How To Use Heavy Bag

Any aspiring fighter needs to know how to use a heavy bag. A heavy bag is a bag usually filled with sand or cloth, and is used in any serious training regimen. They usually hang from the ceiling, but are sometimes found as freestanding units. Even those who simply do some sort of martial art for fun or fitness should learn how to properly use a heavy bag to give their workout that extra punch. When used effectively, a heavy bag can really make you work up a sweat, and help simulate a fight against a real person without any worry that they're going to fight back just yet. It also helps to condition your body to get used to the wear and tear of using your own body to hit something.

1. Start with some easy punching. Get your heart rate up with some punching drills. You can use the heavy bag to simulate punching to the head or to the body. Make sure to make a proper fist with thumbs on the outside and a straight wrist. Work on punching combinations, keep good form, and work on dodging or weaving as you throw punches, too.
2. Move on to kicks. Using a heavy bag is a great way to work on kicking. Practice the way you learn in your martial arts class. If you don't take a class, you can kick with your foot like in karate, or with your shin as people do in Muay Thai. Practice kicking to the legs, body, and head, but do not strain too much or hurt yourself—especially if you haven't learned how to properly kick someone.
   
3. Work on kneeing. For MMA Fighters, a heavy bag is the best way to work on stand-up grappling and knees without a partner. Wrap your arms around the punching bag to form a clinch, and knee the bag. Focus on straight knees or, if you want, you can work on knees to the side of the heavy bag, to simulate a knee to the floating rib of a person.
   
4. Throw elbows. Another close contact technique for MMA fighters. Get up close to the heavy bag and elbow it squarely. Don't try to scrape your elbow over the bag or graze the side: hit it hard using proper elbowing technique. Horizontal elbows are the easiest to practice on a heavy bag, but you can also work on a variety of diagonal elbows as well.

The most important thing when using a heavy bag is staying safe and using proper technique. Warm up and stretch before working with a heavy bag and maintain good form. Good form not only keeps you safe, it's good practice for maintaining your good form when you fight a real person. Poor form in a real fight can get you hurt, or cause you to lose in a competition.

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Heavy Bag Training