The act of punching your opponent hard is vital to becoming an effective boxer. The heavy bag is one of the best tools for learning to punch harder. The popularity of combat sports have led to the marketing and sales of many new pieces of boxing apparatus to increase punching power, but the heavy bag remains one of the top pieces of equipment when it comes to building a big punch.
Boxing Rounds
One of the classic ways to use the heavy bag is to hit it for the equivalent of three or four professional boxing rounds. A round in a pro fight lasts three minutes; two minutes in amateur boxing. Hitting the heavy bag for three or four three-minute rounds is a workout that will build punching power and endurance. Hit the bag as if it were an opponent. Circle to the left -- if you are right-handed -- and throw left jabs, left hooks, right crosses and right uppercuts. Take a one-minute break after each round.
Punch-Out
The punch-out drill will build explosive power by throwing rapid-fire punches at the heavy bag for a prescribed period. Stand in front of the heavy bag and alternate left- and right-hand power punches. Start by doing this for 15 seconds. Then work the bag for 30 seconds. Increase the interval to 45 seconds and then 60 seconds.
Specific Punch Drill
You can work on your form for delivering all your punches when working on the heavy bag. Throw five left jabs, follow with five right crosses, add five left hooks and then five right uppercuts. Do this again, then take a 30-second break and repeat the set. The goal of this drill is to throw these punches with as much power as possible while maintaining top form.
Combination Drill
To become an effective boxer, you must throw your punches in combinations. One-punch knockouts are the exception and not the rule. To hurt your opponent and gain control of a fight, practice throwing the following combinations when you work out on the heavy bag: left jab, left jab, right cross; left jab, left hook, right uppercut; left jab, right cross, left hook; left jab, right cross, right uppercut; and left jab, right cross, left jab. Perform each of these combinations twice, take a 30-second break and repeat the set.
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