Hmmm good question! I have no idea! I guess once you've gained some level of proficiency in individual techniques and are confident in how they feel with contact, but what that level is I can't say. I have seen combos done all too often with each technique being rushed and sloppy.
Heavy bag drills.
- Thread starter Rabbitthekitten
- Start date
Hmmm good question! I have no idea! I guess once you've gained some level of proficiency in individual techniques and are confident in how they feel with contact, but what that level is I can't say. I have seen combos done all too often with each technique being rushed and sloppy.
DavyKOTWF
Orange Belt
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Combinations my son likes to work.
Note: he fights out of a southpaw stance.
Low then high front roundhouse kick....exit
Jab or hook (head)....reverse punch (body)....front roundhouse (head)...exit
Reverse punch (body)....hook (head)....roundhouse kick (body/liver)....exit
Backhand (head)....reverse punch (body)....sidekick body or hook kick (head)....exit
Jab (head)....reverse punch (body)....hook (head)....reverse punch (head)....hook (body/kidney)....exit
Backhand (head)....front roundhouse kick (body)....reverse punch (head)....exit
Feint side kick (body)....backhand (head)...reverse punch (body or head)...exit
And he works moving around the bag or sparring partner as he throws the combos making his sparring partner turn while he defends.
Note: he fights out of a southpaw stance.
Low then high front roundhouse kick....exit
Jab or hook (head)....reverse punch (body)....front roundhouse (head)...exit
Reverse punch (body)....hook (head)....roundhouse kick (body/liver)....exit
Backhand (head)....reverse punch (body)....sidekick body or hook kick (head)....exit
Jab (head)....reverse punch (body)....hook (head)....reverse punch (head)....hook (body/kidney)....exit
Backhand (head)....front roundhouse kick (body)....reverse punch (head)....exit
Feint side kick (body)....backhand (head)...reverse punch (body or head)...exit
And he works moving around the bag or sparring partner as he throws the combos making his sparring partner turn while he defends.
JR 137
Grandmaster
What you’re going to do depends on your ability level and creativity. At your level, stick to the basics. And don’t go all out (speed and/or power) yet. It’s about progression.
Start out doing the basic strikes you learned in class. If you do specific combos in class, do them on the bag. Basically, replicate what you do in class.
I like to do my basics hand techniques and combos we do in line drills against the air as warmups in class on my bag. That’ll look something like this (all without footwork):
20 lunge punches (lead hand straight punch)
- High, middle, then low, focusing on technique and targeting, not speed or power
20 reverse punches (back hand, straight punches)
- Same as above
Do the rest of your hand strikes - closed fist strikes like the different hammer fists, open hand like knife hand, ridge hand, etc. *I definitely wouldn’t do spear hand/fingertip strikes, but that’s just me. If I do them, it’s just tapping the bag cautiously*
Then I’ll start doing movement in a fighting stance without throwing anything. I’ll slide in, slide out while keeping my hands in fighting stance. I’ll angle left, angle right, circle left, circle right, slide straight left and right. I’ll do a set number of each on each side.
After that, I’ll combine the movements and hands. Slide in, jab (lunge punch), slide out. 20 times or so. Then the same thing, only reverse punch. Then angle in and out, circle in and out, etc.
Then do kicks, the same day or on opposite days. All the same principles apply. Front leg kicks, back leg kicks. Without movement and with movement.
Then start adding combinations - punching, kicking, and kicking and punching together. If you do combinations in class, do them on the bag. Make up your own and see how well they flow.
Pay attention to your form more than anything else. Once you’ve been at it for a little while, start adding power and speed. Regardless of how fast or hard you’re hitting, form is most important. Ever see the actual cardio kickboxing crowd in class, is not commercials? Their form sucks. That’s not really the focus of their training, so you can’t hold it against them. But if you train like them, you’re MA training will look like them too. The point is to enhance your MA training, not derail it.
Final thought - video yourself. Coach’s Eye is a great app. You can slow motion, fast forward, rewind, etc. Video will show you what you can’t see on your own.
Start out doing the basic strikes you learned in class. If you do specific combos in class, do them on the bag. Basically, replicate what you do in class.
I like to do my basics hand techniques and combos we do in line drills against the air as warmups in class on my bag. That’ll look something like this (all without footwork):
20 lunge punches (lead hand straight punch)
- High, middle, then low, focusing on technique and targeting, not speed or power
20 reverse punches (back hand, straight punches)
- Same as above
Do the rest of your hand strikes - closed fist strikes like the different hammer fists, open hand like knife hand, ridge hand, etc. *I definitely wouldn’t do spear hand/fingertip strikes, but that’s just me. If I do them, it’s just tapping the bag cautiously*
Then I’ll start doing movement in a fighting stance without throwing anything. I’ll slide in, slide out while keeping my hands in fighting stance. I’ll angle left, angle right, circle left, circle right, slide straight left and right. I’ll do a set number of each on each side.
After that, I’ll combine the movements and hands. Slide in, jab (lunge punch), slide out. 20 times or so. Then the same thing, only reverse punch. Then angle in and out, circle in and out, etc.
Then do kicks, the same day or on opposite days. All the same principles apply. Front leg kicks, back leg kicks. Without movement and with movement.
Then start adding combinations - punching, kicking, and kicking and punching together. If you do combinations in class, do them on the bag. Make up your own and see how well they flow.
Pay attention to your form more than anything else. Once you’ve been at it for a little while, start adding power and speed. Regardless of how fast or hard you’re hitting, form is most important. Ever see the actual cardio kickboxing crowd in class, is not commercials? Their form sucks. That’s not really the focus of their training, so you can’t hold it against them. But if you train like them, you’re MA training will look like them too. The point is to enhance your MA training, not derail it.
Final thought - video yourself. Coach’s Eye is a great app. You can slow motion, fast forward, rewind, etc. Video will show you what you can’t see on your own.
Is that question for me?
Bag work is subjective, I'm sure all of us here do different routines with heavy bags. It's also subjective in another way.....Bill Wallace only hits two things, air and people, he doesn't routinely use heavy bags. Joe Lewis only hit two things, heavy bags and people, he didn't hit air. Both reached the pinnacle of Martial Arts, both reached the pinnacle of fighting, yet they had different philosophies towards heavy bags.
In the following clip, please fast forward to the 2:45 mark. And ONLY do hat particular drill.
This kind of drill is pretty good for why you want to do bag work. It's hard, too, your arms are going to scream at you for the first month, but it's kind of fun. Stay light on your feet, stay loose, have fun doing it. How long you go without a break is up to you, don't kill yourself, go easy. Sometimes having music on really helps with the fun factor. Especially if you like the songs.
Some will say, "no, no, no, you should always be in a proper fighting stance!" Point taken, but this is a supplemental drill, it's like doing push ups or any other exercise. It's not the be all and end all of bag work, it's just one drill.
A note about the other drills in this video clip.....please stay away from them. Try that one for a month, see how you like it.
In the following clip, please fast forward to the 2:45 mark. And ONLY do hat particular drill.
This kind of drill is pretty good for why you want to do bag work. It's hard, too, your arms are going to scream at you for the first month, but it's kind of fun. Stay light on your feet, stay loose, have fun doing it. How long you go without a break is up to you, don't kill yourself, go easy. Sometimes having music on really helps with the fun factor. Especially if you like the songs.
Some will say, "no, no, no, you should always be in a proper fighting stance!" Point taken, but this is a supplemental drill, it's like doing push ups or any other exercise. It's not the be all and end all of bag work, it's just one drill.
A note about the other drills in this video clip.....please stay away from them. Try that one for a month, see how you like it.
The technique is 50%. The ability is the other 50%. By definition, the ability cannot be developed without using "equipment" (such as a heavy bag).
I don't believe you can develop kicking power by kicking into the thin air only. The reason is simple. The thin air won't feed you back the counter force that your body need to deal with.
I dropped a glass bottle on my little toe few days ago. When I kick on my striking dummy, I can feel it. If I kick into the thin air, I won't feel it.
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JR 137
Grandmaster
I can’t get enough of Freddie Roach’s heavy bag instructional videos. Plenty of them on YouTube. Just stick with basic ones in the beginning.
I think Superfoot did alright for himself....
He is known more for his head kicks but his side kicks look like they were nasty.
When you use technique A to set up technique B, you are not suppose to fully commit on technique A. You should only apply 30% of your technique A instead. The moment that your opponent responds to technique A, the moment that you should change to technique B.
Here is an example. When his right leg hooked behind his opponent's right leg, he supposed to drop down and used his left hand to pick up his opponent's ankle. Since his opponent steps back, he didn't bother to finish his ankle pick. He moved into next technique instead. IMO, when you train combo, you only commit on the last move.
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OP
Rabbitthekitten
Blue Belt
- Thread Starter
- #31
Thanks guys. This is all really helpful.
Depends on the purpose of the combo.
Also, planning that far ahead relies 100% on the other person reacting how you assume they will.
So you go in with 30% but you can finish the technique - but not at 30% - you wasted it.
Or you go in with 30% for technique A because you really want to do B, but they react differently (step right instead of back, or punch you) - B doesn't happen so you're left to reset (hopefully) or half-*** C that you weren't planning.
30% is pointless, even if you're attempting to set something else up imo you should still make A a technique that can work alone if required.
Yeah that makes sense.
And if you're using A just to setup for B, doing A at 30% makes sense.
But if you're trying to elicit a particular response or reaction, the technique A has to be more believable, and the opponent has to truly think that it'll get in if they don't react. So doing a much more committed-looking and believable A becomes important for this reason.
But in terms of bagwork, the bag knows your every move!
If you use technique A to set up technique B, most of the time your technique A is not a finish move (such as a jab) but your technique B is (such as a cross).
In order to make your combo work, you have to earn your opponent's respect first. Usually you will attack with solo for 3 times, during your 4th attack, you start to use combo.
I was forced to use single leg for 6 months. After 6 months, I could use single leg to take down 7 different opponents. One day my teacher said, "Use it to set up ...".
Old saying said, in the initial 3 punches or 3 kicks that you throw, if you can let your opponent to feel your power, after that, you just move your arm or leg for 3 inches, your opponent will jump back. A poison snake can move it's head for 3 inches, you will jump back too.
When you groin kick at your opponent, the moment that he starts to drop his arm, the moment that your punch should go toward his face. You don't have to wait for his arm to block your kick. When your opponent starts to move, his momentum can make his reverse action very difficult. You want to take advantage and catch that good timing.
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