Bagwork!

I have long been a believer in hitting inanimate objects: punch bags mainly! It enables me to get a real ‘feel’ for techniques, improves power exponentially, and it’s immensely enjoyable! These are just three reasons why I do it, and recommend it to others, there are plenty more.

You get immediate feedback from a punchbag: sink an elbow into it and you know, you really know that it’s dynamite: you can feel it; you can see it.  There’s usually a dent in the bag if you’re doing it right!

Bagwork also throws up any flaws in your technique: a shoulder that’s disengaged; a wrist out of alignment. It reveals weaknesses in your physicality too. It might tell you that you need to do more strength training or conditioning for example.

For those considering adding bagwork to their training regime here are a few tips: wear bag gloves to protect your knuckles (I don’t always but if you’re new to it you ought to); don’t try to hit the bag too hard to begin with; modify your technique accordingly (you’re not doing kata!); build up simple combinations of punches or techniques. If you’re under about 16 yrs of age, make sure the bag is fairly soft and definitely wear bag gloves to protect your hands and to cushion the impact. Don’t go hitting anything too hard!

A very simple routine for the novice might be: single punch; double punch, treble punch etc right the way up to ten rapid straight punches. Then, depending on how you feel after that, start with a ten punch combination and work your way back down to one! Not as easy as it sounds believe me.

Start to add techniques: bring in the elbows; throw in some knees, front kicks, roundhouse kicks, back kicks. Vary your distance from the bag; vary the trajectory of your shots; push the bag with your shoulder to create working space. Experiment a little.

Eventually you will be able to fire shots in explosively, penetrating the bag with every one. But don’t expect to be able to do that straight away. Like every other aspect of your training, you get better with practise – good quality practise of course!