First Video

[pomaikai]

Here is my first video. It is the basic triplet with a little bit of double fist at the end. I will post more shortly with some linking. The bag is the standard vinyl 11x8 that came with the platform and I am using the plastic Everlast swivel with the eye hook super glued into the ball. It is not the best quality video. It is taken from my digital camera and then converted from mov into avi using free software and then cropped using Windows Movie Maker.

http://www.putfile.com/pomaikai/media

[Speedbag]

Speed Bag video

HI pomaikai

Your video was fine. Good job making it with the gear you have.

Your punching rhythm and speed is good. Perhaps in trying to go fast you are using a little more rocking than necessary, but still OK.

I would make a few suggestions: Your fists seem to be connecting the bag in a slightly "downward" angle. They appear to "slip" on the bag occassionally. (Left hand on 3rd front punch sequence and later in FDP. the right also does this a few times..). You might try punching more "into" the bag than "down" on it. [ actually, this may be because the bag might be a bit higher than needed. Hard to tell from this particular "upward" camera angle. But your arm motions tell me the bag belly is higher up than I'd like. This can easily cause a "downward" punching angle of the fists...]

I might also suggest a little less shoulder action in your Front Double Punching (FDP). Try to initiate this movement from the elbows. You look to be making mostly shoulder motions, and this takes your hands down below the bag at the end point. It will be difficult to link through to behind with that swing angle or bag height.

Keep up the good work!

[pomaikai]

Thanks for the advice. I will try and raise the camera next time. I re-watched the bag height section on your video and the bag was a little high. I lowered the bag about .5"-1" and it feels much better. The contact with the bag feels more solid. Slipping is one of my biggest problems with keeping the bag going especially on linking through to the back. I had thought it was my arms dropping. I will focus on less shoulder movement and move more from the elbow on the FDP and add some linking through to the back on the next video.

[Speedbag]

pomaikai video

Pomaikai

Bag height is often a personal choice, and my thoughts on it are only relevant to punching the way I do, which is non-stop from all sides.

by personal experimentation AND teaching others, I have universally found that if the bag is too high, even a couple of inches (belly at your forehead), it makes doing everything more difficult. Reaching up to a high bag creates shoulder swinging, rather than elbow, punching in nd "up - down" rather than a straighter "into the bag" motion, and usually makes your fist contact the lower portion of the bag (below the belly). This makes your fist "slip" on the bag, made worse with a downward swing. And lastly, for beginners, who tend to make contact "late" in the rebound, they will hit the bag as the fist is traveling upward, detected by the sound of the swivel jamming into the housing.

It is also very difficult to effectively perform elbow strikes with a high bag. Notice your mouth is just above the level of your shoulder. Having the bag belly here makes a very easy and straight shot into it with the elbows from any direction. This becomes much harder and more awkward as you raise the bag higher. Raising the bag also increases the difficulty of allowing your fist to simply follow the elbow and have the bag rebound into it automatically. On a higher bag, you have to purposely raise your fist up to do this. Its just awkward and makes it very hard to learn. Perhaps that is why boxers don't use elbow strikes on the speed bag.

Some boxing coaches may disagree, thinking the higher set speed bag "builds the shoulders, and makes the boxer learn to keep his hands up".

Perhaps that's fine for boxers, and I don't argue with them. I personally believe the shoulders get a much better workout If you can punch repetitively and longer from all around the bag, not just the front, and this is much easier with the belly of the bag at the mouth or chin. I also believe punching up on a bag that is too high does not help the boxer train correct punching technique.

I have seen many a speed bagger struggle on a high bag, and once they get it set correctly, their skills and ability take off.

[pomaikai]

Here is a video i just took with a raised camera and less shoulder movement. I added some slow motion to the end of the video. After a good workout it feels much better with the bag at this height. The video is misleading in regards to bag height. The current height is with the belly of the bag at mouth level previously it was a little below the eyes. I currently have no desire to box. My reason for hitting the speed bag is exercise and improve hand speed and accuracy. Hopefully to be able to hit all round the bag.

Now that you said that about the downward angle. Watching in slow motion I notice that I am dropping my elbow during the FSP causing my arm to be at a downward angle which my fist follows. I also noticed that not raising my elbow up after the FSP is causing my hand to slip by hitting under the belly on the following hit. Now I just have to practice keeping my elbows up during the FSP.

http://media.putfile.com/Speedbag_5-30-2006

Thanks again for the advice.

[Speedbag]

2nd speed bag video

Looks very good. Smooth movement and good back contact.

[ryzies]

i'm in no such postition as alan to critique but i would offer the advice of maybe trying it without the gloves...i used the same gloves today for the first time on a speedbag and wow the feel just dissappears...it's so much easier to feel the bag when there's no bulky glove there...try it and see if you like it...i know some people use gloves but just a suggestion...it seemed to me that the bag got "hung up" on the gloves and it would stop the bag dead, just like in your video...