I haven’t posted anything related to my speed bag training in a while. In my last training-type post, I put out an SOS for help on practicing the R-ROLL. Thanks, Alan, for your help. I definitely improved my R-ROLL by practicing your exercises. Some days are better than others, but all are more consistent than they were before.
Lately, here’s what I’ve been working on. I’ve been reading here and there on the forum about how the speed bag should be thought of as a control bag and the importance of regulating the speed and force of your punches. “Slowly and smoothly at first, speed develops in time,” seems to be the motto of all those who speed bag so well. So I decided to incorporate hitting to a metronome into my workouts. I use an online metronome on my laptop (www.webmetronome.com). I start out at around 100 bpm for a 3-minute warm up. I set it to a 4-beat cycle throughout. By the way, I use Tim’s workout timer to define the lengths of my rounds and rest periods. It’s the best. I have both windows displayed on my screen side by side.
You might ask, “Why don’t you just hit to some music?” Here’s why the metronome seems to work well for me at this time:
• A metronome is a basic, no-frills time reference. No style, no feel, just even time.
• I can set a slower tempo for learning a new technique, another one for a technique that seems to be coming along, another tempo for an entire x-round workout, or I can set it so that each round gets slightly ramped up in tempo until the final round, which is hit at a cool-down tempo, etc. I’m sure there are many more uses.
• Although I can punch drum a Basic Rhythm pretty well in slow to moderate tempos, I sometimes get carried away by the music and try to do something rhythmically hip, but don’t have the bag skills to pull it off, so my “great idea” never gets realized.
• There are other times when I get something going on a song that I like, and the music ends just when I was warming up into it. A metronome ticks until you shut it off.
I’ve been experimenting by placing the strong hit the on different parts of the beat and then straightening it out, while having either the lead or second fist performing the stronger hit. Also, I’m practicing varying the speed and force of my hits so that I can come out with different rhythms using the same technique. In about a week, I should be recording my first video so I can share with the forum the skills and concepts that are new to me. As a novice speed bagger [p. 56 of Speed Bag Bible], I’m flying by the seat of my pants here. All in all, I think my control is getting better. To anyone who has used the metronome in their speed bag workouts, I’d be interested in hearing about your routines.
Sorry for the long post.
Hope to see you at Speed Bag 2010.
Lately, here’s what I’ve been working on. I’ve been reading here and there on the forum about how the speed bag should be thought of as a control bag and the importance of regulating the speed and force of your punches. “Slowly and smoothly at first, speed develops in time,” seems to be the motto of all those who speed bag so well. So I decided to incorporate hitting to a metronome into my workouts. I use an online metronome on my laptop (www.webmetronome.com). I start out at around 100 bpm for a 3-minute warm up. I set it to a 4-beat cycle throughout. By the way, I use Tim’s workout timer to define the lengths of my rounds and rest periods. It’s the best. I have both windows displayed on my screen side by side.
You might ask, “Why don’t you just hit to some music?” Here’s why the metronome seems to work well for me at this time:
• A metronome is a basic, no-frills time reference. No style, no feel, just even time.
• I can set a slower tempo for learning a new technique, another one for a technique that seems to be coming along, another tempo for an entire x-round workout, or I can set it so that each round gets slightly ramped up in tempo until the final round, which is hit at a cool-down tempo, etc. I’m sure there are many more uses.
• Although I can punch drum a Basic Rhythm pretty well in slow to moderate tempos, I sometimes get carried away by the music and try to do something rhythmically hip, but don’t have the bag skills to pull it off, so my “great idea” never gets realized.
• There are other times when I get something going on a song that I like, and the music ends just when I was warming up into it. A metronome ticks until you shut it off.
I’ve been experimenting by placing the strong hit the on different parts of the beat and then straightening it out, while having either the lead or second fist performing the stronger hit. Also, I’m practicing varying the speed and force of my hits so that I can come out with different rhythms using the same technique. In about a week, I should be recording my first video so I can share with the forum the skills and concepts that are new to me. As a novice speed bagger [p. 56 of Speed Bag Bible], I’m flying by the seat of my pants here. All in all, I think my control is getting better. To anyone who has used the metronome in their speed bag workouts, I’d be interested in hearing about your routines.
Sorry for the long post.
Hope to see you at Speed Bag 2010.
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