no gloves a few times.

 

I have found that with my hands, and i assume its from the force i hit with, that i end up straining my knuckles, or I get bloody knuckles.

 

I have not been able to think of a good reason to condone continuing this for myself, as scars are not something i cheerish or want to have.

 

For those that do use no gloves do you have similar problems? or do you use a specific type of bag that stops this?

 

I ahve used both canvas and the leather bags.... both eat the knuckles up i have seen with canvas being the worst

[WhiteBelt]

Synthetic leather bags are deadly for the skin as well. I know what you mean Luckyboxer.

[aefibird]

I have a leather bag. My knuckles did get bloody at first, but I treated them & rubbed surgical spirit on the area when it healed & now I don't have much of a problem with it. I tend to alternate training with gloves & training without.

[White Warlock]

Four things are in danger when you're striking a heavy bag: The hand, the wrist, the elbow and the shoulder (i'll get to the point of this thread eventually).

 

Going backwards:

 

In order to avoid injury to the shoulder, the strikes committed on a heavy bag must be penetrating. If you strike it and pull back, to create a whip-like effect, you significantly increase the possibility of injuring the muscles in your shoulder. The heavy bag is not for that type of practice. It is to develop penetrating power. If you wish to practice whip-like techniques (such as the jab), work on the accuracy balls or hand targets. I.e., lightweight targets.

 

Elbows are in danger due to bad form via overextension. Everytime you strike the heavy bag, it is essential that you do not extend your arms completely. Such actions can cause medial or lateral epicondylitis. The reasons for this is that if you fully extend your arms while impacting a heavy bag, you direct the impact to the ligaments and joint of the elbow, which could cause tearing or bruising. Also, as i stated earlier, it's bad form and can be exploited in a real confrontation.

 

Personally, i believe the biggest risk, with striking a heavy bag, goes to the wrist. The intent of the heavy bag is to develop good form and to increase your striking power while maintaining good form. Unfortunately, a lot of people think it's just there so you can go all out. That horrible misnomer results in wrist injuries left and right, which could put you out of commission for a very very long time. If you're concerned about this, just remember to gradually build your power, to focus on proper form, and to wear a wrist wrap (if nothing else, it helps to remind you of what you need to protect, but it also provides a little more support).

 

And now to the hand. Poor form could cause you to injure your thumb, but contrary to popular opinion, the danger of working without gloves is not the bruising, but the tearing of the tiny ligaments between the tiny bones in the very fragile appendage we know as the hand. The kind of tears are very difficult to repair, and could result in permanent deformity. Indeed, you could literally lose a finger or a thumb. Not by it being ripped off, but by inadvertently destroying the 'few' tiny blood vessels that keep the bones and nerves of the fingers and thumbs alive. I should know... i almost lost my thumb and was forced to wear a cast for 6 months just to ensure they didn't have to amputate.

 

See... i finally got to the point.

[Luckykboxer]

And now to the hand. Poor form could cause you to injure your thumb, but contrary to popular opinion, the danger of working without gloves is not the bruising, but the tearing of the tiny ligaments between the tiny bones in the very fragile appendage we know as the hand. The kind of tears are very difficult to repair, and could result in permanent deformity. Indeed, you could literally lose a finger or a thumb. Not by it being ripped off, but by inadvertently destroying the 'few' tiny blood vessels that keep the bones and nerves of the fingers and thumbs alive. I should know... i almost lost my thumb and was forced to wear a cast for 6 months just to ensure they didn't have to amputate.

 

this is exactly what i was eluding too, great description.

 

I have gone hard on a bag with no gloves and it almost feels the next day or that day that you havehad your knuckles pulled apart, adn they are swelled in between.

 

that quite simply is why i never use the heavy bag without glvoes now..

 

it just isnt worth that feeling to me