Training Elbows on the Heavy Bag

[ForeverFiending]

Sounds to me like you a "brushing" the bag with an elbow instead of "striking" it. I used have this problem too until I was corrected. The big thing was to bring my hand into my chest and throw the elbow like a hook. I later saw a good video on Utube which reinforced this.

Edit** here is the video HERE

Exactly what I was thinking. You shouldn't be rubbing your skin off. Even in a fight, you don't use the point of the elbow, and you don't use the knee cap with knees. This bag IS a bit heavy for someone who isn't used to striking elbows, you should have started with a 100 lbs. It seems like a lot of people on here jump no bag to 150 lb. bags for some reason. I hit the bag with elbows all the time and if I get sloppy I'll get a bruise or a skin scrape, but you shouldn't be rubbing off skin. Your bag should bounce when you hit it with a good elbow just like if you hit it with a solid punch. It is exactly like a hook and has a ridiculous ammount of force. It shouldn't hurt at all unless you struck with the wrong part of your elbow or your technique was way off. Be very careful with knees too. Your knee cap is a free floating bone surrounded by cartilage and synovial fluid, it is weak and very easy to injure and ruin... a LOT of people have knee problems. The part of the knee that has that crazy force is the end of your femur, which looks like a club if you looked at a skeleton. You have to strike a bag RIGHT or you will mess yourself up. It is best to learn knees and elbows on pads before taking them to the bags. It is best to learn on lighter bags and move up to heavier bags. You need to have someone look at what you are doing and help you out. Good luck!

 

[ForeverFiending]

This may sound woosy, and I may get flamed for it, but if you rub in a little good quality moisturizing lotion into elbows and knees before a heavy bag training round, it will help prevent them from splitting open as much.

Sometimes, especially during winter months, and if you are not adequately hydrating with water, your skin will become dry and brittle. When it is at this stage, it is more prone to injury from abrasion. Once you have a cut, then you are increasing risk of infection, especially if you are hitting a heavy bag that everybody else in your club hits and sweats on.

The application of lotion will not prevent you from conditioning/hardening these striking areas, however, it will help deter injury.

Just my thoughts.

BEFORE training? you'de be slipping all over the place! I keep a towel to wipe the sweat off of my elbows and the bag because it's so frikkin annoying to try and strike it when I'm sliding all over. Maybe lotion after. I don't have any problems with the skin on my elbows, I just get occassional bruises if I get sloppy and hit it wrong in a combo.

Eat some Omega 3 enhanced eggs and some fish oil instead. No one's skin should be cracking, that's some other issue.

 

[bradlee180]

Hey ForeverFiending, (or anyone else who trains knee strikes),

Do you know of anyone dislocating their kneecap on the bag? or even breaking the knee cap?

 

[sleepwalk]

I always train the elbows. Everything from Muay Thai to Ray Nitschke-style. I bench 300+ but I got the hands and wrists of a 12-year-old. Many breaks and sprains. Very bad.

 

[Halfbreed83]

Yeah, depends on the material of the bag you're hitting.

 

[ForeverFiending]

Hey ForeverFiending, (or anyone else who trains knee strikes),

Do you know of anyone dislocating their kneecap on the bag? or even breaking the knee cap?

I doubt anyone could break their knee on a bag. The cap can't be dislocated because it's kind of a free floating joint. What you can do is tear stuff and over time, if you are not doing it properly you will royally F-up your knees. Knees are something you don't want to mess with, they are incredibly important in day to day life, aside from training alone and they are easy to destroy. Just like most body parts, if you mess it up, it's never the same again.

 

[ForeverFiending]

I always train the elbows. Everything from Muay Thai to Ray Nitschke-style. I bench 300+ but I got the hands and wrists of a 12-year-old. Many breaks and sprains. Very bad.

You sound more like a body builder. A muay thai fighter might break themselves benching 300 lbs. and a body builder will break himself on a 150 lb. bag. Two totally different things. Your body will adjust to what you want it to specialize in.