Yes it can be, in fact is one of useful tool that can dramatically increase your hand speed.
We all can agree when it comes to boxing, the harder you punch the more energise you feel after. Thanks to boxers like Mike Tyson, an icon whose is known for his knockout punches seems like almost everyone I see in learning boxing, can pack on those power punch.
But almost everyone forget to focus on speed on punches, even myself included. Having increase speed can make a lot of difference to the way you box. So what are the benefits of a speed bag? Here are the 3 main factor :
It is only natural for your eye to blink when an object is known to move towards your face. This is when your eye hand coordination will “train” as well. Knowing that it is the speed bag that is moving in a rhythmic way, your eyes and hand will adjust accordingly. The more your eyes are used to the speed bag, the better you get with your eye hand coordination in other techniques.
The movement of your hands to the sound of the moving speed bag will help you to create a sense of rhythm. When it comes to boxing, having rhythm throughout your body can help you with timing of your next move. With better rhythm, you can naturally hit the speed bag and increase the speed of your punches. Like jumping rope, your feet and hand coordination is all about rhythm too. Check out here for post of jumping rope.
Like any boxing movement, you may not naturally have any rhythm the first time you use a speed bag but learning and practicing is key. Start counting, 1, 2, 3, in a rhythm following the way the speed bag moves. This is when your timing will improve as well with the speed bag.
The way your hands always have to stay up on the speed bag and not miss the rhythm, this will increase your endurance for your shoulders, triceps, biceps and forearms. Since there is little to no resistance with hitting the speed bag, you will be able to be consistent and focus longer which will increase your stamina.
This is not a piece of equipment that you use only to kill your time or ‘finisher’ exercise so you can get on with getting training done. This should be added in or more focus time as this will add accuracy, timing, better reflex. This equipment can be mounted in your house even if you don’t have space for heavy bag. I like speed bag because you don’t have to use hand wrap, boxing gloves and you can do it anytime your hand is free. If Muhammad Ali has been seen using it for his training then you should too.
Thank you very much for this valuable detailed post about Speed Bags. I have not used these before. But I have seen. I also wanted to use this. Can someone who has not used this before use it? I asked because I had never used it before. Keep posting like this. I will definitely share this with my friends.
Hi , yes it’s recommended for anyone. You have to give it a try. Thank you , I appreciate it!
After reading your post, I am considering adding speed bag training to my daily boxing training. I was not paying much attention to it. But among the benefits, you have stated eye-hand coordination, and that is one of my greatest weaknesses. I will also bookmark your site for future content. Thank you!
Makes it two of us on lacking on eye-hand coordination. Always good to be aware of our own blind spot. That’s great! Happy to help. Thank you Paolo!