check it -> speed bag info (lots of it)

[deadlyshaolin]

Funny thing, I just spoke to a co-worker about this issue. He used to do a bit of striking in the past (he used to do wing chun, but they worked with a speed bag too), and he helped highlight some things:

1. The speedbag helps with timing and coordination. There's no denying this. As far as it translates into fighting timing and coordination, it surely must help a little. But heads don't move the way speedbags do (or do they? Not in my experience, they don't).

2. We both agreed that sparring and drilling with a partner were superior to working with a speedbag, but not everybody has the luxury of sparring partners, and for those who do, time is limited. A speedbag just hangs there, waiting for you at any time of the day.

 

[OpethDrums]

Opeth, is your speed-bag on a free-moving swivel or one of those jobs that only go back-and-forth?

why

 

[Sinister]

1. The speedbag helps with timing and coordination. There's no denying this. As far as it translates into fighting timing and coordination, it surely must help a little. But heads don't move the way speedbags do (or do they? Not in my experience, they don't).

2. We both agreed that sparring and drilling with a partner were superior to working with a speedbag, but not everybody has the luxury of sparring partners, and for those who do, time is limited. A speedbag just hangs there, waiting for you at any time of the day.

Again, you and your co-worker both seem a little biased, and the thing you have in common is that neither of you are Boxers nor do you use striking arts that depend primarily on punches or using extensive combinations for extended periods of time (to my knowledge), an extended period of time being a 12 round fight, 36 minutes total.

Firstly yes heads can move like a speed-bag. Guys who are short counter-puncher master slipping punches in the blink of an eye, and usually to hit them because of their extensive head-movement you need to be able to throw fast punches that are accurate, in-succession, on a consistent basis. This is how Marco Antonio Barrera finally pinned down Naseem Hamed in their fight. Until Barerra came along having trained up specifically hand-speed and accuracy, Hamed had been pretty near-impossible to actually hit directly and flush enough to hurt him.

Second, you keep making your analyses from the perspective of someone who is already VERY good at the speed-bag. Like that it moves on a predictable set-pattern. It does, when you can MAKE it do so. This is why I asked if Opeth up there's bag is on a free-range swivel or if it is on a mechanism that ONLY goes back and forth. It's an important factor. Judging by his response, lol, it's one of those back and forth only jobs. This takes away one of the best aspects of the traditional speed-bags. The fact that you have to use your punches to control the bag and MAKE it move on said set-pattern. If it's on a free-moving swivel this is nearly impossible to do until you learn rythm, patience, timing, and where exactly to keep your eyes, how to move your feet, etc.

Anyone is free to come to any conclusion they want, but the bottom line is there are very few apparatus that enhance both hand-eye coordination and hand-speed specifically, as well as endurance at utilizing both those tools as good as the speed-bag does. Sparring doesn't, neither do focus mitts, and neither does the double-end. Each of those have advantages of their own, but they will not do what the speed-bag does to the degree that it does it.

 

[OpethDrums]

you dont know shit bro

dont go and say i have a shitty speed bag and i don't know what im doing because i didn't answer your question. i go to boxing a gym with at least 4 free moving speed bags. i knew you were gonna say some shit like that

 

[Sinister]

you dont know shit bro

dont go and say i have a shitty speed bag and i don't know what im doing because i didn't answer your question. i go to boxing a gym with at least 4 free moving speed bags. i knew you were gonna say some shit like that

Well then you should have answered the question "bro." Besides, I was just joking with you, don't go shooting your mouth off and end up on dubs again. Chill out.

 

[OpethDrums]

i was in a bad mood yesterday. you know me man lol

 

[Sinister]

It's all good.

 

[bdweezil6998]

hey, thanks for posting this. I was looking for some more drills to use on the speedbag.