speed bag swivel won't stay perpendicular

[explosivmode]

hello, new to the forums.

sorry im not sure if this belongs to the swivel section since i wasnt sure if the problem is me hitting the speedbag wrong or the swivel itself.

theres a speedbag in my school gym so i decided to make use of it since ive always admired how boxers hit the thing. i believe the bag is 10x7 with this type of swivel.

im fairly new to hitting the speed bag and the only lessons i got were from youtube. as i hit the bag, most of the time, the swivel automatically turns parallel. from watching videos, it seems as if the speedbag should always be perpendicular to max its speed of the bag bouncing back and forth in a fast and and fluid motion. but i just cant get it the swivel to stay perpendicular. am i hitting it wrong or is theres something else thats driving the swivel to move?

[Speedbag]

Hello Explosivemode,

It is very common to have the swivel turn and twist as you hit. Your exact contact point on the bag will put a force on the bag and swivel. Your fists normally hit all round the belly and the bag/swivel will often twist a bit in reaction to the contact area. With time and practice your contact point on the bag will become more consistent and reduce some of the swivel rotation or twisting, but you will never eliminate it all, especially if you begin hitting from all around the bag. After a while you will learn to notice the swivel twist and know how it will effect the bag reaction. Then you will adapt to it.

Yes, this happens with all swivel styles. At least the ones that I've used.

Good luck and welcome to the forum!

[explosivmode]

thanks for the quick reply. as a beginner, should i focus on hitting the contact points to reduce the swivel motion or should i work on hitting the bag more to work on my hand/eye coordination?

[Speedbag]

thanks for the quick reply. as a beginner, should i focus on hitting the contact points to reduce the swivel motion or should i work on hitting the bag more to work on my hand/eye coordination?

I can't tell you how to separate one from the other. These are not mutually exclusive and I don't know of any "workout system" to focus on "reducing swivel motion" over "eye hand coordination". You cannot really control the "swivel motion" independently. There are too many kinds of swivels and each has their own idiosyncrasies. You are using a wide U-Bolt style which has a different feel and movement to the bag than a ball hook, and both are different from a chainlink.

I would focus on your physical skills and movement control, for that is what you CAN control. Get that under control and your swivel will take care of itself.

[spd20]

thanks for the quick reply. as a beginner, should i focus on hitting the contact points to reduce the swivel motion or should i work on hitting the bag more to work on my hand/eye coordination?

As a fellow newbie to hitting the speedbag, I'd suggest doing what is most comfortable and enjoyable for yourself.

As hard as it is to be patient at first, it really does pay off.

IMHO, I think both of the things that you mention go hand in hand if you start out your sessions by trying to strike the bag accurately with little to medium force. Instead of pounding the bag, try to make the most of each strike. As they say in baseball, instead of swinging for the fences, go up and have a solid at bat. Or make the most of each rep when you work out.

Also be patient with your progress. Sometimes you'll feel like you are getting nowhere or that you'll have a bad session. However, many of those times your muscle memory is at work....and the next day or your next session, you'll be surprised on how much easier something is or how much longer you are lasting at a certain technique or trick.

There are also times when you may get very irritable and hitting the bag unusually poorly. Sometimes this will happen when you are tired or have gone at the bag for quite some time (it's easy to lose track of time and energy when starting out). Just take a step back for a minute or try something else. Then have at it again.

This is a great forum created by Tim. Lot's of great information, support and videos here. Many people post videos of themselves hitting the bag which in turns helps one another and newbies such as ourselves. Great forms of inspiration.

Good luck and most importantly have fun.