Speed Bag Beginner Videos

[luke]

Lookin great for a couple of days! I can't really give you much more advice than speedbag gave. After all, most of us study "the speedbag bible" on a nightly basis, if you have some extra scratch kicking around; I suggest you get it from him (send a pm). It will speed your progress ten-fold.... But you said it yourself, speed isn't your primary focus at this point. IMO you've got the right idea, focus on form and technique , and speed will naturally follow with practice! As for your point regarding stress on the shoulders due to surgery recovery.... Your recovery may be fine, my shoulders are destroyed after every workout too . Keep up the good work man!

[Markus]

Hello Markus....Great job! Welcome to the wonderful world of Speed Bagging!
I remember back in 2008 right before I started bagging, seeing a clip of Speed Bag Skunk explaining the art of Fist Rolling. Basically, he said to make two fists and spin them around each other... haha.. sounds like a fist roll to me. But the main thing was to keep your fists as close together as you can.
So, that little helpful tidbit of advice, coupled with with Alan said about leaning forward a bit, are, IMHO, what I think will make your fist rolling experience a more enjoyable one and one that you will see quicker results with.
In your video, I can see that you got the roll going. So I am sure at this point you are well on your way... but watching your vid made me think back to how exciting it was to get these moves together!
BAG ON!

I missed this post earlier. Thanks for the words of encouragement and very nice vid. I am looking forward to being able to link moves together and get a rhythm going to music like you did in that video. I am definitely making progress, but time constraints are limiting my ability to practice. I'll be posting a video update of my progress shortly.

All the best,
Markus

[FightFan]

Clarity on those vids were nice man.

[spinsmashpop]

Hello Markus....Great job! Welcome to the wonderful world of Speed Bagging!
I remember back in 2008 right before I started bagging, seeing a clip of Speed Bag Skunk explaining the art of Fist Rolling. Basically, he said to make two fists and spin them around each other... haha.. sounds like a fist roll to me. But the main thing was to keep your fists as close together as you can.
So, that little helpful tidbit of advice, coupled with with Alan said about leaning forward a bit, are, IMHO, what I think will make your fist rolling experience a more enjoyable one and one that you will see quicker results with.
In your video, I can see that you got the roll going. So I am sure at this point you are well on your way... but watching your vid made me think back to how exciting it was to get these moves together!
BAG ON!

[Speedbag]

That explanation was very helpful. I practiced a little bit and was able to make decent contact on several strikes of the bag. I'll practice more today and post a video update of my progress tonight.

Great.

I corrected my earlier post, for my speed bag combo went horribly array. It is now corrected (at least in my browser)

[Markus]

The FDP can be done by itself, with various practice exercise I'll lay the out for you but they also in the SBB.

First , get the fist position set and let the lead fist hit the bag x3 to set rhythm and speed. then do the technique, swinging as one motion and moving fists togher, spaced art. The lead fit will hit, the bag will rebound into the second fist, and that second fist will return to hit the bag x3 and do it again but this time the lead will change to the other fist. This lets both fits become the lead and second fist .

next you want to work the FDP into the Basic Rhythm..
Here you find FCP ' FSP ' FDP ' FCP ' FCP ' FDP ' FCP '
L-K L-r L-R L-R
continuous front Doulble Punch (FDP) ' ' ' (FDP) ' ' ' (FDP) ' ' ' (FDP)

That explanation was very helpful. I practiced a little bit and was able to make decent contact on several strikes of the bag. I'll practice more today and post a video update of my progress tonight.

[Speedbag]

Alan,

That response was much more than I could have imagined. Thanks a lot for the detailed feedback and instruction. I am going to take some time over the next few days working on the elements you spoke about.

Speed bagging is one of those sports (or it seems to be so far) where you understand what needs to be done in your head, but getting your hands to follow through is an entirely different ball game. That being said, I have already had a few small victories where I was able to do the technique I was attempting and that is what brings you back for more.

So far the FDP has been the most difficult for me to do. For some reason I just can't make that motion work for me yet. Some of the others I have a basic understanding of how to do it, but the FDP is just a thorn in my side for now. The videos do help though and I appreciate the links to them. The slow motion really makes it easy to see what you "should" be doing.

I'll post some more vids as I work on the different basics punches and combinations.

Thanks again for the help!

Markus

The FDP can be done by itself, with various practice exercise I'll lay the out for you but they also in the SBB.

First , get the fist position set and let the lead fist hit the bag x3 to set rhythm and speed. then do the technique, swinging as one motion and moving fists togher, spaced art. The lead fit will hit, the bag will rebound into the second fist, and that second fist will return to hit the bag x3 and do it again but this time the lead will change to the other fist. This lets both fits become the lead and second fist .

next you want to work the FDP into the Basic Rhythm..
Here you find FCP ' FSP ' FDP ' FCP ' FCP ' FDP ' FCP '
............................................L-R.........R-L.........L-R.........R-L
continuous front Double Punch (FDP) ' ' ' (FDP) ' ' ' (FDP) ' ' ' (FDP)

[Markus]

Alan,

That response was much more than I could have imagined. Thanks a lot for the detailed feedback and instruction. I am going to take some time over the next few days working on the elements you spoke about.

Speed bagging is one of those sports (or it seems to be so far) where you understand what needs to be done in your head, but getting your hands to follow through is an entirely different ball game. That being said, I have already had a few small victories where I was able to do the technique I was attempting and that is what brings you back for more.

So far the FDP has been the most difficult for me to do. For some reason I just can't make that motion work for me yet. Some of the others I have a basic understanding of how to do it, but the FDP is just a thorn in my side for now. The videos do help though and I appreciate the links to them. The slow motion really makes it easy to see what you "should" be doing.

I'll post some more vids as I work on the different basics punches and combinations.

Thanks again for the help!

Markus

[Speedbag]

"You can start working on the four front fist punches [ Front Circle Punch, (FCP), Front Straight Punch (FSP) Front Double Punch (FDP) and Front Fist Rolling (F-Roll) ] and the Outward Elbow Strikes."

Here is my attempt at the above minus the Elbow Strikes. This is my last session of the night after about 2 hours of practice between yesterday and today. It's still shaky but I feel like I am gaining a bit more control of the bag.

Around the 2:45 mark I try to do some F-Rolling for the first time ever. That is a lot more difficult than it looks to say the least.

OK, Marchus. After watching this several times I would offer the following:

I notice you kind of rolling your hand (right especially) over hitting the back area of it on the bag. That's OK but I don't recommend it only because there is really no advantage to that hand position and almost every single technique and simple or advanced linking combination is performed with the palm facing the floor, not your face.

2:10 - 2:38 break down.
In this segment my eyes and ears tell me you are doing a couple of things that are very typical for a beginner. First, your fist sometimes reaches out a bit in the swing and catches the bag a bit early in the rebound, causing it to slip off the bag. This may not cause a noticeable chunking swivel sound, but it causes a weak rebound because the punch power was reduced. The bag slows a bit in a "weak rebound" and you must adapt to that change of speed, usually by hitting harder with the next fist.
Second, You are also hitting a bit "late" in a swing occasionally, hitting below the belly of the bag, driving bag a bit upward into the swivel causing the chunk or mis hit sound. When this happens, the bag is actually angled up toward the swivel a bit, and has no other way to react. This also changes the bag speed, (slows it down a bit)

During this segment, I notice your left arm motion, how it "half moons" up and down from shoulder, moving hand in more up/down motion than punching "into the bag". This caused the left hand to miss the bag at 2:26, I notice your hand was a bit too early, moving downward and slid off the front of the bag in a downward direction. Basically you missed the bag. This is a very common beginner issue, particularly after a long segment of basic rhythm punching, and every few swings your arm arc gets bigger and bigger.

Notice at 2:37 your hand slipped off the bottom of bag enough to kill it completely. We call this a true breakdown, for you have to stop the bag, reset and start over. We are all familiar with it, so don't worry!

Both of these problems can create the other over and over. The fix is to set your start position correctly, (all good rhythmic punching starts from the proper base), relax and focus on the correct motion of circling "into the belly of the bag" and back to the start position. The fix is to try to eliminate any extra upper arm motion (shoulder to elbow). Hold those up firmly and try to emphasize the circling motion from the elbow. Even those of us who have been punching awhile will get a bit lazy, drop this basic position and screw up. Giant swings from the shoulder and letting the hands rest at the waist are recipes for speed bag disaster. When you get a bit more experienced you can cheat this position and swing motion, but it is best for learning.

2:40: A few attempts at a Front Double Punch (FDP): Most people try to begin the Front Double Punch as two separate punches done very quickly, and that is what your are doing also. But it is much easier to do this as ONE motion that moves both fists in to the bag, with the secret being the spacing in between them. (Hope that video helps)
If you try to do the FDP as two punches the second will always be late because you won't start the second fist until the first hits, and then the bag will be way too far into the rebound before you start your second fist and hit the bag. You will hit the bag underneath (late in rebound) and most likely kill it.

Try this. learn the setup position for the Front Double Punch (FDP), both first close together in front of your face, with one a bit in front of the other. hit the bag with that lead fist two or three times to get it moving and establish the speed (lightly!) and then move both fists together into the bag. Do not rush the second fist for it will blast under the bag. the lead fist will hit, and the bag will automatically rebound into the second. You will not have to place it or aim it to the bag, but you must not rush this movement or you will miss the bag.

3:26 - 3:41 pretty good continuous fist roll, tempered with a few "weak" miss hits in roll but you kept it going.
Key to Front Fist Rolling (F-Roll) is to keep fists close together and close to your face. Reaching OUT to the bag is not a good way to do this. Roll them over each other close to your face and move in, or lean into the bag. This will close the distance the bag has to travel to the board and you will notice the bag angle away from you as your fists make contact. The bag should NOT be straight up and down when you contact it. This will lead to a late hit. Leaning in "capture the bag" in your V-pocket and helps make the roll faster. Don't worry about your face in this move, for your hands are UP protecting it. But if you drop your hands, the bag will remind you about that last statement. when you stop the fist roll, lean back a bit first.

Good video and keep practicing! This does take some time and some learn faster than others. It is not a race..... If you get a chance, please try to raise the camera up about a foot for your next video (too about shoulder height). It is hard to see the exact level of the bag when the camera is looking upwards, and it makes the bag look a bit too high for you. That may also be causing some swing problems but it is hard to tell with an upward camera angle.

[Biff]

Hey Markus, nice work. Remember, slow and steady wins the race. You received some sound advice already. Patience and practice. Before you know it, you be hitting from all sides of the bag, connecting on combinations you never thought you could do. Stick with it.

[Zaza]

That's great work Markus! You totally got this...as you can see practice is the key (and listening to all the great advice you can get from Nova, Speedbag, Tim and pretty much everyone on this forum).

If you're not already (which I think you are) it is an addiction. When you wake-up in the middle of the night thinking about combinations you know you have th bug!

Keep on baggin'

[Markus]

Thanks for the positive feedback Nova. I think I understand what you are saying as I feel there is this tendency to not hit the speed bag straight on. When I pick up the pace it feels more natural to do what you are saying. I just need to work on the consistency of my strikes a lot more.

I will keep at it! Thanks again for everyone's feedback and support. This forum is excellent!

[novaspeedbagger]

Making Progress!

Great Job Markus! As time goes on you will notice that your straight punches will travel diagonally setting the bag up for a circle punch that changes the direction of the bag. Then you will see that the bag is set up for a natural flowing straight punch with the opposite hand to be followed up with a circle punch (same hand).

It is what you are doing in the video except you won't feel the need to hit the bag straight on. This will evolve naturally as you progress! Keep at Markus!

[Markus]

Trying to do what Speedbag suggested...

"You can start working on the four front fist punches [ Front Circle Punch, (FCP), Front Straight Punch (FSP) Front Double Punch (FDP) and Front Fist Rolling (F-Roll) ] and the Outward Elbow Strikes."

Here is my attempt at the above minus the Elbow Strikes. This is my last session of the night after about 2 hours of practice between yesterday and today. It's still shaky but I feel like I am gaining a bit more control of the bag.

Around the 2:45 mark I try to do some F-Rolling for the first time ever. That is a lot more difficult than it looks to say the least.

[Markus]

Thanks for the feedback ebozyn.

Ralph, I'll check out the youtube comments and I appreciate the feedback and encouragement.

MsD., I am using my 720p HD webcam (they have the logitech on clearance at Staples for $29 for those who may want one) and I am still getting used to shooting with it. I'll give the auto-focus a break and see if I can get better footage. I have a Camcorder also but using the cam is much easier for now.