couple of questions

[Jordan]

Hey guys,

I was just wondering a few things,

-first off to speedbag, I actually have noticed the seams wear off already on my bag, it is kinda cool, its weird though, it appears that only 3 of the seams are wearing down. I guess I must just be hitting it by chance in the same places.

-second, I was wondering how you guys normally position yourselves as far as near or far to the bag.....when I'm punching normally the 123 rythym, it feels fine, but if i want to try and punch from behind the bag, it feels like its too far away. So I guess the question is, do you get up close and kind of lean back or something...or does the bag, just come really close to your face?

-and lastly I was searching through videos on youtube and found this one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xP7qWhkUwHc&NR=1

its a video of speedbags history speedbaggin, and I was just wondering how long before 1979 had you been bagging before you got to that point.

--thanks -- Jordan

[Speedbag]

Hey guys,

I was just wondering a few things,

-first off to speedbag, I actually have noticed the seams wear off already on my bag, it is kinda cool, its weird though, it appears that only 3 of the seams are wearing down. I guess I must just be hitting it by chance in the same places.

-second, I was wondering how you guys normally position yourselves as far as near or far to the bag.....when I'm punching normally the 123 rythym, it feels fine, but if i want to try and punch from behind the bag, it feels like its too far away. So I guess the question is, do you get up close and kind of lean back or something...or does the bag, just come really close to your face?

-and lastly I was searching through videos on youtube and found this one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xP7qWhkUwHc&NR=1

its a video of speedbags history speedbaggin, and I was just wondering how long before 1979 had you been bagging before you got to that point.

--thanks -- Jordan

I started using the speed bag at Memphis State University in the fall of 1972. I hit it a lot until 1976, and then didn't see one until early 1979. I learned a great deal between 1972-1975 and spent MANY hours in the University weight room where the bag was located. By 1975 I was doing all of what you see from that video in 1979. Actually, the video in 1979 was either the second or third time I had seen one in three years. That's a unique thing about the speed bag. You can be away from it for years and it all comes back pretty quick.

[Speedbag]

....second, I was wondering how you guys normally position yourselves as far as near or far to the bag.....when I'm punching normally the 123 rythym, it feels fine, but if i want to try and punch from behind the bag, it feels like its too far away. So I guess the question is, do you get up close and kind of lean back or something...or does the bag, just come really close to your face?[/B]

--thanks -- Jordan

Position on the Reverse punching techniques can vary, but you don't have to move in too close to the bag. There is a slight optical illusion to the Reverse punches, because it appears that the bag, (most particularly the belly of the bag) as in the center of the board, and that your hand(s) have to get back beyond that point. But that is not true for in actuality you will make contact with bag right after it hits the front of the board, about and inch or two before it is back straight under the swivel. I mean the bag contact point is much closer to your face than it appears, and for most of the rebound movement you hand is a bit below the bag and out of the way, SOOOo, you're fist does not have to go as far beyond the bag as you might think, so you don't have to be that close to the bag. In fact, for most single fist linking (Front Circle Punch to Reverse Single Punch, or FCP ' ' RSP, I will lean a bit out to the side of the same arm punching (right fist passing though, I lean a bit right) and put my face a bit to that side of the bag. I rarely punch directly at my face when doing single fist Reverse Punching.

It is a bit different for Reverse Double Punching (RDP), for you really can't lean to the side on that technique. But here again your fists do not have to go as far beyond the center of the bag area, because they each make contact high in the front rebound area, and then drop a bit down so the bag rebounds over them slightly. You really don't have to move them back out of the way.

Reverse Fist Rolling (R-Roll) is probably the hardest technique but again you make bag-fist contact high in the front rebound area and do not have to have them extended way behind the bag. If you can hold a R-Roll for 5 or more punches you can usually see the fists contacting the bags rear area.

I do lean back a bit for extended Reverse Double Punching, particulary with a longer bag. Whenever I clip the tip of my nose with the bag it is usually during a Reverse Double Punching movement, and I have bashed it pretty good over the years. I normally don't lean back on double fist linking, Front Double Punch to Reverse Double Punch, or FDP ' ' RDP, because both hands pass to the front of the bag, which protects the face. After the first fist connects in the RDP, it passes to the front and protects the face from the second fist connection. If you are too close to the bag, the second fist will hit behind the bag and the bag will rebound into the first fist which is in the front area. If your distance is right, and if you move the fists correctly (RDP ' ' FDP), that lead fist of the RDP will be right in front of your mouth after contact and the bag will rebound cleanly without hitting it.

Hope that helps.

[Jordan]

absolutely, that actually helps a lot, thanks bud.