Linking the moves together

[bbally]

So following the Speed Bag Bible and reading the original book by Dr. Charles Roy Schroeder.

I find myself at a point where I can do the strikes with efficiency and/or speed at will. But the linking the moves together always seems to have me stepping on the end of my crank?

So is the linking just link the moves in the book where you just keep practicing until the muscle memory comes together? Or did I screw up by practicing all the strikes before starting the linking?

Don't get me wrong I like the workout even though I cannot link, I can run 162 BPM for almost an hour with no trouble. But every time I start trying to smoothly link them together I step right on the end of it!

If this was dancing as a white guy I would know how to fix it, just add some bourbon, but that is impractical at the gym at 4:30 AM.

So do I need to slow all the strikes back down and just keep practicing the linking only and allow the speed to build?

[fedora]

So following the Speed Bag Bible and reading the original book by Dr. Charles Roy Schroeder.

I find myself at a point where I can do the strikes with efficiency and/or speed at will. But the linking the moves together always seems to have me stepping on the end of my crank?

So is the linking just link the moves in the book where you just keep practicing until the muscle memory comes together? Or did I screw up by practicing all the strikes before starting the linking?

Don't get me wrong I like the workout even though I cannot link, I can run 162 BPM for almost an hour with no trouble. But every time I start trying to smoothly link them together I step right on the end of it!

If this was dancing as a white guy I would know how to fix it, just add some bourbon, but that is impractical at the gym at 4:30 AM.

So do I need to slow all the strikes back down and just keep practicing the linking only and allow the speed to build?

First I would recommend getting a jock strap that fits a little better.

But on the other issue, just getting back into this myself, I have found you have to progress step by step. Trying to put too much together too soon only frustrated me. Take 2 movements you do well and just put them together in a combination, slowly not too fast. One combination will build on another. You have to have the outward elbow down first then progress to a double outward then to a triple. If you try to do a triple before you can even do the outward elbow on its own you will never really get it. I'm sure others here with years of experience will elaborate more. But that's what has helped me the most.

fedora

[Dutchman]

First I would recommend getting a jock strap that fits a little better.

fedora

Rimshot

[Speedbag]

I find myself at a point where I can do the strikes with efficiency and/or speed at will. But the linking the moves together always seems to have me stepping on the end of my crank?

First I would recommend getting a jock strap that fits a little better.

Dutchman Rimshot :eek

..It's deep, too.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

So following the Speed Bag Bible and reading the original book by Dr. Charles Roy Schroeder.

So is the linking just link the moves in the book where you just keep practicing until the muscle memory comes together? Or did I screw up by practicing all the strikes before starting the linking?

that depends on which "book" you are referring to:

If you are using the Boxing Skills Book by Dr. Schroeder, you would learn how to do one set of moves shown, then move on to the next set of moves, following the pictures. You will probably find yourself punching his rhythms in the order they are presented. He assumes you will figure out how to mix and match those moves in different orders, going from any one to another in any order - but you have to figure it out, which hand goes to another side, how many rebounds...etc. You figure it out, and with time and practice you will probably figure it out, basically, and your crank will probably be flat by the end.

If you are referring to The Speed Bag Bible (my book) then you would follow the exercises written. I think I was a little more specific about techniques, using different sides of the bag, rules of rhythm (how many rebounds required from same side or different sides) and the specifics of linking...ie, a single fist or if using a technique using both hands, you have 3 linking options (1) lead fist, (2) second fist (3) both. the mechanics of linking are the same for all three, it's just practicing them.

But IMO you should practice the techniques and possible combinations in a logical order of progression (from simple to more complex) or you can get confused between what you know how to do and what you don't. There could be any one of a number of reasons why you are stepping on your crank in the middle of linking. I'll bypass the most obvious and say it could be positional, or a swing/fist movement fault or mixed punching power fault or trying to go to a move (technique or combination) you really can't control yet at that speed and need to slow down. To know how to fix that we would really have to see you punching to offer an informed decision on what's causing the issue.

In the SBB, I chose a technique order of presentation from simple techniques to the more difficult, in an order that allows each new technique to flow easily from the ones preceding it. Notice in Chapter 4, we started with the four basic punching techniques from the front of the bag, then the simplest elbow movement, the outward elbow strikes, single, double triple. I did that for a reason. All hit the front of the bag (easiest to control), use the triplet rhythm only and introduces the idea of using elbows. the practice exercises show how to mix and match those from the "basic rhythm" (which I do for every technique to come). The Front Double Punch (FDP) teaches how to use both fists together in a movement. the Outward Triple Elbow Strike (O-TES) teaches how to use the FDP with an elbow. Both of these have a lead fist, second fist, and both fists. I needed you to know that before I introduced the techniques in chapter 5.

In Chapter 5, I introduce the three reverse fist punching techniques, and how to do each repetitively and with the other reverse techniques (still triplet rhythm, same side of bag, (reverse area). Next I wanted to show how to use each with the techniques you already learned in the previous chapter, (from the front of the bag), BUT to do that it requires knowing how to "link those techniques together" by passing one fist or both fists through the bag to the other side, which introduces the double bounce rhythm.

The exercises on page 44-46 begin showing how to link the lead, second or both fists from a FDP to the reverse techniques, and the Review Exercises 5,6,7 on page 48 demonstrate how to link the lead, second or both fists of the O-TES to these three new reverse techniques. ( I explain on the bottom of page 47 )

By the time I introduce the use of an elbow in the OTES exercises, you have already learned the three linking options when using both fists on page 44-45. Now you are just adding the elbow in front. you can already do the hard part of controlling the fists afterward, since after the elbow hits....you have a FDP, which you already did previously. I did that on purpose.

By the end of chapter 5 you have TEN speed bag techniques from two sides of the bag, and the ability to mix any single one of them any of the other nine, creating way more than the 31 rhythms described in the Boxing Skills book. I just saw the bag differently than he did. He was OK with that by the way, since we did talk about it when we last met in 1995.

I follow that same philosophy throughout all the remaining technique chapters in the book. I really wanted a very logical and defendable method to the madness of trying to explain how 24 techniques from four different sides of a speed bag works. I tried to develop an order of presentation that would take what you already know how to do and advance it just a bit further. The problem (and beauty) of this is understanding that by the time you get to chapter 9 (side techniques, the most difficult) - that every new technique begins to offer many more combination possibilities. By that time, the practice combinations I wrote show only the most obvious and easily done combinations, Saving the most complex combinations for the advanced section.

The biggest problem I find is people trying to do "..what they saw some else doing" and not having either the skill or understanding of how the bag works to make what they saw possible. The fancy helicopter spins, phantom punches and over-and-unders are amazing to watch, fun to do (if you can ) but IMO a big time waster for beginners.

So do I need to slow all the strikes back down and just keep practicing the linking only and allow the speed to build?

Yes, this sounds like you are trying to go faster than you can easily control. Forget about speed. Focus on control... and from a linking standpoint spend a little time with the techniques and linking exercises on pages 36-50 in The SBB. when you can do those easily, everything else after it will be much easier and your crank will love you for it.

IMO only, of course.

[Zaza]

^^^ What he said!

[bbally]

Thanks. SBB will go with and I will do it in chapter order.

[Jake]

bbally,
If you have not seen Skunks video "adding combos", you should. This was probably the most helpful video I ever watched when I started Bible Style hitting. This video taught me how to link 4-way out and in strikes.
Jake

[bbally]

Thanks I assume it is on his youtube channel? Will take a look. I think it was his bumping video I used to get that technique down.

[bbally]

So the SBB goes to the gym. Linking is coming along now. Had to slow the moves way down to do the linking. Though as I start to see the timing I see it speed up automatically. Thanks for the guidance on the linking it was helpful as we're the you tube videos.

[Speedbag]

So the SBB goes to the gym. Linking is coming along now. Had to slow the moves way down to do the linking. Though as I start to see the timing I see it speed up automatically. Thanks for the guidance on the linking it was helpful as we're the you tube videos.

sounds like All is as it should be....