A speed bag is an air-filled ball used to develop the skills of boxing and hand-to-hand combat. To use a speed bag, you need a rebound platform board, a swivel, a ball hook and the actual bag.
The speed bag has a loop at the top of it and is connected to a hook. The hook is attached to a swivel. The swivel allows the bag to move front to back, side to side and in a circle. The swivel is attached to a rebound platform. The rebound platform is a board that is parallel to the ground. It is also known as the drum because it provides a beat, or rhythm, as the bag bounces off of it.
The speed bag is a valuable tool for training fighters or anyone looking for an alternative way to get fit. It improves hand-eye coordination, increases hand speed, teaches a fighter to keep his hands high, helps a fighter learn how to hit a moving target, and improves muscular endurance in the shoulders.
What to Look for
Speed bags come in many different sizes to fit the user's level of advancement in boxing. A beginner should begin with the biggest speed bag possible. The bigger bags move slowly and the user doesn't need as much hand speed to use them correctly. Large speed bags come as big as 13-by-10 inches, but 11-by-8 inches is the most common large size.
The intermediate level user should buy a medium sized bag. The medium-sized speed bags move faster than the large but slower than the small. Medium bags are between 10-by-7 inches and 9-by-6 inches.
Small bags range from 8-by-5 inches to 6.5-by-4 inches, with the 8-by-5-inch bags being the most common in sporting goods stores. To use a small speed bag correctly, boxers need physically superior hand speed and power.
If you already have a speed bag and find it's too small for you to use correctly, try to release air out of the bag. Doing so will slow it down. On the contrary, if you find your speed bag is too easy, put more air in it to increase its speed.
Common Pitfalls
One of the most common gaffes in speed bag purchases is gifting without buying a rebound platform and hand protection. Without the rebound platform, the speed bag will have nothing to bounce off of, making it useless. Speed bag users also need hand wraps or mitten style gloves to protect the hands.
The other mistake is ordering 8-by-5-inch speed bags for beginners. Using a speed bag is difficult enough as it is. Don't make it harder by using a smaller bag.
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