If I work the heavy bag in just handwraps am I getting stronger hands?

[KennisTheMenace**]

...Or just risking a hand injury? I moved away from my fight gym and am just hitting the heavy bag at a non-fight gym, trying to keep my technique. Just started putting on the handwraps and hitting the bag and wondering if there is any benefit to not using 16 oz gloves.

 

[thewhiteSRR]

Wear gloves. Protect your hands.

 

[fightingrabbit]

Do it diligently enough and you'll develop the Iron Fist, such as the shaolin monks of old. Careful though, if you ever start to spar again you may implode your sparring partners head upon contact, even with padding of 24 ounce gloves.

 

[AppliedScience]

What does not break your hands only makes them stronger.




Seriously though, be careful.

 

[SummerStriker]

There is always a difference between building something and aggrivating it.

Doing a set of pushups on your knuckles, or hitting the heavy bag a dozen times bear-handed, is like doing a set of push-ups on your knuckles. Working the heavy bag for minutes is like, carrying a manageable weight on your back all day. At some point, you aren't getting stronger - you are just warping your spine.

The people I know with the best fists are manual laborers and weight lifters. You sort of get it by hitting things, but just barefisting the bag all the time isn't really important. I mean really, you are only going to hit a person bare handed a couple of times.

 

[nomilkforsanta]

Get 6oz elastic bag mitts and wrap your hands.

They will allow you to train harder and longer, strengthen your hands and wrists, insure proper knuckle placement, and improve speed better than 16 oz gloves, however, they will not provide the same shoulder strength endurance.

I like having 3 pairs of gloves. 6oz bag mitts for pads/bag, 10-12oz imf gloves for when my hands are recovering from an injury, and 16oz 'nice person' sparring gloves.

 

[LEGS MAHONEY]

The bones in the hand will still become stronger over time with gloves kept on

 

[WillW]

Theoretically yes, you are strengthening your knuckles, but its impossible to say over the internet.

Iv used some heavy bags where without gloves I had no problem, while others I could wear 2 pairs of wraps and still hurt my hands a few punches in. It all depends on the bag.

 

[apizur**]

The theory is "microfracture" theory; some believe it, some don't. The most you're gonna toughen is the skin. Leather bags wick the moisture out of your skin and causes cuts, and canvas is abrasive and causes cuts.

After throwing punches with gloves on for years. My threshold to hit the bag without gloves has increased, but you won't find me breaking boards on a daily basis.

So as I see you picturing it... no. You're gonna end up with cuts over time. Make sure you read the staph prevention thread.

 

[Sinister]

It all really depends on your fist formation. I dont know if we discussed this when you were here (memory is shady), but old school bag gloves were even smaller than MMA gloves. If your fist formation is correct and hour hands are used to it, you'll be fine.

 

[fightingrabbit]

I was going to add, are you disciplined enough to throw 100 percent of your punches on the bag perfectly and controlled? Or are there times where you'll get carried away and wail on it? If its the latter, than it's not a matter of if, but when you'll bust your hand up on a bad punch.

 

[fluffball]

That's effectively what TMAs have been doing for thousands of years. Gloves are a modern phenomena. Machida has a wooden post in his garage that his punches bareknuckle.

 

[apizur**]

Also, we no longer live to 50.

 

[apizur**]

Obviously I bring this up because I don't know the answer... but I might also speculate that the fist used in a "front fist" manner may not have been the weapon of choice in the areas where the more famous TMAs emerged.

Also, in the same regard. I feel like medical documentation for such injuries is another factor to speculate the recency of.

 

[NAKMUAY18]

Get 6oz elastic bag mitts and wrap your hands.

They will allow you to train harder and longer, strengthen your hands and wrists, insure proper knuckle placement, and improve speed better than 16 oz gloves, however, they will not provide the same shoulder strength endurance.

I like having 3 pairs of gloves. 6oz bag mitts for pads/bag, 10-12oz imf gloves for when my hands are recovering from an injury, and 16oz 'nice person' sparring gloves.

This^^^^

 

[Discipulus]

I like to hit the bag barehanded to work on my wrist alignment and fist formation, but I'll throw on wraps and bag gloves any time I'm going to be throwing full speed in combinations. I've tweaked my wrist too many times under those less controlled circumstances.

I see no problem with hitting the bag without gloves, though. Just do it the right way, and be careful.

 

[Sinister]

I was going to add, are you disciplined enough to throw 100 percent of your punches on the bag perfectly and controlled? Or are there times where you'll get carried away and wail on it? If its the latter, than it's not a matter of if, but when you'll bust your hand up on a bad punch.

Wearing gloves doesn't prevent this from happening.

 

[Discipulus]

It does prevent you from noticing, though.

 

[Sinister]

I meant hand injuries. I've seen guys bust a wrist or a knuckle using 16's. Poor form is poor form, the results are typically the same.

 

[goldennboy]

Either they were wearing Wal-Mart gloves or they weren't wearing one of the real gloves. Either or.