The Club One Fitness website notes that using a speed bag is beneficial not only to boxers but to anyone looking to improve hand-eye coordination, reaction time, arm strength and rhythm. Although the lightning-fast pace used by professional boxers on the speed bag can be as intimidating as it is mesmerizing, people of any skill level can use the speed bag by adjusting the number of times the bag is allowed to bounce between punches.
Step 1
Position the bag so the fattest part of the bag, called the belly, is at the level of your mouth.
Step 2
Stand close enough to the bag that you can hit it squarely on the side with a punch, but not so close that you are in danger of being hit by the bag when it rebounds forward. Keep your shoulders square and your back straight.
Step 3
Lift both your arms up into a punching position. Clench your hands into comfortable fists that are also firm.
Step 4
Punch straight forward with your right hand so the belly of the bag's front side meets directly on the center of your fist. Do not hit the bag overly hard at first or it will move too fast for you to build a sustainable rhythm.
Step 5
Allow the bag to bounce three, five or seven times as it suits your speed skill level. The Speed Bag Central website, a resource dedicated entirely to the speed bag, advises starting slowly and focusing on having good rhythm and technique rather than a great deal of speed.
Step 6
Hit the bag with a right cross punch after it has made its final odd-number bounce and is swinging back into stationary position. Hit the bag in the belly on its right side with the first two knuckles of your right hand. Ensure that you strike the bag with the same amount of force that you used with the straight right. This will keep the rhythm of the bag even.
Step 7
Strike the bag with a straight left hand after it has made its final odd-number bounce and is swinging back into stationary position. Follow the straight left hand with a left hook.
Step 8
Continue the pattern of straight right, right cross, straight left and left hook in a regular rhythm.
Step 9
Increase the speed of your work out by reducing the number of times the bag is allowed to bounce off of the platform. The bag must always bounce an odd number of times for this type of workout.
Tips and Warnings
- It is a common mistake for people unfamiliar with the speed bag to have it positioned too high. This causes you to punch upward and limits the full range of motion you can have while hitting the bag. Hit the bag with lighter punches than you would normally hit a heavy bag. Use a small range of motion to build speed and punching economy.
