Unlike boxing, mixed martial arts training requires many kinds of bags. Which bag is best for your purposes depends on your training goals. Punching practice requires one kind of bag, ground fighting another. This is why any well-stocked mixed martial arts training school contains a variety of punching bags.
Striking Power
To train for striking power, you need a bag that provides a target and enough weight to resist your strikes. With a heavy enough bag, each strike will build muscle strength with the same kind of resistance you'd encounter doing calisthenics. Says trainer Dave Coffman, a hanging heavy bag in the 80- to 100-lb. range is your best choice for building striking power. Some kickboxers also work with a "banana bag," which is a long, heavy bag that reaches the floor. The floor contact makes it curve slightly, giving it the shape from which it takes its name.
Combinations
Working combinations is vital to success in a mixed martial arts bout. Combinations train your body to fire multiple strikes without pausing to consider each one, saving valuable fractions of a second. Although combinations should first be practiced in the air to ingrain them in muscle memory, working them on a bag is equally important. A smaller hanging heavy bag -- between 25 and 40 lbs. -- is a good candidate, as is a "barrel bag" built to accommodate uppercuts. Building speed through the use of a speed bag is valuable, too. However, the structure of a speed bag doesn't accommodate most mixed martial arts combinations.
Accuracy
It doesn't matter how hard or often you hit if you can't hit the right places. To improve accuracy, many mixed martial artists favor the "jitter bag." A jitter bag is a rubber or leather ball about the size of a soccer ball, attached to the floor and ceiling on bunjee cords. When struck, it jitters unpredictably and at considerable speed. Tracking and hitting a jitter bag trains a fighter in the hand-eye coordination necessary to hit a trained and moving target.
Ground And Pound
The "ground and pound" strategy is a favorite of many mixed martial artists, especially those with little jujitsu training. This technique means sitting on top of a prone opponent and raining down strikes as fast and hard as possible. Free-standing heavy bags are the best bag for this kind of training. When practicing, a fighter knocks it down with a punch or kick, then mounts and continues attacking until called off. When using a free-standing heavy bag for this kind of training, fill the counterweight with sand or gravel. If you fill it with water, it will leak whenever it's horizontal.
References
- Dave Coffman; martial arts Iinstructor; Hillsboro, Oregon
- Bill Packer; boxing and kickboxing coach (deceased); Bad Company; Albuquerque, New Mexico
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