Some practice.

[RenoRattler]

A little bit of practice. I sprained my ankle last weekend working, so I'm still a little stiff in the foot. I'm using a laptop webcam right now, not the best recording I know.

Haven't gotten a new bag or bladder yet either, this one is on the flat side. Kinda spongy to hit.

Trying to learn some of those reverse punches, I know it's a little hard to see what's going on. From what I can see, I'm not extending far enough through every time on the front side, and that's part of my problem.

[Jordan]

lookin good rattler, keep up the great work. by the way try playing both video's simultaneously, you really keep the rhythm well, aside from when you throw a double punch in or whatnot the two videos line up pretty perfectly if started at the right time....pretty cool stuff

[The Baggist]

Puttin in work! Comin along nice!.

[Kyle]

looking good. keep bagging and u will continue to get better and learn more things and it will be hard to tear yourself away from the board!

[spinsmashpop]

Bladder quick fix is the way to go!!!!!

Rattler.....
You can repair the bladder with an bicycle inner tube repair kit that comes with pieces of thin rubber and glue. I've done that and it works. If you have that stuff sittin' around, give it a try.
If not, it is a good idea to have some around for this exact reason.
And now that I think about it, this is a great way to NOT have to replace a bag with a different type, ultimately having to wonder if the bag is going to feel and weigh different....
Yes, this is THE WAY to go!
What are your thoughts Alan, Tim, Skunk, Baggist, Deano, etc....anyone?

[RenoRattler]

Rattler.....
You can repair the bladder with an bicycle inner tube repair kit that comes with pieces of thin rubber and glue. I've done that and it works. If you have that stuff sittin' around, give it a try.
If not, it is a good idea to have some around for this exact reason.
And now that I think about it, this is a great way to NOT have to replace a bag with a different type, ultimately having to wonder if the bag is going to feel and weigh different....
Yes, this is THE WAY to go!
What are your thoughts Alan, Tim, Skunk, Baggist, Deano, etc....anyone?

I've actually got a ton of those around, but they wouldn't help me. The stem of the bladder came out of the hole in the bag, and retreated to parts unknown. When I tried to....coerce.....it to come back to it's proper home, it sort of disintegrated. So, I can't pump it back up....

[spinsmashpop]

I've actually got a ton of those around, but they wouldn't help me. The stem of the bladder came out of the hole in the bag, and retreated to parts unknown. When I tried to....coerce.....it to come back to it's proper home, it sort of disintegrated. So, I can't pump it back up....

Got it Rattler. Well maybe my repair advice is good for the basic tear or pop in the bag that isn't too extensive.
And regarding your practice vids.... great job!
If you keep bagging regularly, your gonna be wizard. Your form and pace are key. You are consistent and have total patience. All the stuff you are working on flows nicely and evenly together. And is that the bag that came with that platform? It is like 7x10? It looks like the kind they made like the gyro, (still leather, not vinyl? but the leather is a little tough?) I think I've seen these bags in Big 5's and stuff. The board looks stable. You may get even more rebound with some weight on top. Is the bottom of the bag to your chin or a bit higher? Anyhow... great basics with great control!
BAG ON!

[atgatt]

Reno, lookin' good. I noticed too that you can chew gum and box at the same time. Doing that myself is hard.

Also, I wished my garage was as clean as yours.

Keep up the good moves.

[metaldad]

Rattler looking good. You're pretty coordinated baggin' and chewing gum at the same time. Remember to keep working the basics(I'm one to talk) and the rest will come!

[RenoRattler]

Got it Rattler. Well maybe my repair advice is good for the basic tear or pop in the bag that isn't too extensive.
And regarding your practice vids.... great job!
If you keep bagging regularly, your gonna be wizard. Your form and pace are key. You are consistent and have total patience. All the stuff you are working on flows nicely and evenly together. And is that the bag that came with that platform? It is like 7x10? It looks like the kind they made like the gyro, (still leather, not vinyl? but the leather is a little tough?) I think I've seen these bags in Big 5's and stuff. The board looks stable. You may get even more rebound with some weight on top. Is the bottom of the bag to your chin or a bit higher? Anyhow... great basics with great control!
BAG ON!

Yeah, that's the bag that came with it. No sure what the actual size on it is, it is leather.

I do plan on adding some weight to the top, and when I'm wearing shoes the bottom of the bag is right at my chin. I'm barefoot in those vids due to my sprain, so I'm probably down a half inch or so from normal.

Reno, lookin' good. I noticed too that you can chew gum and box at the same time. Doing that myself is hard.

Also, I wished my garage was as clean as yours.

Keep up the good moves.

Haha, it's somewhat clean, my workout area is the cleanest spot since I use it the most.

Rattler looking good. You're pretty coordinated baggin' and chewing gum at the same time. Remember to keep working the basics(I'm one to talk) and the rest will come!

I'm trying my hardest, trying to stay under control.

[Speedbag]

A little bit of practice. I sprained my ankle last weekend working, so I'm still a little stiff in the foot. I'm using a laptop webcam right now, not the best recording I know.

Haven't gotten a new bag or bladder yet either, this one is on the flat side. Kinda spongy to hit.

Trying to learn some of those reverse punches, I know it's a little hard to see what's going on. From what I can see, I'm not extending far enough through every time on the front side, and that's part of my problem.

Hey Reno, Very nice video. Angle is a bit wierd and the sound is a bit behind the video, but It's a great place to start. I like your stance, arm position, swing (elbows! nice) and rhythm. All even and smooth. Nice Front Circle Punch Control, Front Double Punches, continous alternating leads (nice!) and Front Fist Rolling. Man, you're solid on the Basic Four punches from the Front of the Bag. NO problem that I see or hear. You're ready to start expanding on those, cause it looks like a pretty solid base.

As far as Reverse Punches, I'm going to respectfully disagree with your assessment of "..I'm not extending far enough on the front side." That is not part of your problem. You're arm extension is fine. Most people think they have to really straighten out the arm to get to the reverse punches, but the actual distance of extension from the "front fist contact point on the bag" is only a couple of inches. It just feels longer since your fist went from your chin to the front contact area first, which is much further than the distance to go behind.

Here is why its a very short extension: IF you have the bag adjusted where the belly is at your chin/mouth area, and IF you hit straight into the belly at the correct part of the rebound, ( bag just coming off the back area of the board, at the mid point of the arc from center to board..), then your fist is already past the center point of the swivel. It is already at the area where the very back of a hanging bag would be. After contact, the bag is ON THE BOARD as you extend another inch or two. Now as the bag comes off the board, your fist is behind it, and if done correctly, your arm should not be near fully extended. Your fist doesn't duck under the bag as much as the bag raise up over the hand while on the board. Linking the fist(s) to the reverse hitting area is much more about technique and contact point then arm extension.

YOUR extension is fine. My only suggestion would be perhaps move a bit closer. You look a bit far from the bag, but it's hard to see on this angle and you are a tall guy with long arms. To me it looks as though your fists might be "fishing" for the bag on the Reverse Single Punch (RSP). By that I mean your fist contact isn't crisp or definitive. Your hesitating a bit on the reverse stroke and I hear a few late hits during the first video from 2:30 - 3:36 on your RSP's.

I would suggest a couple of things to nail down that RSP control. First, just do some repetitive RSP. Say five with each arm, then change arms. Get in your home position, extend your right arm (lean to the right a bit to give the bag some clearance from your face. It's not necessary to punch right back at your face (not recommended either... ) IN fact it may feel a bit like your hitting more to the side than directly behind but that doesn't matter. Side Single Punching and Reverse Single Punching are the exact same motion and the only difference is the bag area you are hitting.
OK, lean to the right, with the right arm extended to the reverse area and do five RSP in the Triplet Rhythm (three rebounds between punches), then change arms, - lean left with left arm out, do five RSP with left arm. Keep changing back and forth. After a while, go from five RSP to Three RSP-change. Then after a while you can go R ' ' ' L ' ' ' R ' ' ' L ' ' ' R..... (this is a bit harder because you'll need both arms extended and you can't really lean right of left but you may need to lean back a bit. Keep doing these and before long you will be able to control your fist contact on Reverse Punching.

Next suggestion: start your linking practice FROM the Reverse Punching area. Do 3-5 RSP, link to the front then go back. Make the Reverse area your home position. Once you can find the sweet spot behind the bag, this will be easy. You can already find the one in front so the back-front-back motion should be easy.

One last thing, a bit more advanced but I'll offer it because you have excellent control of the Front Punches. Every Fist combination you can do from the front you can also do from the back. For this discussion I'm saying that the Front Straight Punch (FSP) and Front Circle Punch (FCP) are simply just "A Front Single Punch". The ONLY diffence between them is the position at bag contact, so think of them here as just "ONE fist hitting the front of the bag".
You are doing very nice (1) Front Circle Punches (FCP) to continous Front Double Punches (FDP) ' ' ' (FDP), (2) doing nice Front Circle Punches to Front Fist Rolling (F-Roll) and (3) doing nice Front Double Punches to Front Fist Rolling. That is ALL THE FIST PUNCH COMBO's From the front of the bag. You can do all of these from the back using the three Reverse Punches. They all happen in the triplet rhythm.

Reverse Single Punches (FSP) to continous Reverse Double Punches (RDL) ' ' ' (RDP) if you can't do continous RDP, then just do one, and let the second fist continue single punching - just like you do from a FDP.

Reverse Single Punches (RSP) to Reverse Fist Roll (R-Roll) count three of five punches in the roll, then get out to RSP again.

Reverse Double Punching (RDP) to Reverse Fist Rolling (R-Roll). You normally will start the R-Roll with the second fist of the RDP and lead the next RDP with the last fist of the R-Roll. for instance.
(RDP) ' ' ' (R-Roll x5) = L-R ' ' ' R-L-R-L-R ' ' ' R-L

Well, sorry to go off a bit long on this, but I think your front punching is strong enough to do these. If it appears a bit daunting, just remember the simple phrase. Any fist combination from the front can also be done from the back. Basically the same arm postions, swing from mostly elbow, triplet rhythm, then pass through to repeat on other side. You can do it!! Don't over think it. You've got an ear for it, so let your ears be your guide. Throw up another video in a few days and lets see how your doing.

[RenoRattler]

Hey Reno, Very nice video. Angle is a bit wierd and the sound is a bit behind the video, but It's a great place to start. I like your stance, arm position, swing (elbows! nice) and rhythm. All even and smooth. Nice Front Circle Punch Control, Front Double Punches, continous alternating leads (nice!) and Front Fist Rolling. Man, you're solid on the Basic Four punches from the Front of the Bag. NO problem that I see or hear. You're ready to start expanding on those, cause it looks like a pretty solid base.

As far as Reverse Punches, I'm going to respectfully disagree with your assessment of "..I'm not extending far enough on the front side." That is not part of your problem. You're arm extension is fine. Most people think they have to really straighten out the arm to get to the reverse punches, but the actual distance of extension from the "front fist contact point on the bag" is only a couple of inches. It just feels longer since your fist went from your chin to the front contact area first, which is much further than the distance to go behind.

Here is why its a very short extension: IF you have the bag adjusted where the belly is at your chin/mouth area, and IF you hit straight into the belly at the correct part of the rebound, ( bag just coming off the back area of the board, at the mid point of the arc from center to board..), then your fist is already past the center point of the swivel. It is already at the area where the very back of a hanging bag would be. After contact, the bag is ON THE BOARD as you extend another inch or two. Now as the bag comes off the board, your fist is behind it, and if done correctly, your arm should not be near fully extended. Your fist doesn't duck under the bag as much as the bag raise up over the hand while on the board. Linking the fist(s) to the reverse hitting area is much more about technique and contact point then arm extension.

YOUR extension is fine. My only suggestion would be perhaps move a bit closer. You look a bit far from the bag, but it's hard to see on this angle and you are a tall guy with long arms. To me it looks as though your fists might be "fishing" for the bag on the Reverse Single Punch (RSP). By that I mean your fist contact isn't crisp or definitive. Your hesitating a bit on the reverse stroke and I hear a few late hits during the first video from 2:30 - 3:36 on your RSP's.

I would suggest a couple of things to nail down that RSP control. First, just do some repetitive RSP. Say five with each arm, then change arms. Get in your home position, extend your right arm (lean to the right a bit to give the bag some clearance from your face. It's not necessary to punch right back at your face (not recommended either... ) IN fact it may feel a bit like your hitting more to the side than directly behind but that doesn't matter. Side Single Punching and Reverse Single Punching are the exact same motion and the only difference is the bag area you are hitting.
OK, lean to the right, with the right arm extended to the reverse area and do five RSP in the Triplet Rhythm (three rebounds between punches), then change arms, - lean left with left arm out, do five RSP with left arm. Keep changing back and forth. After a while, go from five RSP to Three RSP-change. Then after a while you can go R ' ' ' L ' ' ' R ' ' ' L ' ' ' R..... (this is a bit harder because you'll need both arms extended and you can't really lean right of left but you may need to lean back a bit. Keep doing these and before long you will be able to control your fist contact on Reverse Punching.

Next suggestion: start your linking practice FROM the Reverse Punching area. Do 3-5 RSP, link to the front then go back. Make the Reverse area your home position. Once you can find the sweet spot behind the bag, this will be easy. You can already find the one in front so the back-front-back motion should be easy.

One last thing, a bit more advanced but I'll offer it because you have excellent control of the Front Punches. Every Fist combination you can do from the front you can also do from the back. For this discussion I'm saying that the Front Straight Punch (FSP) and Front Circle Punch (FCP) are simply just "A Front Single Punch". The ONLY diffence between them is the position at bag contact, so think of them here as just "ONE fist hitting the front of the bag".
You are doing very nice (1) Front Circle Punches (FCP) to continous Front Double Punches (FDP) ' ' ' (FDP), (2) doing nice Front Circle Punches to Front Fist Rolling (F-Roll) and (3) doing nice Front Double Punches to Front Fist Rolling. That is ALL THE FIST PUNCH COMBO's From the front of the bag. You can do all of these from the back using the three Reverse Punches. They all happen in the triplet rhythm.

Reverse Single Punches (FSP) to continous Reverse Double Punches (RDL) ' ' ' (RDP) if you can't do continous RDP, then just do one, and let the second fist continue single punching - just like you do from a FDP.

Reverse Single Punches (RSP) to Reverse Fist Roll (R-Roll) count three of five punches in the roll, then get out to RSP again.

Reverse Double Punching (RDP) to Reverse Fist Rolling (R-Roll). You normally will start the R-Roll with the second fist of the RDP and lead the next RDP with the last fist of the R-Roll. for instance.
(RDP) ' ' ' (R-Roll x5) = L-R ' ' ' R-L-R-L-R ' ' ' R-L

Well, sorry to go off a bit long on this, but I think your front punching is strong enough to do these. If it appears a bit daunting, just remember the simple phrase. Any fist combination from the front can also be done from the back. Basically the same arm postions, swing from mostly elbow, triplet rhythm, then pass through to repeat on other side. You can do it!! Don't over think it. You've got an ear for it, so let your ears be your guide. Throw up another video in a few days and lets see how your doing.

Thanks for all the advice, Alan!

For my next videos I'm going to try and pull my old digital camcorder out and get a better angle on it.

I'm going to try and work on my Reverse Punching just like you said. Makes perfect sense, that's the same way I've learned from the front, I guess I never thought to apply it the same way to the back yet!

[spinsmashpop]

YOUR extension is fine. My only suggestion would be perhaps move a bit closer. You look a bit far from the bag, but it's hard to see on this angle and you are a tall guy with long arms.

Yes, that is a good call Speedbag. it is something I think from time to time but have never discussed.
When I first started I noticed that baggers' heads were slightly tilted backward.
I figures I should roll with that a bit as it will give me a hint more of room to get behind and learn the backside of the bag.
And I still do this all the time, mostly from years learning drums and guitar. Do it slow! If you can groove something slow, then you can FEEL it. And to feel it is to control it. Then the speed comes.
BAG ON!

[RenoRattler]

Alan, you're the man!

Tonight was the first time I've had a chance to spend some time at the Bag, and I took your advice on the RSP's, alternating with the triplet rhythm. Also, I moved in a bit on the bag, and leaned back a bit with my head and shoulders. At the end of my practice I upped the speed a bit, and was able to combine the FSP and the RSP together really easily.

I still need to find my camcorder.....

[Speedbag]

Alan, you're the man!

Tonight was the first time I've had a chance to spend some time at the Bag, and I took your advice on the RSP's, alternating with the triplet rhythm. Also, I moved in a bit on the bag, and leaned back a bit with my head and shoulders. At the end of my practice I upped the speed a bit, and was able to combine the FSP and the RSP together really easily.

I still need to find my camcorder.....

Good to hear! With your control and timing I would anticipate you will move through this phase of training pretty quickly. When you get a little more comfortable from the reverse position you will open up lots of combination possibilities, and I will give you some practice combinations that will make the reverse position as comfortable as the front. by the way, skill with the reverse techniques begins to open up the sides of the bag, where the "awesome" stuff happens.