Sports
Boxing - Know Your Punch Bags by Harwood E Woodpecker
(Contd. from page 1...)
Within a boxing gym there should be maybe 10-12 different bags to work on; these will all help to develop different skills. All punch bags are not made equal.
A light bag should be used to develop fast hitting skills. The trick is to get the bag to not swing as wildly as you imagine that it would. The idea is to move around the bag as it swings, hitting it as it is on its way back to you, not going away from you. If you catch it hard and correctly as it's on the way back to you it should be possible to stop it. You can also use the light bag to develop you movement technique, push or swing the bag away from you and from your boxing stance use your foot work to step to the side or bob and weave to avoid the bag, when the bag slows down finish the round with a flurry of fast punches for a real burn of a round.
The heavy bag is used purely for developing your punching power. Again, as the bag swings towards you try connecting with solid left and right straight shots, ensuring that your arm is straight and that you make contact with the knuckle part of the glove or you risk twisting your wrist which can be very painful.
The floor to ceiling ball is where you can be made to look very silly! This is a punch ball suspended floor to ceiling by two pieces of heavy duty elastic, as you punch the ball it whips back at you. The trick here is to anticipate where it is going to go and correctly judge a punch to it or use quick feet to get out of the way. This isn't the most tiring round you will do but it is one of the most mentally draining. Be ready for the ball to fly back at you as it does come back at some speed and to the amusement of anyone else training it can take you off your feet.