If your martial arts training doesn’t include hitting a heavy bag, you’re making a mistake. Here’s why–
Bags don’t lie!
A heavy bag will test your timing, challenge your balance, and put pressure on your posture. If something isn’t right, you’ll know about it. It might even hurt!
To help get more out of the heavy bag, I shared three tips for hitting a heavy bag. If you haven’t seen that video, check it out. But for now, here’s a very common mistake you’ll see in gyms everywhere.
If the video doesn’t play, there’s a brief summary below. Punch it up!
How to Hit a Heavy Bag – Part 2
Some people hit the heavy bag really hard… but that doesn’t mean they’re hitting correctly! Here’s a mistake I see all the time…
Falling or leaning back at the moment of impact!
This problem is easiest to see when people kick the bag. Ever see someone hop backward after a kick? That’s not a good kick!
The same issue appears with punches, elbows, knees, or any strike. Unfortunately, when the degree of leaning or falling back is smaller, it often goes undetected. Don’t let that happen to you!
If you want to throw combinations with more power, control, and accuracy, remember this rule–
You should move the bag. The bag should not move YOU!
The whole point of striking is to dump as much energy into a bag or bad guy as possible. If your strike knocks you backward, then some of that energy is being returned to you. You’re basically hitting yourself!
When you strike, you shouldn’t rock back at all—not your head, shoulder, or body. Your weight should shift forward and stay there.
So, when you’re striking, focus on dumping all of your power into the bag. Don’t let anything bounce back into you.
Throw punches, not boomerangs!
The key moment to pay attention to is when your fist stops moving forward. If you insist on driving forward beyond that point, only two things can happen:
1) Your body will move past your fist, disrupting your structure and balance, leading to injury and/or moving into a bad position.
2) You will push yourself away from the bag as if you’re doing a standing push up.
Fighting is hard enough without you hurting yourself, throwing yourself off-balance, or giving up the ground you just claimed!
So, slow down and find your sweet spot. The sweet spot is that magic place where you’re in the ideal range, your structure is solid, and your timing is on.
You strike… the bag creases… and you hold your ground, ready for the next move.
But wait! You’re not done yet!
The truth is you need to find more than one sweet spot. Why? Because bags swing and bad guys move. You can’t expect to always be at your ideal range.
So, find your sweet spot for long range, middle range, and short range. The goal is to develop a feel for hitting hard and holding your ground with any strike at any range.
Now, go punch!
For more tips on how to punch a heavy bag, don’t forget to check out, How to Hit a Heavy Bag for Beginners.
