Traditional karate students didn't use punching bags, instead employing makawara boards, striking partners or serfs, or breaking objects like boards, bricks and roofing tiles. When Eastern fighters began mixing with Western boxers, though, they quickly adopted the punching bag as a valuable training too. Modern karate students can use punching bag exercises to build a variety of physical attributes that will improve their martial arts proficiency.
Striking Practice
The most basic punching bag exercise for karate is to hit the bag to learn how a specific strike is thrown. When you hit a bag incorrectly, you'll feel it. It might feel weak, you might feel pain in a joint or you might lose your balance. When you throw the strike correctly, it feels integrated and powerful, and the bag will "dance." You can improve your strikes this way through trial and error, or by working the bag while supervised by a qualified instructor.
Ground and Pound
This drill is only possible with a free standing punch bag, one that rests on a counterbalance rather than hanging from the ceiling. It develops a karate student's ability to move from one strike to another on a target that's changing position and elevation. Pound with a push kick or wheel kick to the bag, hard enough to knock it down. From that position, approach the bag and attack it with punches or kicks appropriate for a prone opponent. You can chose to "mount" the bag by standing or kneeling astride it, or to attack from the outside by kneeling into range.
Strength Training
When you hit a punching bag, the weight of the bag resists the motion of your striking limb. This resistance forces your muscles to work harder, which can build the strength in those muscles. Strength-training on a bag means landing each strike with intensity and focus. Hitting faster and with less attention means your strikes will land with less force, which means less resistance, which means building less strength.
45-Degree Drill
This drill is easiest with a hanging bag, but you can do it with a free-standing bag if a hanging bag isn't available. Begin this drill by setting your bag at a 45-degree angle. Release it and use a series of strikes to keep it at that angle for as long as possible. This drill works your speed, timing and rhythm, as well as teaching you how to position your body to strike specific targets. Advanced practitioners will limit themselves to striking the bag with a limited selection of attacks, such as kicks or punches with a closed fist.
References
- "The Art of Expressing the Human Body"; Bruce Lee; 1998
- "Bushido Martial Arts Yellow Belt Book"; Jason Brick; 2005
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