Sharing part of my training - Speed bag

[JowGaWolf]

So I thought I would share a little of bit of my training. I've been trying to use this speed bag to train my kung fu. The gym finally decided to invest in a quality speed bag and it's harder than the last one that they had. Before I used to be able to hit it everyday, but now it's maybe 2 or three times a week. Here is some of my kung fu elements that I train.

1. Hammer fist conditioning
2, Rolling the arm into a backfist.
3. Long Fist Strikes.
4. Backfist conditioning.
5. Eye cordination (not sure if I'm improving it or making it worst, I won't know until I spar again)
6. Had to guard head speed. (training the speed to quickly raise my hand from my leg to cover my head and then to strike the bag... not shown here.)

Other than that I'm just warming up for the rest of my work out which is more in lines with actual fighting. and better strength conditioning. The biggest changed that I've noticed using the speed bag is that my shoulders are stronger. It's good for the linear stuff but not so much for the circular stuff I tried to do long fist strikes on the speed bag but it killed the correct timing and knuckles, so I won't be doing that anymore.

The new speed bag is the only thing I've hit so far that makes me want to use wraps to protect my hands. I'll see how things go with the conditioning of my hands. I'll just scale back the abuse to 2 or 3 times a week for speed bag training. I usually do 1 minute rounds but today, I was working in my vertical back fist.

 

[Buka]

Speed bags work the shoulders really well.

 

[Alan0354]

I had my speed bag in the garage and practiced for a few months like 20 years ago. I stopped because I fail to see anything useful out of it. Yes, I got my timing down, but what speed? It's just timing. It sure did NOT increase my speed. I already get down to the smallest speedbag that bounce the fastest. Useless.

I am sure you have seen in my videos. I now deflated the bag, put 2 pieces of 2lbs soft weight and tape it small for hitting with the cane. It swings slower, offer more resistance. When I hit with the cane, it start moving, that make it harder to hit it again. I make it harder by only aiming at the very bottom to increase the frequency of missing. I practice to hold onto the cane when I miss!!! THAT, is the first time that speed bag station is useful.

See in the picture, I aim at the bottom shown in blue arrow.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

I have always used the double ends speed bag. I have never used the boxing speed bag.

 

[Alan0354]

I have always used the double ends speed bag. I have never used the boxing speed bag.

I had that too, I still have the bag, just not hanging there. Not useful either.

Just went to my shed with all the junk to take a picture. You see the ball I have? Also, I put the rebreakable board and the holder I used to hang on the heavy bag to break, that broke my knuckle. There goes in the shed!!!

I tried a lot of different stuffs.

 

[JowGaWolf]

Speed bags work the shoulders really well.

Surprisingly so.

 

[JowGaWolf]

I have always used the double ends speed bag. I have never used the boxing speed bag.

I wish they had one at the gym that I'm at. I may have to go to another location

 

[JowGaWolf]

I had that too, I still have the bag, just not hanging there. Not useful either.

What is the thing that you dislike? Why is it not useful?

 

[Jimmythebull]

What is the thing that you dislike? Why is it not useful?

How much cardio do you do? What kung fu are you doing? Instead of hitting that Ball I think looking at your Video..diet & condition training would be of more use.

 

[JowGaWolf]

How much cardio do you do? What kung fu are you doing? Instead of hitting that Ball I think looking at your Video..diet & condition training would be of more use.

I spend an hour and 30 minutes on the following.
1. Speed bag
2. Sit-ups with medicine ball + push-ups + mountain climbers.
3. medicine ball toss
4. The rope that you see the ten in the video try to use.
5. 2 lb jump rope 20 turns in 10 second rounds
6. Footwork drills
7 Footwork drills + punching.

All are 1 minute sessions with 15 seconds in between. I do #1 then take a 15 second break to get ready for #2 an go down the list.

 

[JowGaWolf]

How much cardio do you do? What kung fu are you doing? Instead of hitting that Ball I think looking at your Video..diet & condition training would be of more use.

I'm already on a diet. After my cardio I go lift weights for an hour or more depending on how gassed I am. I work out as long as my body can support the output without injury.

 

[Jimmythebull]

I spend an hour and 30 minutes on the following.
1. Speed bag
2. Sit-ups with medicine ball + push-ups + mountain climbers.
3. medicine ball toss
4. The rope that you see the ten in the video try to use.
5. 2 lb jump rope 20 turns in 10 second rounds
6. Footwork drills
7 Footwork drills + punching.

All are 1 minute sessions with 15 seconds in between. I do #1 then take a 15 second break to get ready for #2 an go down the list.

OK 👌

 

[JowGaWolf]

I spend an hour and 30 minutes on the following.
1. Speed bag
2. Sit-ups with medicine ball + push-ups + mountain climbers.
3. medicine ball toss
4. The rope that you see the ten in the video try to use.
5. 2 lb jump rope 20 turns in 10 second rounds
6. Footwork drills
7 Footwork drills + punching.

All are 1 minute sessions with 15 seconds in between. I do #1 then take a 15 second break to get ready for #2 an go down the list.

I forgot to mention that I go a couple of rounds on the heavy bags until my jabs start bruising then I take a few days off to break. I hit without gloves so I can't hit the bags often if I punch too hard.

 

[JowGaWolf]

OK 👌

His life the weight because of high blood pressure issues. His move alot because I work in IT abs sit on my butt all day. Between my workouts and having an MMA sparring partner I should continue to lose weight. I just can't get lazy or eat junk.

 

[JowGaWolf]

I want to get to the point where I can out work the MMA guy.

 

[Alan0354]

What is the thing that you dislike? Why is it not useful?

I don't dislike it, it's just not useful. It sure did not make me punch faster or have a faster hands. It's all about timing only. You get use to the rhythm and get faster. I started with the bigger bag, then to the mid size that is faster as I got better. I even went to the smallest and fastest one. I deemed a total waste of time after a few months.

Never understand why people practice in boxing, just saw so many in movies I got to have one and I did.

Try it, tell me what you get out of it after you become very fast.

If you look at the upper right corner of my picture. You see a ball in the net. it's a 10 or 12lbs ball. I had it hooked and pull out of the way when I am not using it. This, to me, is at least more useful. It's heavier, offering more resistance when I punch, it moves in more realist speed I can practice head movement. Someone here suggested this for stick practice, I don't find it useful, but I occasionally practicing punching and head movement with that.

BTW, I don't find it work the shoulder. I do weights for shoulder, I never even notice the shoulder doing speed bag.

Reading you training regiment, maybe you should consider weight training also.

 

[JowGaWolf]

BTW, I don't find it work the shoulder. I do weights for shoulder, I never even notice the shoulder doing speed bag.

In order to work the shoulders on the speed bag, you have raise higher. Or it could be that your shoulders are just already stronger. I have very broad shoulders so I don't want to use the weights too much on my shoulders.

 

[JowGaWolf]

Try it, tell me what you get out of it after you become very fast.

You'll won't like my answer for this but I use a different exercise for faster liner punches. I place pennies on a wash cloth then place that on a stool or a table that is waist high. I then get into a horse stance and I try to quickly pick up the pennies one by one. It's chin na conditioning exercise that helps build speed and accuracy. This is the only exercise that I've done that ever increased my speed. It sounds stupid but it works. I haven't done it in a long time, so I can probably do a before and after video on how it works for me.

I think it works because it forces the arm and hand to be relaxed and then quickly tighten when trying to pick up the penny. Because it's a speed and accuracy drill, the mind doesn't focus on trying to add power. The more tense the arm is the slower the speed. I think sometimes adding power causes more bad habits when learning. First learn speed and then learn power. I think this is the better path.

 

[Damien]

I think the double ended bag is really useful. You can train reaction/ timing of strikes, movement around an opponent, slipping etc. with one.

 

[JowGaWolf]

Yes, I got my timing down, but what speed?

Maybe you were looking at the wrong punch. For example, I don't use the speed bad to increase my jabbing speed. I use it to condition my hammer fist and to increase the speed of my hammer fist and the turn over speed for my back fist. I've noticed speed in those areas. For example, if I want to hammer fist someone on the nose, forehead, cheek then that's where my speed has increase.

The speed bag doesn't speed up my jabs because I'm always hitting it with a hammer fist. If I want to send a snapping backfist, then the speed helps with that as well. I have a noticeable speed in those areas and I no longer feel like I'm trying to muscle the those types of strikes. But if won't make the jab faster because it's not using the jab motion. But the picking pennies exercise is very much like the jab.

If I was trying to get fast jabs then I wouldn't use the speed bag.