HEAVY BAGS
Go Straight to Low Priced Heavy Bags
Heavy bags are essential in MMA. When you enter into an MMA gym there
will be two things that are hard to miss. The first is the matted floor
for grappling and the other is the prominent presence of heavy bags
hanging from the ceiling.
While
most people understand the prime purpose of the matted area, some may
not be completely familiar with the purpose of the heavy bags. Why the Heavy Bag? Sure,
they understand that the bag is designed for hitting but they may not
have a complete understanding of the true and complete purpose for
hitting the heavy bag. Contrary to what some may be aware of, there are a
variety of purposes for hitting the heavy bag. Understanding
these purposes will aid in getting the most out of the bag and using it
to the most effective manner. For those interested in such information,
here is an overview of the process and how the traditional heavy bag
works:
Endurance At the core of the bag's purpose, is the
development of endurance. When you hit the heavy bag, it takes a lot of
cardio. This is due to the power and impact that is employed to hit the
bag. Those that develop the ability to ‘hammer away' on the bag
that penetrates deeply into the core of the bag and not just to its
surface will find their endurance increases dramatically. This will not
happen overnight as those new to heavy bag workouts will tire within a
relatively short period of time of performing such an exercise. But,
repeated use of the heavy bag in this manner will aid in developing
endurance to a great degree.
And, for MMA, endurance is an
absolute must. Often, you will need to put forth a more active
performance later in a match than earlier. Such is the case commonly
when down on points. This necessitates developing a high level of
endurance in order to achieve such a desired result.
Power Closely related to this type of training would be the development of power. Again,
power is derived from digging deep into the bag by punching through the
target. It is a huge mistake to punch the surface of the bag and
literally let your hand slide off. This does nothing for developing
endurance and power.
However, if you dig heavily into the bag you
will discover your ability to possess powerful strikes is possible.
And, of course, this does not apply exclusively to punching. Kicks,
knees, and elbow strikes would be performed in the exact same manner.
Hitting deep into the bag enhances power. That is why such an approach
is required.
Aerobic And there are
also cardio benefits to hitting the bag. High intensity workouts on the
bag that are not so much designed to develop power can be employed.
This
will aid in calorie burning which can certainly aid in helping someone
stay in or reach a particular weight class. And this can aid in
developing lean muscle mass as well. However, it is not a wise idea to
make this approach the prime approach to using the heavy bag when
seriously training for a MMA fig
Skills
There
are also scores of reaction drills that can be performed on heavy bags.
For those not familiar with reaction drills, they are designed to
develop the skill of immediately hitting an opening when such an opening
presents itself. How is this achieved? There are a variety of
ways reaction drills can be performed. One of the simplest would be for a
trainer to have those working the boxing bag hitting it lightly in a
freelance manner. Then, when the trainer blows a whistle, those
working the bag would perform a six second burst. This process could be
repeated throughout a three minute round.
Again, there are a host
of different types of reaction drills that can be employed and they
generally follow this approach. Those looking to achieve solid results
with developing reaction timing are advised to utilize these drills.
Best Brands
Generally,
when it comes to purchasing a heavy bag, stick with the major names in
the industry such as Everlast, Twins, etc. Companies that have been
producing boxing, kickboxing, and MMA equipment over the past several
years will certainly be a better choice than a ‘fly by night' sporting
goods company trying to capitalize on a fad. Again, stick with name
brands with good reputations. They will never steer you wrong.
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