Conditioning Day (Sort Of)
So, I bought some light gloves and got someone to help me to raise the height of our new heavy(ish) bag, enabling me to do some heavy bag work. Let's say like this:
Heavy bag work: 5 x 3/4 minute rounds, 1 minute rest between rounds.
They were meant to be all 3 minute rounds, but it seems that I got carried away maybe twice. I can't remember *exactly* what I did, but basically I went through a progression like this:
Round One. Just basic technique, working through the main punches in 10s (jabs, straights, hooks at head height and body height), switching stance so I could do them on both sides.
Round Two. Working up some combinations, like jab-jab ten times, then jab-jab-straight ten times, then jab-jab-straight-hook ten times (both sides)
Round Three. Keeping going with the combinations, working up a little longer and adding a kick at the end. Some sort of ugly hybrid of a karate roundhouse and a Thai-style round kick (contact with the shin). Not pretty. Or indeed effective. Many times my contact wasn't solid.
Round Four Like round three, but a slightly longer combination before the kick. And sometimes trying to continue the combination after the kick. Which didn't go well, I can assure you.
Round Five Just hitting the bag any way I want. Longer, more fluid combinations with different rhythms, much more total punches and kicks.
Throughout, I tried to stay mobile, bob and weave, keep my hands up, and my chin down. The last two parts I can do, but I never learned boxing footwork so when I hit the bag I instead use footwork and movement that I have adapted from dance classes. Yes, really. I used to take a lot of those, and while I was doing them I had a heavy bag at my house. One leaked into the other. So even when I was more practised, it would have looked pretty bizarre to someone who knew what they were doing. I don't really care, though, because I am not fighting anyone or training a fighting art. The movement makes it better exercise and more interesting.
I am very rusty, and when rusty I am pretty shitty, but it was still a lot of fun. I was only really exerting myself by the last round (when I had some sweat on and was a little out of breath). If I did a few more rounds like the last one, it would be a very good workout indeed.
I can see myself doing this semi-regularly. Which is good, as it has been really hard to motivate myself to do any type of conditioning work.