Whether you are a seasoned MMA enthusiast or a noob who is looking to get fit through Boxing/Muay Thai, these 5 key tips are MUST know to advance in your game. Though all Martial artists know them by heart, a reminder every now & then will only help.

Alright, here we go…

No power.

“Slow & steady wins the race”

Punching bag training is about studying stance, range & technique. So, before you start trying to cut a punching bag into half with kicks, see this as your study room.

Notice how you place your feet, dig your paws. How you move or pivot, where exactly you lose balance or go completely out of range or may be close in too much & open up for a knockout.

Adjust accordingly to find the placement where you are firmly grounded, whether you throw simple straight punches or hooks.

Once you have found that sweet spot…drill, drill, drill till it has become your muscle memory. True mastery in punching comes after you have learned to hit your target with- precision and physics of your whole body invested into it.

Focal point.

Your ideal opponent is your height. So, for now, make sure that the point that you are hitting is where your chin would be if you were standing there.

Aim to hit that one focal point every time you throw a jab or cross or uppercut.

Aim too low or too high & you miss the glory of “sweet science Boxing” 😉

Stance.

This is where all your power lies. Some say – “you gotta punch from the hip”. That however is only partially correct. Why? Because you can put all your hip into it but if your feet/paws are not firmly grounded, it will have no momentum or push.

Right stance is where you have your paws firmly dug in, your hip is free enough (not too tight) to pivot, your hands ready to move out in somewhat of a straight line.

Range.

Regular bagwork will give you perfect understanding on your range (given that you got the points given so far).

Majority of people, when using a punching bag, do not realize how close to the bag they are. Or they move into the bag as they punch.

Learning the art of manipulating your & your opponent’s range will keep you from getting knocked out for the most part.

Explosive punching instead of Pushing through.

In other words, if you punched in slow motion, it would be a “push” & not a “punch”.

Meaning the quicker the punch, the more damaging the power delivery.

So, when landing sharp punches like a whip, it shouldn’t really sway the bag like a pendulum, but it would deliver an impulse that damages like a WHIP rather than looking like a push.

When you see the bag swaying all the way, know that punch/kick was slow & can be faster.

This concludes the 5 KEY TIPS TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR BAG WORK.

Besides, these some other tips that are very helpful to keep in mind are:

– Move around. So, move in, throw your combo & move out; Move around & then repeat.

– Keep throwing punches. Get into the habit of showering your opponent with punches. Thinking too much is a game stopper.

– Maintain breathing patterns

– & Keep your hands up.

Hope this helps you improve your game & get a better grasp of the concepts. Leave us a comment or feedback on what you think are some good tips that I may have left or forgotten.