Kickboxing with a bag develops relatively authentic fighting skills without the bodily strain of regular sparring. Sparring matches are still necessary to test your skills on a real opponent before a match, but a bag provides effective day-to-day practice. However, certain techniques and practices are necessary to get the best training with a bag. If you just go at it without any forethought, you'll find you aren't developing any pertinent kickboxing skills.
Step 1
Enlist the help of a friend to hold the bag firmly from the back. As you progress in your training, you won't need somebody to hold the bag. Early on, the friend's support prevents the bag from swinging haphazardly until you get to know the strength of your own punches.
Step 2
Kick the bag, and incorporate punches if you fight in a kickboxing style that allows fists. Bob around and try to mimic your expected movements in the ring. Don't attack the bag with all of your force, since you do not often have wide enough openings for full-force kicks or jabs in an actual match.
Step 3
Break for a short while every two to three minutes just as you would at the end of a round in a real match. Don't overexert yourself, and drink plenty of fluids during each break.
Step 4
Kick the bag while it hangs loosely after you get used to working with it. In just one or two weeks, you should get comfortable kicking the bag, and you won't need a friend to hold it anymore.
Step 5
Rotate around the bag as you kick. Without a friend holding the back of the bag, you can access all sides of the bag for more realistic training. In a kickboxing match, you rarely face the opponent head-on for several kicks in a row. Move at least 180 degrees around the bag as you kick, striking from different angles. This develops the quick footwork needed in a real fight.
Posted in: Kickboxing