This is all part of the learning process. The more you do it, though, the better you get at it. You may not always be able to read how it’s going to fly out and return, but you will learn to move about and hit it no matter how wobbly and erratic it comes back. In time, you will be dancing, bobbing, weaving, slipping and ducking as you assault it with jabs, backfists and straight punches.
With regular training on the bag, you will be better able to hit your opponent’s moving head. Even if he is good at head evasion, he will never be as tricky as the goofy bag.
8. PUSH-UPS
The motion of the push-up is virtually the same as the jab, reverse punch and other straight-line-type punches. It makes sense then to incorporate lots of push-ups in your conditioning routine, and there is a large variety to use. One time I was teaching a class of 30 students, and as a way of ending the training session, I asked each person to lead the class in a different pushup variation for 10 reps. Not only did each student come up with a different one, we came up with an additional 10 variations for a total of 40. Here are a few:
* Hands spaced wide
* Hands spaced narrow
* One-arm
* On thumbs and index fingers
* On knuckles
* On the backs of your hands (ouch)
* On fingertips
* Fingers facing each other
* Do only bottom half
* Clap hands at top of pushup
* With thumbs and index fingers touching
* Begin on forearms and roll up onto hands
Use some or all of the above and feel free to add some of your own. They are all good for your punches.
Here is a variation I found recently that, although quite stressful on your joints, will greatly increase the explosiveness of your punches. If you have bad elbows, shoulders, back or arms, don’t do this method. But if your parts are all in good working order, include them once a week in your workout. It’s okay if you want to do other variations on other days of the week, but I wouldn’t push it too hard. This method is so stressful that you risk overtraining if you do too many others.
Here is how it’s done.
Push-up Jumps and Drops
Set up two six-inch-high platforms or cinder blocks, parallel with each other and about shoulder width apart. It’s more comfortable if you place the blocks on a mat or some other kind of padding.
Begin by placing your hands on the blocks in the standard push-up position, and then drop your hands simultaneously between them and allow your chest to go all the way to the mat. Without hesitation, straighten your arms and explode upward until your hands are completely off the mat and back onto the blocks. Again without hesitation, drop your hands back down onto the mat, touch your chest and then thrust forcefully back up again.
This push-up method will definitely build explosiveness in your straight-line punches. Do three to four sets of four to six repetitions.
Let me warn you again to be careful as this is a risky exercise. But if you have no preexisting injuries and you do the exercise correctly, you will see a marked differences in your hand techniques in just a few weeks.
Place your hands on two pads that are a little wider than your shoulders. Lower yourself all the way down and then push up hard enough to leave the pads.
Then drop to the floor …
… and lower yourself until your chest touches …
… and then forcefully explode back up and onto the pads. Your reps should be done nonstop with explosive pushes.
9. STRENGTHENING YOUR ABS FOR BETTER PUNCHES
Let’s take a look at how you can improve your hand techniques and at the same time develop a six-pack of abdominal muscles that will make ‘em swoon at the beach. Now, aren’t you glad you bought this book?
Your abdominal muscles are positioned at the center of your body (if yours are elsewhere get a hold of me and I’ll write an article about you) and, when strengthened, they dramatically increase the power of your hand techniques, as well as your kicks. This is because a strong midsection is like a rocket booster for your moves. When you involve your abs in, say, your backfist, your ab power flows from your middle, up to your shoulders, down your arms and out your fist.
There are dozens of abdominal exercises floating around; if you don’t know any you can find them in books, magazines and on exercise videos. The best book I have seen on the subject is one called The Complete Book of Abs by Kurt Brungardt, published by Villard Books.
The only stipulation I have to including an ab exercise in my routine is that it’s safe. While most of the newer exercises are, there are still old ones being used that are potentially dangerous to your back. Case in point are those old sit-ups that require you to raise all the way up. Those are the kind my generation did in highschool and probably account for why so many baby boomers have back problems today. The Complete Book of Abs not only lists dozens of exercises, but also rates them as to how safe they are.
Choose ab exercises that work the lower abdominal area as well as the easy-to-develop upper abs. In most exercises, it’s important to press the small of your back into the floor so as to not strain or injure that area. If any exercise hurts your back - eliminate it. Don’t keep doing it because you are a macho kind of guy. If you are a student, and one of your instructor’s ab exercises hurts you, don’t do it and tell him why. A back injury can affect your life forever. Besides, there are lots of other exercises you can do that won’t hurt it.
Any exercise that requires you to raise your legs should be done with them bent slightly and with the small of your back pressed into the floor. This puts more stress on your abs as it removes it from your lower back.
How many reps should you do? As many as it takes. Sometimes when I’m lifting weights, I put a 25-pound barbell plate on my chest and I exhaust my muscles with only three sets of 15 reps of the basic crunch exercise. In class, however, we always burn out 200-300 reps of an assortment of crunches and leg lifts. As is the case with any exercise, I believe that variety is the key to keeping the muscles stimulated and your mind interested.
The Ab/Fist Connection
Here is how you incorporate your abs with your hand techniques. First, give this a try while you are sitting there in your chair reading this book. As hard as you can, tense your abs for just a fraction of a second, and then do it again a couple times to get a sense of how this makes your ab muscles feel. Remember that sensation, because that is exactly what you want to do as your fist hits its target.
Now, try it striking with your backfist against a heavy bag. Assume your stance and snap your backfist toward the bag with a lead-leg lunge. When your fist is about four inches away from impact, tense your abs as hard as you can. As you do so, exhale sharply while you mentally force energy from your ab muscles up your chest, along your arm and out your fist. That’s it, pretty easy. But once you get this coordinated, you will see and feel at least a 25 percent improvement on the bag.