how hard to hit a heavy bag?
I'm kinda curious... how many people here can hit a normal heavy bag as hard as they can?
For me... Jabs aren't a problem, but with a power punch like a right cross or hook with all my body weight behind it, I'd seriously hurt myself (wrist, hand injury most likely). I bought a 70 pound Everlast Nevatear bag about a month ago for exercise and stress relief. I know that I need to work on my form and give it time, but I don't remember ever having to hold back when I was younger. I'm in my early 20's and weigh about 240 pounds so it's not like I'm in really bad shape or too old to hit a heavy bag.
Re: how hard to hit a heavy bag?
maybe its because when you where younger you couldn't punch harder than your wrists could take and now that you can your writsts lack the power?
whats your strength/grip like?
Re: how hard to hit a heavy bag?
Only when my hands are properly wrapped.
Mr.B has this happened recently? - could be an injury
Have you trained continuously since you were younger? - as you get better/heavier you punch harder & it takes time for your hands to get used to the impact.
Technique? check it, as you hit harder it may highlight technical flaws in your punching.
Re: how hard to hit a heavy bag?
I can't wind back and punch my heavy bag because my wrists cannot absorb the blow. I can punch from my face only. But that's a good thing. If you can't hit your bag as hard as you can, it means your power has gone up, and your wrists are not used to it yet. :)
Re: how hard to hit a heavy bag?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.B
I'm kinda curious... how many people here can hit a normal heavy bag as hard as they can?
For me... Jabs aren't a problem, but with a power punch like a right cross or hook with all my body weight behind it, I'd seriously hurt myself (wrist, hand injury most likely). I bought a 70 pound Everlast Nevatear bag about a month ago for exercise and stress relief. I know that I need to work on my form and give it time, but I don't remember ever having to hold back when I was younger. I'm in my early 20's and weigh about 240 pounds so it's not like I'm in really bad shape or too old to hit a heavy bag.
Mate are you wrapping your hands properly? I found my wrists got sore when i didnt wrap my hands and wrists.
Re: how hard to hit a heavy bag?
you got a 70pound bag, you weigh 240,
i think you schould be able (over time) to hit that bag as hard as you can.
just work on your form, and all will come by it's self.
dont go giving it all when you start, thats why every thing needs to be build up.
as you learn how to punch correctly,
i think over a month or so you should be able to hit it with all you got.
i weigh 132pounds i got a bag that weigh 165 pounds.
now i only hit it with 18oz gloves on my hands, but i can hit it with all i got.
but i wouldn't try it with just wraps or regular bag gloves.
Re: how hard to hit a heavy bag?
I am 6'3", weigh about 156lbs. after a meal, and have a 120lbs. waterbag. I don't wrap my hands or anything, I just wear bag gloves. 8)
Re: how hard to hit a heavy bag?
You weigh 240 lb and are hitting a 70 lb bag. Your arms and hands cant take the power of your weight . Your probly a fast puncher. Do knuckle push ups and keep your hands wraped when you hit the bag.
Re: how hard to hit a heavy bag?
Easy
AS HARD AS YOU LIKE IT WONT HIT BACK
Re: how hard to hit a heavy bag?
Make sure that u wrap your hands properly. Make sure that u learn/learned a good wrapping technique from someone who knows what they're talking about.
What kind of gloves are u using?
I would suggest 16-20 oz. super bag gloves.
Punch with proper form.
I see that u said you're hitting a 70 lb. bag. Is it canvas? Is it very hard?
The reason I ask is, I've seen people hit bags that have been wet and then dry out. They tend to get very hard. And I would never recommend the little old school bag gloves to any one that can bang. (That's just my opinion, as I had had many hand injuries).
Do these things correctly and there is no reason why u can't let'em rip.
Re: how hard to hit a heavy bag?
Bags vary as to what they are packed with and some old ones are naturaly packed down even tighter over time and can be like concrete.
I cant remember which old heavy weight it was I think Holmes,but he became gun shy in the ring from an old heavy bag that hurt ,so he changed down a size and found he could bang even harder in the ring because of the change.
Hold a stretch on your wrists too, hold your hand down into a wrist stretch and then up into a reverse wrist stretch and then shake them out and revolve them to warm them joints up. Then go at training ,make sure you dont hit the bag harder when your getting tired and sloppy,so you always keep the back of your hand aligned with your forearm bone .
Re: how hard to hit a heavy bag?
I know it has to do with my size and strength. I can almost let loose with my left hand without having to hold back much. But I'm right handed. When my torso turns and my body weight goes into a punch, if I don't hold back, my wrist buckles.
It's not an injury. Part of it is that I just started working with a heavy bag again for the first time in 10 years. Last time I hit a heavy bag, I weighed about 100 pounds.
I'm wrapping my hands anytime I want to hit hard, but I suppose it's possible I'm not doing a great job at it. I've never had anyone wrap my hands so I don't have much to compare to.
Heavier gloves might help, but I don't even know what kind I'm using. They came with the set I bought. Even if the gloves are the problem, I don't like the idea of having a crutch. Part of the reason I like hitting the heavy bag is for self defense. I like knowing that I can hit hard enough to make a 70 pound chunk of dead weight go flying. :)
The bag is a fake leather (vinyl I think). It's definately not the softest bag I've ever hit, but it's not too stiff. The soft spot where most of my punches tend to hit has softened up nicely.
Guess I'll just give it some more time and see if it gets better. The knuckle pushups and wrist warm-up sounds like a good place to start. Thanks for the input.
Re: how hard to hit a heavy bag?
Decided to look at a different kind of hand wrap b/c I knew that some wraps are more elastic than others... never occured to me that the wraps I was using weren't nearly long enough. The wraps that came with the set I bought are 108 inches long... about 5 feet shorter than most of the ones I just found online. I think the extra length would give me a little more support in the wrist so I'll give that a shot.
Re: how hard to hit a heavy bag?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Meunouk
Easy
AS HARD AS YOU LIKE IT WONT HIT BACK
The bag may not hit back, but unlike most humans, it can take anything you can dish out and keep taking it. ;D
Re: how hard to hit a heavy bag?
Using bigger gloves is not a crutch, it's being smart (keeping yourself healthy). If u ever needed your hands to defend yourself it would be nice to have them at 100%(not busted up or sore from hitting a bag.
I do not think that it has as much to do with your size or stregnth as u might think. There are alot of big, strong people hitting bags with no problems. Wrap correctly, use proper form, and use gloves that u are comfortable with.
I have had 3 surgeries on my right hand, and numerous breaks to my matacarpal in my left hand. I am still punching away with no problems.
Be smart and listen to your body. Those are the only hands that u will ever have.
Re: how hard to hit a heavy bag?
Wrist strenghtening exersizes.
Re: how hard to hit a heavy bag?
Yup. Wrist strengthening excersizes for sure, and goig lighter at first on the bag, focusing on technique.
For strenthening I reccomend tight grip bench press (focuses on the triceps, but you have to balance the weight with your wrists so it will help. Also a lot of forearm excersizes. try picking up the biggest dumbells you can and just moving your wrists in as many directions as possible. Do some wrist curls with either dumbells, or a barbell, making sure to curl with your palms up, and then palms down to get both motons in. and maybe hold your arms like your doing hammer curls with dumbells and move the weight up and down. It really helps. When I started hitting the bag I used to mess my wrists up all the time. After about a month of doing those excesizes, I can go full out even without wraps and not have a problem.
Re: how hard to hit a heavy bag?
Buckets of rice or large sand, move your wrists around through the rice grabbing handfulls and letting go as you plow through too.
Re: how hard to hit a heavy bag?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andre
Buckets of rice or large sand, move your wrists around through the rice grabbing handfulls and letting go as you plow through too.
Gripping hands in a bucket of mung beens works for me.
Re: how hard to hit a heavy bag?
Toughie, you dont hit your hardest on a bag often, pace yourself you want to go for a whole round or at least unless your doing lots of sets with short round and long rest
when you land a hook make sure your palm faces your face when it lands, also your wrists in boxing should point in not out. (try to touch your right elbow with your right hand)
Make a proper fist, thumb at the bottom
Re: how hard to hit a heavy bag?
Lots of good tips so far. I think the wrist strengthening excercises will help. I've been doing some of them for a few days now and call me crazy but I can already feel a little difference. Maybe my muscles are just tensed up from the unusual excercise and the stiff muscle tissue is acting like an extra layer of support/reinforcement?
One exercise I kind of stumbled upon today that you may want to try.... I have a rope toy for my dogs... it's about 2 feet long and has a hard plastic handle on one end. When the dog pulls on it, your hand is in a similar position to holding a dumbell at your side. Anyway... playing tug-o-war, the dog is trying to wrip it out of my hand while I twist the handle back and forth like a dirt bike throttle. Kinda hard to explain, but for those of you that get bored with the same old routine, it might make things a little more interesting.
Re: how hard to hit a heavy bag?
My advice is just be careful going to the "body" of the bag, there is usually more weight there so therefore it's the hardest part of the bag...but like Meunouk said hit it as hard as you like
