How dangerous is it to use a bag without gloves

[The Prevalier]

I've heard that using a heavy punching bag is very dangerous if you do not wear bag mits. On the other hand, I want to condition my hands and wrists(But not break them). Should I wear mits?

 

[TeddyRoosevelt]

To what end do you wish to condition your hands/wrists?

Generally, for heavy bag sessions, you should wear heavy bag gloves and wraps. Reasons: injury prevention; joint health; increased work capacity; decreased discomfort; etc.

 

[def1]

Depends how hard you go and how heavy the bag is. I've hit heavy bags before without gloves, sometimes with just wraps and sometimes with nothing. If Im hitting a heavy bag over 60 pounds I will never ever go hard and I'll just tap it and work on speed and technique. If its one of those 60 pound bags and its old and lost a lot of its firmness Ill go decently hard on it.

However I do this cause Im usually lazy to put on gloves and I just want to mess about on the bag. I would never seriously work a heavy bag without gloves. Why would you want to do this? Assuming you were gloves in the ring and in sparring, why would you need to condition your hands?

 

[flak]

Lemme see if I can parse this out...

I've hit heavy bags barehanded, with bag gloves only,and with wraps and training gloves.

The main danger in hitting a bag barehanded is that you'll hit the bag at a slight angle and your wrist will collapse, causing a wrist sprain. Same thing can happen if you hit the bag squarely and aren't holding your wrist tight. You can minimize the risk by starting off lightly and working up to harder punching. The bag will also abrade (scrape) the skin on your knuckles, but that's a minor issue unless you spend a lot of time hitting the bag right off the bat -- eventually, you'll develop calluses.

Hitting a bag with bag gloves only poses about the same risk of sprain. Plus, if your hands sweat a lot, the sweat can soften up the skin on your knuckles, which can lead to tearing your skin. I used to wail on a heavy bag with bag gloves, and about once a month I'd lose a dime-sized chunk of skin off my middle knuckle. Hurt like hell,and I had to stop punching with that hand until the skin grew back.

Using wrist wraps and training gloves is the safest option, but it's not an absolute guarantee you won't sprain your wrist. A hard, badly aimed shot can still do some damage.

I'm sure that wrist wraps + bag gloves would be about the same, but I've never used that option.

 

[Fu**]

I can't speak for wraps alone because I've never done it but barehanded its fine for your wrist it just rips up your knuckles, I have crazy scars on my knuckles from when I was 12-14 because I used to hit the bag in my garage all the time and never had handwraps.
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[def1]

I can't speak for wraps alone because I've never done it but barehanded its fine for your wrist it just rips up your knuckles, I have crazy scars on my knuckles from when I was 12-14 because I used to hit the bag in my garage all the time and never had handwraps.
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You probably werent hitting hard enough. The TS could really hurt his hands by hitting the heavy bag hard without gloves and wraps. Sometimes even with wraps and gloves on after 12 rounds of hitting the bag my knuckles and fingers really hurt and are sore. You can break your hand and fingers even with gloves on, without them is just a stupid thing to do.

 

[TeddyRoosevelt]

I think in general the more experienced among us, and those of us more concerned with performance (and thus long-term health) are all going to recommend bag gloves and wraps. Your hands and wrists are not your shins. Kick the bag without protection to your hearts content for shin conditioning if you really want to. But as was previously stated, it only takes one poorly-executed angle of impact to ruin your wrist, and takes relatively little pressure to break many of the bones in your hand. And when you're going at the bag hard, and throwing hard "body" shots, you're going to strike off-angle occasionally (off angle referring to the angling of your wrist to the contact surface, not footwork and body positioning).
Of course, you're going to get the responses that say: "go for it gloveless, it'll toughen up your hands and YOU" and other such nonesense. If you care about continued performance, take care of your hands. Don't do it to look cool, it isn't worth it.

P.S. I am out of my normal training routine, because I just had surgery on Friday after breaking my thumb and tearing my ulnar collateral ligament while sparring WITH GLOVES AND WRAPS. These things happen...but losing function of your hand for ~ 8 weeks really sucks. I wouldn't take the chance on the bag.

 

[Fu**]

You probably werent hitting hard enough. The TS could really hurt his hands by hitting the heavy bag hard without gloves and wraps. Sometimes even with wraps and gloves on after 12 rounds of hitting the bag my knuckles and fingers really hurt and are sore. You can break your hand and fingers even with gloves on, without them is just a stupid thing to do.

No I would hit it pretty hard but its not as hard as gym heavies it was cheaper and on the ground not hanging from the ceiling. Pretty sure you could hit the bags at the gym with handwraps and be fine though
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[def1]

No I would hit it pretty hard but its not as hard as gym heavies it was cheaper and on the ground not hanging from the ceiling. Pretty sure you could hit the bags at the gym with handwraps and be fine though
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Please dont spread misinformation that will get people hurt. I've trained at boxing gym for 2 years now. I don't care who you are if you are hitting the bag hard enough you are going to hurt your hands. I spent 4 weeks away from hitting the heavy big because i sprained my wrist with gloves and wraps on. It doesn't take much to hurt your hands and you arent going to throw a perfect punch everytime.

If he wants to be a fighter he needs his hands to last long, and hitting the heavy bag unprotected is very bad for that. There is also a difference in hitting the heavy bag just to mess around and what he is trying to do. I admit I will hit some heavy bags every now and then when Im too lazy to throw gloves on but if I ever do serious training I would never hit a bag without gloves. He wants to condition his hands but there is no use in that. He is going to be fighting in handwraps and gloves so he should train in handwraps and gloves.

 

[Seppuku Sam]

Ive been training for 40 + years. I have rarely ever used hand wraps. I have never had a wrist injury and have only had a few broken digits from bare knuckle sparring. My secret: 1. Learn to make a proper fist. By that I mean a "karate" fist that is intended to actually strike an object without injuring the striker. and 2. learn proper technigue. Spend months striking "air" before transitioning to striking objects. Progress to a striking a makiwara post gently with excellent form, and progress slowly over the course of the next few years. Suppliment the makiwara striking with less than full power strikes to a VARIETY of bags and mits. DONT do all of your striking full power on a heavy bag.
This system is tried and true and has been implemented for hundreds of years. It works.

 

[VoodooPlata]

Ive been training for 40 + years. I have rarely ever used hand wraps. I have never had a wrist injury and have only had a few broken digits from bare knuckle sparring. My secret: 1. Learn to make a proper fist. By that I mean a "karate" fist that is intended to actually strike an object without injuring the striker. and 2. learn proper technigue. Spend months striking "air" before transitioning to striking objects. Progress to a striking a makiwara post gently with excellent form, and progress slowly over the course of the next few years. Suppliment the makiwara striking with less than full power strikes to a VARIETY of bags and mits. DONT do all of your striking full power on a heavy bag.
This system is tried and true and has been implemented for hundreds of years. It works.

You've been training for 40+ years? That's quite the merit. However, there is evidence of "striking air" as you put it being harmful for your elbow joints. Also, hitting a post instead of a bag to begin with seems a bit... dumb. Although I don't know what's so special about this certain kind of post. Is it some kind of karate post?

Also, isn't this very much the wrong forum?

 

[flak]

Let me add to my earlier post -- I don't think there's much reason to practice punching a heavy bag barehanded.

As stated before (by me and others), even with hand wraps and training/bag gloves, you have to punch a heavy bag properly or you risk injury. And hard heavy bag sessions will take a toll on your knuckles, wrists and shoulders.

Also, I don't think that my own experience hitting barehanded necessarily helped me develop proper punching any faster than I would have with wraps and gloves -- it wasn't a conscious choice on my part to go barehanded, I was training in karate and I just did what my instructors said to do.

That said, I don't believe I suffered any long-term damage from hitting barehanded. But I didn't do it extensively and everybody's different. Maybe I was just lucky.

TS, why do you think you need to condition your hands and wrists? What striking art(s) do you practice and what are your goals in training?

 

[zx]

I dont see the point of it, but sure, you can condition your knuckles. Question is how hard and how often you should perform that. Someone posted picture here, long time ago, with some guy's conditioned fists. Not nice to see.

 

[zx]

Ok, TS, I just go through your posts and I want to advice you not to do what you up to.
Have a good one

 

[TeddyRoosevelt]

Ive been training for 40 + years. I have rarely ever used hand wraps. I have never had a wrist injury and have only had a few broken digits from bare knuckle sparring. My secret: 1. Learn to make a proper fist. By that I mean a "karate" fist that is intended to actually strike an object without injuring the striker. and 2. learn proper technigue. Spend months striking "air" before transitioning to striking objects. Progress to a striking a makiwara post gently with excellent form, and progress slowly over the course of the next few years. Suppliment the makiwara striking with less than full power strikes to a VARIETY of bags and mits. DONT do all of your striking full power on a heavy bag.
This system is tried and true and has been implemented for hundreds of years. It works.

1. Bareknuckle sparring is a terrible idea. And you a doofus for having engaged in it.

2. It's been implemented for hundreds of years. That doesn't make it effecient, effective, or relevant. In the past hundred years we've seen great strides in science, medicine, physiology, biology, sports science, and sports equipment and protective gear. Act like it.
Thus, train and practice in ways that are: SAFE; EFFICIENT; EFFECTIVE.

 

[miaou]

Ive been training for 40 + years. I have rarely ever used hand wraps. I have never had a wrist injury and have only had a few broken digits from bare knuckle sparring. My secret: 1. Learn to make a proper fist. By that I mean a "karate" fist that is intended to actually strike an object without injuring the striker. and 2. learn proper technigue. Spend months striking "air" before transitioning to striking objects. Progress to a striking a makiwara post gently with excellent form, and progress slowly over the course of the next few years. Suppliment the makiwara striking with less than full power strikes to a VARIETY of bags and mits. DONT do all of your striking full power on a heavy bag.
This system is tried and true and has been implemented for hundreds of years. It works.

Ιf you know how to throw a punch, the risk of serious hand/wrist injuries is higher; so using gloves and proper bandaging is even more important.


Also, what is a ""karate" fist" and how is that any different than a ""boxing" fist"?

 

[KnuckleSangwich]

My bag has too many hard spots I would get a booboo on my hand.


This answer is up to par with the intelligence of the question.

 

[theBrookDweller]

since you have to ask the question, clearly the answer is to wrap them. Knuckle scrapings are easy to deal with compared to a sprained wrist, which IME is easier to get when hitting without wraps/glove. Personally I worry more about the security of the wrist wrap as opposed to anything else.

 

[LitteringAnd]

No I would hit it pretty hard but its not as hard as gym heavies it was cheaper and on the ground not hanging from the ceiling. Pretty sure you could hit the bags at the gym with handwraps and be fine though
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You were not hitting the heavy bag hard when you were 12 years old. You might have been hitting it as hard as you could, but you were not hitting it hard. You shouldn't tell people this.

TS you need to wear gloves, and there is no reason or need to condition your knuckles.

 

[KnightTemplar]

About 95% of my Bagwork is done wearing Gloves. The remaining 5% is training specifically for Self-Protection. In this training I practice Pre-Emptive Striking(Sucker Punch)Verbal Triggers, Line Ups etc. To make this training as realistic as possible, I'll strike the Bag barehanded.

During this type of training, I'm trying to condition my mental/emotional responses rather than my knuckles.