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Bags, speedballs etc
A bit of a UKcentric article for those who want to work out at home to primarily improve fitness, but thought it might be a good jumping off point to discuss bags and speedballs etc. Not just which type you have found useful and reliable but the use of and how they can be used or abused at all levels.
https://www.coachmag.co.uk/sport/8102/punching-bags
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Re: Bags, speedballs etc
Ive got an Everlast 80 lb heavy bag, dont hit it as often as I used to but for anyone who isnt serious about boxing themselves or a huge mofo I cant see the point upgrading, never put a dent in it and its as good a workout as you want it to be.
Other thing I have for a floor to ceiling bag is cool, I set it up after reading one of the vets on this board talking about it many years ago, might have been Scrap even. pierce a whole right through a tennis ball and run a bungee cord through it and anchor that however you can top to bottom. make sure its pulled taught and the ball wont slip at all, I just wrapped electrical tape around the bottom. Its fun to mess around with and you dont need to bother with wraps or gloves.
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Re: Bags, speedballs etc
I've seen speedballs used before and being good at them is a frightening sight ;D.
I still have two long duffle bags, one at work and one in the garage. Nothing special at all but good to stay loose and good stress relief. Keeps you humble the next time you watch a fight and yell at a professional for 'not letting his hands go' over 4 rounds ;D.
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Re: Bags, speedballs etc
make sure that when you hit it, as it is instructed to jugglers, try to look at your target with your peripheral vision, not directly at it. when you look directly at what you are trying to hit, you wouldnt be conscious of this, but you give yourself tunnel vision. you arent conscious of it, but as you read each letter in each word in this post, you are using a part of your eye that only sees through one small focal point called the fovea. this also happens in boxing. when you lock your foveal vision directly onto a target in front of you, you are more easily blindsided by punches that come around it. on the other hand, your peripheral vision actually is specialized to detect motion very well. which is why it is best to not lock on to any one thing visually, ie hands, eyes or feet, or in this case your speed ball, but to just look at a general area and try to see everything else around it peripherally. a good spot for this is the chest. in a similar way, jugglers are instructed to look at a spot just above what they are juggling and then to see the actual objects they are juggling only peripherally.
i think can give something of an example. ray leonard fought with his eyes wide open, but with a sort of spaced out look on his face.
https://i.imgur.com/x9JqD0K.gif
it is because he is not looking at his target directly. he is looking at it peripherally.
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Re: Bags, speedballs etc
Leonard had great concentration and focus. Never left his eyes off his opponent.