Every boxing gym has a wide selection of heavy bag’s they are probably the most used tool in the gym. There are not that many pieces of equipment that can develop your boxing skills like the heavy bag. They are great no matter what your skill set and can also be used to incorporate partner work.

Below I am going to list some of the most important factors to remember to use while working out on the heavy bag.

Remember to Wrap Your Hands

Heavy bags are obviously very heavy and if you are just starting out in boxing, they can damage your hands and wrists quite easy. When you start boxing your hands and wrists are not used to the impact caused by working out on the heavy bag. Your shots are also not landing one hundred percent cleanly, so it is always a good idea to use wraps until you get more used to them.

Use Bag Mitts

So many people now do not own a pair of bag mitts, and instead use their sparring gloves on the bag. The only problem with this, it will half the life of your sparring gloves, bag mitts are made from toughened leather and using them and saving your sparring gloves for sparring will increase your lifespan of gloves. When you see professionals using Winning (around £400 per pair) sparring gloves on the heavy bag they will probably be getting a new pair sent for free very regularly.

Do Not Let The Bag Swing All Over The Place

When you see some boxers using the heavy bag it is swinging all over the place, this means you are pushing the bag rather than punching the bag. When you punch the bag go through the shot but then pull your hand back to your guard straight away giving the punch snap and keeping the bag where it is.

Keep Your Guard Tight Before and After The Punch

When you keep your guard tight, no one can land a clean shot on you, it is especially important when your work the heavy bag that you always have a tight guard both before and after the shot! You do not want to give your opponent the opportunity to beat you to the punch or catch you with a nice counter, remember the rule: 100 miles an hour out and 200 miles an hour back.

Keep Your Chin Down

It is quite easy when you are doing any kind of boxing training to lift your chin up, a particularly good tip when you are working out is keeping your chin tucked in nice and tight. Your chin is so important to protect as getting caught with a punch here is the easiest way to get knocked out.

Raise Your Shoulders

Alongside keeping your chin down raising your shoulders is massively important. You do this so you have two shields protecting your chin. If your opponent slips one of your shots raising your shoulder will make it harder to be tagged with the counter.

Go For Technique

Do not just go hell for leather on the bag this way you completely lose out on your technique. A particularly good tip when working out on the bag spend thirty seconds going very slowly concentrating on technique and then spend thirty seconds going through the punch quicker with perfect technique. One of the best boxers I knew spent one hour every week just going slow on the bag! People do not do this as they worry about speed but remember speed always comes after the technique is correct. If it is the other way round all you do is get good at doing something wrong.

Line up Head / Chest and Body Shots

So many people do not use their own head height for head shots you have to replicate the size of yourself when using the bag. This also goes when practising to punch both the chest and body. The only time you would go higher or lower when hitting the bag if you knew you were getting ready for a certain type of opponent i.e., taller or shorter.

Do Not Get Into Bad Habits

Like we mentioned earlier it is extremely easy to get into bad habits working the bag, as maybe your trainer is holding the pads or watching sparring for someone else, a great trick is to record yourself on the bag and go through your workout, this might seem long, but it improves your boxing quick.

Do Not Mix Your Bag Work Up With Fitness Drills

Ignore this advice if you are just using the bag for fitness, if you are wanting to get good technically do not mix your bag routines up with fitness. For example, some boxing trainers get boxer’s to go 30 seconds of press-ups and then 30 seconds of bag work. This is great for fitness but not so great for technique you get tired and lose your form.

Plant Your Feet When Landing a Shot

Just like you would in the ring make sure your feet are on the ground when the punch is landed. When you punch and move at the same time it takes away power from the shot also it is extremely easy to lose balance.

Transfer Your Body Weight

When you throw any punch apart from the jab your weight should be transferring from one foot onto the other. When the punch lands the weight should be shifting from one foot to the other, this ensures you are getting all your body weight behind the punch. Your arm only generates twenty percent of the punch the other eighty comes from the transfer of weight.

Concentrate On Around Five or Six Combinations

I think it is quite important to have around five or six combinations to be working on at one time. If you consistently practice and master these combinations, then you can move onto some new ones. Do not be average at lots of combinations, get good at a few.

Here Are A Couple of Good Combinations

Jab, straight

Jab, straight, lead hook

Double Jab, straight

Lead hook, straight

Straight, lead hook

Overarm, lead hook body, lead hook head

Do Not Throw Too Many Punches i.e., Massively Long Combinations

Do not just continually hit the bag with out moving please make your combinations are realistic if you are practising eight punch combinations the chance of them landing on a moving opponent is very slim. Start at two punch combinations and do not go past four or five.

Work on Your Breathing

The heavy bag is a great tool to practise how to breath, every time you throw a punch ensure that you are breathing out if you are throwing a two-punch combination breath out twice and so forth.

Advanced Heavy Bag Training

Remember a Great Rule If You Are Not Moving Your Head You Should Be Moving Your Feet

Okay this is for people who have mastered footwork and head movement. A great rule to remember when you are on the bag is before and after the punch you must move your feet or head. This gives your opponent a moving target and makes it difficult for them to land on you. Another plus, it also gives you more opportunities to land your own shots, as moving creates more angles.

Take Your Bag Workout Onto The Pads Then Sparring

This is a routine all good trainers do: So, first with your trainer you practise a combination on the bag once you have mastered it on the bag you take the same combination onto the pads and next you try to hit a moving target, so you take your combinations to sparring this is a great way to become amazing at boxing.

Work On All The Three Ranges

So, when most people start their boxing journey, they start off boxing at long range once they have become more accomplished than they move onto close range and then finally middle range.

One great routine on the bag to practice would be:

1 Minute long range

1 Minute Middle Range

1 Minute Close Range

Stepping In and Out

Once you have mastered stepping in and out, a great routine is practicing this on the bag. You start of by getting your range by holding your jab arm straight to the bag and then you take a small step back, this makes you just out of range then you take a small step in throw your punch or punches and then take a small step back.

A great way to practise this is:

1 Minute step in throw a jab and then step back

1 Minute step in throw a jab, straight step back

1 Minute step in throw a jab, straight, lead hook step back

Use the Bag for Specific Types of Opponents

Practise For a Tall Opponent:

Moving your head on the way forward and then staying in close to the bag throwing short punches with continuous head movement. Also mix straight punches up throw a feint to the head and then go to the body (as their body is long easier to hit the body, this will also drop the guard).

Practise For a Short Opponent

You will use lots of movement on the bag stepping in and out and moving left and right, making it exceedingly difficult for your shorter opponent to get anywhere near you.

Practise For An Aggressive Opponent Who Keeps Coming Forward

When the bag swings towards you throw a sharp jab once the jab keeps landing start turning the straight over. Also throw a rear uppercut, as the short opponent comes towards you, he must bob and weave once he goes down, he will be open for the uppercut.

How To Work The Heavy Bag Like A Pro