Learning Distance and Range

[The Student]

Hey guys,

... know the heavy bag is a great tool to learn range. But I find that sometimes my shots to the bag are cut short becuase the bag is moving more than I am. Every now and then I hear the coach yelling, "move your feet guys, you should always land your shots with full extension".

The idea of moving your feet can be simple enough but for a relative beginner, I assume the issue becomes how much to move, or when to throw that shot out to catch the bag when your arm is extended... This seems to be an issue for distance and range.

...
Anybody else have any ideas or tips to improve distance and range with or without a heavybag?

From the beginning (actually about a week after that) of my boxing training I was expected to ALWAYS move and hit, only stopping briefly for a combination.

If the bag is moving and you are not always hitting it clearly (but doing so some of the time) then that would seem t be a very good way to learn range and timing. A key trick to developing any skill is to find a way to practice it so that you cannot quite do it successfully (all of the time.)

Work slow, or work a slightly easier problem, then speed up or add complexity and difficulty so that you are always on the edge of your ability.

Double ended bags would seem a good idea here too.

Light sparring where you are JUST tapping your partner will force accuracy when the target is unpredictably moving -- you need a partner that isn't ego driven but wants to see that BOTH of you LEARN and IMPROVE.

Thanks for the response Herb.

I do always move and hit, always have as well. But, when you see someone with a lot of experience working the bag, you can see that they have a better understanding of distance, range and timing. As the saying goes, work the bag, dont let the bag work you.

They also say one of the major issues a beginner has is; learning, knowing and trusting his range. I see a lot of guys that do not trust their range and come closer than they need to, to throw a shot.

Also light sparring is great, I use that tool as often as I can when I get someone to work with. I'm not interested in hard sparring just yet. I need to build a strong base of the fundamentals through light sparring (just tapping), shadow boxing, bag work, etc. before I jump in there.

I'm thinking something as simple as extending your arm and pushing the bag, and moving forward and backwards with it while it swings, always maintaining that range/distance may help as well.