Tips for the bag?

[shortyafter]

Hey there folks,

Was just doing a tad bit of bag training after class finished and had some things come up that I thought I could bring here. My karate journey has been going on for about 3 years (with some periods off time off, but lately very consistently) and in that time I haven't done much bag training. When I hit the bag I feel weak and clumsy, and it's almost like I'm forcing a lot of unnecessary effort or something. It's funny because when I do partner work or a kick mitt or even one of the full-contact fights I've done, I feel much stronger. It's almost like I'm scared of the bag because it doesn't quite give like a human body. So I tense up and try too hard, as if the objective were to split a hole in the bag or something like that.

Another thing - I usually get bloodied up in between my knuckles when I train on the bag. My Shotokan instructor tells me to target only with my knuckles when I punch. My Kyokushin instructor has said nothing on the topic. But I think this is another reason I'm scared of the bag - I don't want to get scratched up hands.

Put simply - I'm kind of scared of the bag and don't know how to approach it correctly. Any tips?

[Tempest]

Tip #1: Wrap your hands. You can train longer on a bag, get more reps, and do more with it if you do this.

Tip #2: Bags give a lot more than a human head. Think about that the next time you are thinking about punching someone in the head.

Tip #3: Start slow. Work on structure, alignment, and focus before adding footwork, and then finally speed and power.

Tip #4: Consistency beats intensity every time.

Tip #5: Try to add a small improvement to one thing each time. Don't try to work on everything all at once.

These should get you started.

Something else to think about though, the thing that the bag, especially a hanging bag, is for, is not to train power, but to train measure and movement. If you feel weak, or are too tense, you may want to adjust your distance to the bag to begin with.

[MatsuShinshii]

Tip #1: Wrap your hands. You can train longer on a bag, get more reps, and do more with it if you do this.

Tip #2: Bags give a lot more than a human head. Think about that the next time you are thinking about punching someone in the head.

Tip #3: Start slow. Work on structure, alignment, and focus before adding footwork, and then finally speed and power.

Tip #4: Consistency beats intensity every time.

Tip #5: Try to add a small improvement to one thing each time. Don't try to work on everything all at once.

These should get you started.

Something else to think about though, the thing that the bag, especially a hanging bag, is for, is not to train power, but to train measure and movement. If you feel weak, or are too tense, you may want to adjust your distance to the bag to begin with.

Great tips! Solid post!

[bushido_man96]

Tip #1: Wrap your hands. You can train longer on a bag, get more reps, and do more with it if you do this.

Tip #2: Bags give a lot more than a human head. Think about that the next time you are thinking about punching someone in the head.

Tip #3: Start slow. Work on structure, alignment, and focus before adding footwork, and then finally speed and power.

Tip #4: Consistency beats intensity every time.

Tip #5: Try to add a small improvement to one thing each time. Don't try to work on everything all at once.

These should get you started.

Something else to think about though, the thing that the bag, especially a hanging bag, is for, is not to train power, but to train measure and movement. If you feel weak, or are too tense, you may want to adjust your distance to the bag to begin with.

Great tips! Solid post!

I concur, solid advice.

I try to "pop" the bag when I hit it. I don't think about how much I can make it swing when I hit it. Think of it that way, and it might help you loosen up a bit.

[JR 137]

Excellent tips thus far. I’ll add...

Get a good set of bag gloves. I know people like hitting bags bare-handed, but it’s just not for me. I bought a set of Title World Gel Bag gloves. They’re $100, but they’re so worth it. I was using Century Brave MMA gloves beforehand, and honestly it was horrible. My fists were swelling up at the striking point, it was getting hard to make a fist, etc. Switched over and near instant relief. And gloves have a great benefit - they’re far heavier, giving you a better workout (deltoids burn!), and they’ll increase your hand speed.

I know it’s really hard to do when the adrenaline’s flowing, but don’t hit too hard. Think precision, accuracy, timing, and flowing combinations. Think of mechanics of the punch - where your hands start from, where your feet are, the path your punches are following, etc. These are far more important earlier on than raw power.

Once you’re comfortable, increase power. Increase intensity. But don’t go all out right off the bat; it’s called progression.

All of that advice includes kicks too.

Last thing - get the app called Coach’s Eye. It’s about $5 or $10. Such a great app to record, play in slo-mo, reverse, etc. You can even draw on it, such as straight and angled lines. Video doesn’t lie.

Edit: To add... Freddie Roach has some great boxing tutorials on YouTube, particularly hitting a bag/punching.

[singularity6]

For those who prefer hitting bare-handed, the type of bag also matters. Canvas bags are harsher on the knuckles than leather-like materials.

That being said, your knuckles will split until you've conditioned them... But if you keep going at it bare-fisted, you'll likely have noticeable callouses.

[bushido_man96]

I've punched bags quite a bit, bare-knuckled mostly, and haven't had too many problems with callouses.

A good practice in keeping from scraping up the knuckles is in making sure when you strike the bag, you aren't pushing or dragging the knuckles along the bag, if that makes sense.

What will happen is in the desire to strike the bag and really make it move, one tends to keep trying to push into the bag, and a straight punch ends up becoming a punch that you try to push out there a little more, and this pushing the bag causes the knuckles to rub, and doing this repeatedly will scrape up the skin. You can really see this happen on hook punches or uppercuts type punches, where the tendency is to hit and keep driving through, instead of hitting and getting that penetration, and then withdrawing the punching hand.

Keep an eye on this as you punch the bag.

[shortyafter]

Hey folks,

Thanks for all the great feedback. I have absorbed it all and have started taking it into account. Special thanks to Tempest for starting it off and giving me the major pointers. Unfortunately I pulled my lower back at the gym yesterday, nothing serious, I'm already at about 60-70% a day later, but bag training hasn't really been my priority.

Anyway. I did give it a go the other day, doing what you all said, especially taking it slow and easy and focusing on one thing at a time. It didn't look great or especially flashy, but it FELT good. It felt like the right path, it felt like something I could build upon. I remember I started running again a few months back - my "go get em tiger" "strong spirit" personality told me to push it super hard. Needless to say I was completely wiped out in 5 minutes. Lol. Started taking it little by little and nice and easy and now several months later I amaze myself at my speed and endurance. No different with the bag right?

Thanks again for the great tips.

[JR 137]

Hey folks,

Thanks for all the great feedback. I have absorbed it all and have started taking it into account. Special thanks to Tempest for starting it off and giving me the major pointers. Unfortunately I pulled my lower back at the gym yesterday, nothing serious, I'm already at about 60-70% a day later, but bag training hasn't really been my priority.

Anyway. I did give it a go the other day, doing what you all said, especially taking it slow and easy and focusing on one thing at a time. It didn't look great or especially flashy, but it FELT good. It felt like the right path, it felt like something I could build upon. I remember I started running again a few months back - my "go get em tiger" "strong spirit" personality told me to push it super hard. Needless to say I was completely wiped out in 5 minutes. Lol. Started taking it little by little and nice and easy and now several months later I amaze myself at my speed and endurance. No different with the bag right?

Thanks again for the great tips.

No different on the bag at all.

I need to restart, due to a few months of inactivity on the bag. When I first started, and when I restart (soon), it’ll be working the basics. Something like 20 of each, focusing on mechanics: jab, cross, hook, uppercut, front, roundhouse, side, hook, and crescent kicks; each leg, and front foot and back foot. Then work some combinations, not going too fast nor too hard.

All of this stuff at a pace fast enough to get my heart pumping and break a good sweat, but at marathon pace rather than sprint pace. It’s a balance of speed, power, and technique. Technique being most important, but not at the exclusion of the other two, if that makes sense.

Get some good music and have at it. As stupid as it sounds, some days I’d rather hit the bag than go to the dojo. I block out the outside world during both, but with the bag I get into a rhythm and I don’t have to think much. It’s just me doing what I feel I need to do rather than following someone else’s agenda, if that makes sense. I’ve never chosen the bag over the dojo, but there’s been times I didn’t miss the dojo on a night it was closed.