Punching Bag routines?

[dragonwarrior_keltyr]

Since I cannot make it to a dojo, I've taken to training at home. I do kata and basics, but I want to do more bag work. I remember often at the dojo warming up with a combination on a punching bag ie) backfist followed by reverse punch. However, I forget most of the combos we did. It doesn't need to be fancy, but what suggestions do you have. Or other drills I could use my bag for.

I did Shotokan karate and am a purple belt. My bag is a wavemaster.

[joesteph]

A WaveMaster is a great thing to have at home, Dragonwarrior. I first used it for both hand and foot strikes, although I now I use BOB as well. It's all still "bag work," so I'll list what I do with both for hand strikes.

I always start off in a boxer's "guard up" stance and punch from there. Whatever I do with one side, I then switch to the other ("southpaw"). I only need to do five reps per each, so that I can get it all in within a reasonable amount of time; some, like jabs, wind up being repeated during the workout anyway.

- I do a number of left jabs, then a number of right crosses, all to where the face is; then I combine the two. When I combine them, I also add in a jab to the face and a cross to the solar plexus.

- I place my lead hand against the bag, as though I smothered the opponent's lead arm against his chest, then do a right cross to the face. I do it again, but the cross is to the solar plexus.

- I'll do a number of uppercuts, not only to the solar plexus, but also at an angle to the ribs (the old term was "shovel hook" even though it's an uppercut). Then I combine these with jabs.

- Next come left hooks, then right hooks. I'll then do left jabs with right hooks.

- My backfists aren't only to the nose, but also the temple, and I've added in the ribs b/c my instructor includes them. I only use the lead hand.

- I've heard them called "leopard" fist strikes, but I just think of them as finger knuckle joint strikes to the throat.

- Hammerfists are to the nose. If you use the WaveMaster as a guide, you can figure where the collar bone is on each side, whether or not you hit the WaveMaster ("striking" in front of the bag).

- Knife hands are first palm down, straight ahead to the throat. Then I do to the side of the neck, palm down on one side, palm up on the other. If it's awkward, just figure where they'd be hitting the neck by doing the movements in front of the WaveMaster, using it as a guide.

- Palm heels are to the nose and straight up to the jaw, the latter using the WaveMaster as a guide. I also do palm heels to the sternum, thinking of the heart as the true target.

- Ridge hands are swung to the temples, then the side of the neck (and keep a crook in your elbow to avoid hyperextending). I do with the palm down; if you stand to one side of the WaveMaster, you can envision striking to the throat with a palm up ridge hand. There's also a "straight like a punch" ridge hand, where the throat would be, but it'd have to stop in front of the WaveMaster, using the bag as a point of throat reference.

- Fingers (rather than one finger) strikes are to the jugular notch at the base of the throat; I throw four fingers together at that spot. If you can envision where the eyes are, you can do the same, one "eye" at a time; you might also use both hands at the same time, digging the thumbs into the eyes. (I used to have two pennies taped on the wall for the fingers [but not thumbs] strikes.)

- Elbow strikes are first swung with the front of the forearm/elbow to the face, then strikes are the back of the upper arm/elbow to the face. I also do the same forearm/elbow shot to the chest. Facing forward, but at an angle, elbow strikes with the back of the elbow to the ribs (as though you lifted his arm and are striking underneath), and with your back to the WaveMaster to do the same strike to the solar plexus, can be done.

- Forearm "smashes" are to the throat, as well as the chest. Instead of doing a ridge hand to the side of the neck, do the same movement with the fist clenched and the inner forearm striking (again, a crook in the elbow so as not to lock it).

- You can always stand in a horse stance (or feet closer) and do either a set number or as many punches as possible as rapidly as you can to one spot. I've also done back-of-the-knuckles "speedbag" punches, but if you're using gloves that you think will mar the WaveMaster by the friction it causes, you can do them in front of where the face. (Cloth gloves won't mar; bareknuckled can give your knuckles friction burns.)

I hope some part of this is helpful, Dragonwarrior.

[tallgeese]

Bag work is great to work into any training routine. It builds good strikes and combinations as well as allows you to do some range work and gain endurance.

Workouts are only limited by your imagination and what you can put together that will flow for you. Personally, I do all my bag work by round (mitts too) that way you can keep a high level of intensity going for a while. It also trains the type of energy systems most useful during a fight.

I'll try to build up into diffent things with each progressive round until you've almost fully integrated into a fight mode by the last.

Here are some standards for me:

basic combos-

jab, cross

jab, cross, lead hook (both in front of target and sliding to the outside)

jab, low cross, hook, hook (both high)

cross low, lead hook high, cross high

double jab high, jab low, cross high

jab, lead hook, cross

now start defensive movments as well you can add them to the combos above, or build off the defensive movments with counter strikes that work well with them. For example;

jab, bob to the lead side, rear hook low, lead hook high, cross

elbow destruction, dropping jab, cross

slip to the lead side, cover with rear hand, lead hook low lead hook high

cover high, drop and send in low jab, explode up to high cross

Also don't forget to focus on your tight game as well. You can add elbows to about any of the above just by changing the distance you are from the bag. Again, there are some combos that just lend themselves well to them.

jab, cross, fold to rear elbow (and a lead elbow when comfortable)

jab, cross, low lead hook, high rear elbow

jab, close with elbow destruction, high rear elbow

now that you're into elbows, you might as well get the knees going as well. I like to add these at the end of a combo or right after a good tie up. One or two will suffice at the end of combo now and again.

As for kicking, you'll want to work your kicks in combination as well. With other kicks as well as putting them together with your hand movements.

So, you could:

lead front kick, MT round, sit it down and knee with the power loaded leg

start from tie up, knee out for distacne, round

double rounds, low then higher

back leg front, round with new power loaded side

Practice both recovering the kick to it's original position in lead or rear as well as stepping down after the kick for power on the other side.

Now start putting the kicks and the hands together. You can use a kick (our combo of kicks) to clsoe distance to the hands. Finally, you'll gor from hand to elbows and knees and once comfortable there, back out again.

Try not to think of it as a bag, it's the opponant, the attacer. Treat it as such. So, no dropping the hands after a series of movments and resetting. You strike recover, and move on. You can rest between rounds. Make sure you vary up the combos you work so you don't rely to heavily on any single combo or get stuck firing the combos in the same order everytime.

If you're in to grappling at all, you can always add shots at the end of these (or randomly from a set up) on the lower half of the bag. This helps make the motion more natural.

Lastly, you can always work the same thing on mitts, which is actually what I prefer. Additionally, you can throw more upper cuts (I have a hard time doing them on a bag efficiently) and actually take the holder down. Still, for solo training, you can do tons with the old heavy bag.

[Patrick]

Nice posts, joesteph and Alex.