karate and heavy bag

tinner777

hi,

coming into the summer with the kids at home i'm going to struggle getting out to train.

Now i have a heavy punch bag at home which i previously used for 30 mins boxing workouts.

I've looked round on google but found nothing suitable as a karate workout.

This will be as well as my normal training in my club.

any ideas?

thanks for reading

PS. my lad and I both got our yellow belts at the weekend

cowzerp

Just punch and kick the bag-no choreography needed.

Practise the moves you learn in Karate.

irateghost

Practice lots of low kicks as these are a bit awkward (exept for training over a chair for the hips maybe) to do in the air. Personally I'd try out your mawashi chudan because a bag is an exellent test to see if your going to be bruising ribs or hurting your hip doing it (or touching your head off the floor when you go jodan). And you can't beat smashing your fists into it ! Especially where your opponents bread basket and kidneys are

Peetrik

+1 on what Cowzer said, just beat the snot out of it.

If you're craving structure you could get yourself a round timer (phone app?) and break you session up into legs/hands/knees/speed work/power etc, whatever you feel you want to work on.

Doug Cartel

I don't know what kind of karate you do, or how long you've been doing it, so apologies in advance if this sounds patronising.

If you're used to kicking the air, or light kick-paddles, and you've got a proper heavy bag now, be careful you don't smash your instep full force off the thing on your first kick.

Gumbi

Yeah, kicking with the instep is asking for trouble.

tinner777

thanks lads, for the replies, I've a few months done and i'm a yellow belt, i did baz rutten's work out for the bag which was 8 x 3 mins rampage, i was just wondering if i was missing something.

Lol, i wont be doing any side kicks i can barely do a snapping kick!!

gustavatwork

I would say that for yellow belt (please don't get me wrong) feeling the impact is already enough. So, just practice your distance, timing and impact. There is a difference between doing kata, kihon and kumite and messing with the impact (makiwara or bag). All those should be addressed properly if you want to progress in karatedo. None of them is less important but again for your level I would be more focused on the body mechanics and understanding of the art basics.

Nothing wrong with punching the bag. It is very recommended. It is just one of the multiple layers of the art. I do punch bag mostly for impact and sense of distance. I do not enjoy it as much as punching makiwara but it has to be studied and practiced. Same as falling and throwing, dodging and grabbing techniques for example.

Be careful with the bag. If you are not very experienced you should be doing it slowly with the correct fist. Injuries are quite common among newbees.

I hope I have not confused you.. ! :-) Good luck!

Zen65

tinner777 wrote: »

PS. my lad and I both got our yellow belts at the weekend

Congrats on your grading.

If you're using a bag to supplement your training, be sure to watch that you do not distort the technique just because you're hitting something. Keep shoulders down, elbows in, and your wrist straight at the point of impact.

Try also using your elbow strikes. In close combat, elbows are exceptionally powerful if used correctly.

Try to swing the bag away from you, then strike it as comes back, forcefully enough to stop it, without your body being pushed backwards.

For the front snap kick, be sure that you strike with the ball of your foot (behind your toes) rather than using the full sole. The bag should rise slightly when you kick it, not simply be pushed away. Try not to lean backwards as you kick.

Have fun,

Z

irateghost

A great way to work out on the bag is the bas rutten bagwork cd's. Great fullbody, thai and boxing routines. http://www.basrutten.com/dvd/bas-rutten-mma-workout-cds-and-dvd.html Although maybe you could find it somewhere else (alot;)) cheaper.

Damo W

Hi tinner777,

While you didn’t say what ‘style’ of Karate you practice, bag training should be an integral part of your workout anyways. It’s stood the text of time. [I remember reading that Yo****aka Funakoshi was a advocate of the ‘bag’, so its nothing new in Shotokan karate at least (just guessing here, as to what you practice), also see Nishiyama and Brown book as its listed there as an ‘hojo undo’ if memory serves me correct]

Possibly the first thing is to protect your hands. After that I would encourage you to attend a boxing/kickboxing/MT class or three, as this piece of equipment is used extensively there and you will get proper instruction on its use, assuming you don’t use one during your regular karate class.

I would on this occasion tend towards disagreeing with Zen65 about distorting technique, go to a boxing/kickboxing/MT class and replicate the way they hit the bag. There is plenty of opportunity to practice your ‘formal’ karate technique, shoulders down, hand on hip etc. possibly a makiwara is the tool for this percussive impact. [Sorry Zen65 if I have misread/interpreted your post, I not ruling out the bag for this, just there is so much more that can be done with it and assuming he’s already doing the other side]

Think a little outside the box when using the bag, you don’t have to hang it, you can throw it on to the floor, mount it, pound it, use it as part of a circuit, carrying it, etc. etc.

I can be a versatile piece of equipment but before you start, decide on what you want from it. Outcomes will always determine the means.