| Heavy Bag training for Mixed Martial Arts, Self | | | | ground, the body is badly aligned, they wind up their |
| Defence and Fitness.by S.Ward c/o | | | | strikes like a baseball pitcher .Don't exaggerate your |
| The Heavy Bag is most often used suspended from a | | | | movements and keep your techniques correct. Apart |
| ceiling but should also be used on the ground to | | | | from the risk of injuries, your practising of these bad |
| practice ground striking as well. It can be punched, | | | | techniques will result in incorrect 'muscle memory' and |
| kicked, kneed and elbowed. Used correctly it can | | | | so when you use your techniques against a real |
| improve the power of your striking and gives a great | | | | opponent, you will leave yourself open to counter |
| cardio workout as well, but if used improperly can | | | | attack. |
| cause injuries. | | | | Telegraphing of your techniques |
| The Self-Defence benefits of Heavy Bag training | | | | Telegraphing means you make obvious preparations |
| Striking the heavy bag can develop great fight related | | | | to throw a technique, cocking your fist back before |
| qualities but is nothing like a real combat situation. The | | | | throwing a punch is a good example. As the bag |
| strikes used against the heavy bag are what's known | | | | doesn't fight back people often forget the importance |
| as Gross Motor Skills meaning they are simple actions | | | | of being able to strike your opponent without signalling |
| using large muscle groups and when used under an | | | | your intention to do so. |
| Adrenal Dump status (the bodies Fight or Flight | | | | Failing to defend |
| response) will often result in a greater performance in | | | | Because the bag doesn't hit back people drop often |
| terms of strength and endurance. | | | | their guard when practicing. Keep your hands up at all |
| Training your striking skills can lead to an increased | | | | times and concentrate on not just the attacking part of |
| confidence in your ability to strike an opponent which | | | | a technique, that's the easy bit, concentrate of |
| can be beneficial to those whom may be reluctant to | | | | maintaining a good defence as well. Do this with every |
| fight back or suffer greatly under the bodies adrenal | | | | strike you throw and slowly but surely you will do this |
| responses. | | | | automatically over time. Keep moving in and out of |
| Good strike training, against the heavy bag, pads and | | | | range, visualise your opponent doing the same and |
| sparring with partner(s) builds competence and | | | | keep your head moving, don't just move straight back, |
| confidence and develops 'muscle memory' so when | | | | move side to side, up and down. |
| confronted by an assailant gives the ability for the | | | | Pushing instead of hitting the bag |
| body to strike as it does in training without the person | | | | A common mistake when hitting the bag is to follow |
| making a concious effort to strike with these | | | | through too deeply and push, rather than hit the bag. A |
| developed skills. | | | | punch or kick increases in speed from start of it's |
| AnAerobic Training | | | | movement through until it's fully extended. The further |
| Anaerobic training is training at such an intensity that | | | | an arm or leg for example moves, the faster and |
| the body is unable to keep up with it's oxygen | | | | more powerful it will be. Strike the bag at the point |
| requirements and so can only be carried out for a | | | | near full extension. Penetrate it no more than a few |
| short period of time. Carrying out this type of training | | | | inches beyond the surface and generate a "popping" |
| on the heavy bag both leads to an increased time in | | | | sound on impact. Never lock out the limbs else you will |
| being able to carry out a 'flurry' of strikes and also | | | | hyper extend the joint and cause problems in the joint |
| develops the important factor of a 'determination to | | | | and it's connective tissues. |
| win'. Driving yourself to carry on with every single | | | | Holding your breath |
| ounce of determination, mental stamina and 'grit' you | | | | People often hold their breath which is a bad habit. First |
| can muster. | | | | it reduces your endurance by starving your body of |
| Note: This type of training is intense and should not be | | | | the oxygen it needs. Secondly you increase thoracic |
| carried out unless you have a good foundation of | | | | pressure which can result in you injuring yourself. |
| conditioning and striking mechanics. Sprained wrists are | | | | Exhale as you strike. This prevents the holding of your |
| a common injury sustained in this type of training. | | | | breath and improves your techniques power by |
| Heavy Bag training for fitness | | | | tensing the muscles of your torso which are |
| A good heavy bag training program improves your | | | | responsible for a great deal of the power in your |
| cardiovascular system, improves muscle strength, | | | | strikes. |
| bone density, connective tissue strength and also burns | | | | Always warm up and cool down |
| calories and fat. By incorporating punching, elbowing, | | | | Warming up improves your performance and reduces |
| knees and kicks into your traing regime you use all the | | | | the risk of injuries and post-exercise muscle soreness. |
| major muscle groups within the body. Arms, shoulders, | | | | Before exercising intensely work up a light sweat and |
| abdominals, hip flexors and the leg muscles become | | | | engage in some basic limbering exercises to increase |
| both conditioned and also develop coordination. | | | | blood flow, your range of motion and to lubricate your |
| Stress Management Benefits of Heavy Bag Training | | | | joints. Jumping rope, 'running on the spot' and shadow |
| The evolution of mankind has created our brain and | | | | boxing for 10 or 15 minutes are good ways to begin |
| bodies to react in a pre-programmed response to | | | | your workout. (Note: don't do extensive stretching |
| danger and is most commonly termed 'Fight or Flight' | | | | during the warm up. It can compromise joint stability |
| and causes a host of responses in the body to allow | | | | and make you more susceptible to injury. Leave |
| us to either run at a higher speed (flight), or fight at a | | | | vigorous stretching until the end of your workout). |
| higher level of intensity (fight). When confronted with | | | | steadily cooling down at the end of your workout |
| danger this is a good thing, but is often mistaken as | | | | returns your system (breathing and heart rate etc) to |
| 'fear'. Today's modern lifestyles often cause the | | | | a resting state. Never finish an intense workout and |
| triggering of this pre-programmed response when it | | | | then just stop. The cool down is a time to work on |
| isn't needed or wanted, being stuck in a traffic jams, | | | | your flexibility with stretching exercises and should be |
| arguments at home can all be triggers for the | | | | thoroughly enjoyed as flexibility is important, especially |
| response. | | | | in MMA when the ranges and techniques involved |
| Also the response causes the body to release toxins | | | | range a great deal. |
| which if not used up, cause what is commonly known | | | | Some ideas for creating a training regime |
| as 'stress'. Physical exercise is required to flush this | | | | There are a variety of Martial Arts from which MMA |
| 'fight or flight' residue from our bodies before it | | | | fighters source their striking techniques. The most |
| compromises our health and immune system. Vigorous | | | | common one though is Muay Thai but MMA fighters |
| exercise, such as heavy bag training gives the exertion | | | | must adapt their footwork as they need to defend |
| needed to burn off this residue and return the mind | | | | from a takedown and wrestling techniques attempts |
| and body to a healthier state. | | | | made by their opponent. |
| Take this training, turn up the music and destroy your | | | | Repetition based training: Learn the basic strikes, kicks, |
| 'opponent'. Remove all this negative 'energy' from | | | | knees, elbows and punches and create combinations |
| within you and turn it into anger to destroy your | | | | you want to practice. Perform sets and reps of each. |
| imaginary opponent and allow Endorphins to give you | | | | For example, execute two sets of 20 lead punches, |
| that 'feel good' post workout sensation. | | | | three sets of 20 roundhouse kicks, etc. Rest long |
| Precautions to consider when Heavy Bag Training | | | | enough between sets to catch your breath and move |
| Like any form of exercise if taken to extremes, heavy | | | | on to the next. |
| bag training can be counter productive and involve | | | | Time-based Training: Another excellent way to train is |
| risks. It is designed to 'build you up', increase your | | | | to work for a time limit or set number of rounds. For |
| strength, your fitness and your health. | | | | example, execute either random strikes or |
| Just as impatient weight trainers damage their joints | | | | pre-determined combinations continuously for 2 to 3 |
| and strain their muscles, or runners who increase their | | | | minute rounds with 1-minute rest period in between. |
| mileage too quickly can suffer shin splints, bag training | | | | Circuit Training: Circuit training is good if you are already |
| is exactly the same. Make sure you execute your | | | | in good shape, consider alternating your bag work with |
| strikes with proper form to maximise your gains whilst | | | | other exercises to form a circuit. However, don't |
| reducing the risks, this will allow you to continue your | | | | alternate with weight lifting exercises because the |
| training for a much longer period of time. | | | | muscle fatigue will make you more susceptible to |
| The two types of athletic injuries most common with | | | | injury. For example alternate 3-5 minutes of jumping |
| physical training are 'chronic' and 'acute'. Chronic injuries | | | | rope with 3-5 minutes of bag work. Complete as |
| develop and last over an extended period. Training | | | | many cycles as you need to get a good workout. |
| improperly, too intensely, or too often causes them. | | | | AnAerobic Training: AnAerobic training should be |
| When your body is stressed through exercise, it must | | | | reserved for those who have established a high level |
| be given time to recover and rebuild itself in order to | | | | of fitness and proper striking mechanics. This training |
| become more efficient and be ready to be trained | | | | involves intense barrages of strikes for a time limit (15 |
| again. | | | | to 30 seconds+) or a rep goal (20 to 30 repetitions of |
| When your training too hard or not resting for sufficient | | | | a combination). This training is as mental as it is physical |
| time between your training sessions, you will develop | | | | as mentioned earlier. There are significant benefits to |
| overtraining injuries. It's imperative that you realize that | | | | this "stop/start" or interval-based training. You exert |
| the bodies muscles adapt much faster than the | | | | yourself for a brief, intense period, recover, and then |
| connective tissues and that striking puts a great deal | | | | exert yourself again. This training improves your ability |
| of stress on these connective tissues. Your advances | | | | to recover quickly, increases the efficiency of your |
| in speed and power will quickly exceed the capacities | | | | muscular and anaerobic energy systems and elevates |
| of your bones, tendons, ligaments and joints. This can | | | | your metabolism (burning body fat) for several hours |
| result in torn muscles, chronic joint pain and even result | | | | post workout. |
| in permanent injuries. | | | | Frequency and intensity |
| Acute injuries like a sprained wrist or a broken bone | | | | Heavy bag training, like other forms of exercises, |
| occur suddenly. The risk of these injuries should be | | | | stresses the body. Training too intensely can surpass |
| reduced with proper form and of course common | | | | the body's (joints, tendons, ligaments, muscles, nervous |
| sense. Technique comes before speed and power. | | | | system) ability to recover. I recommend that heavy |
| There isn't a need to smash the heavy bag as hard as | | | | bag training be limited to 2 or 3 times per week. The |
| you can every time you train. Concentrate on good | | | | more intensely you train, the more time off you should |
| body mechanics and allow the speed and power to | | | | take between workouts. It is a good idea to alternate |
| develop by itself. Begin slowly and allow your speed | | | | intense workouts with easier ones. |
| and power to gradually increase and as always allow | | | | I hope this short introduction into Heavy Bag training |
| your body to adapt and become able to handle these | | | | gives you an idea on how to use it both correctly and |
| stresses. | | | | safely.by S.Wardc/o The MMA Disclaimer : The author |
| Avoiding bad practice | | | | accepts no responsibility whatsoever for anything |
| Often when people train on the heavy bag their proper | | | | related to this article. Consult your doctor before |
| technique goes out the window. Feet come off the | | | | starting any type of exercise. |