Amateur Boxing

[skully]

Quite a few months ago I bought a punching bag with it's stand and all for anger issues, which...incredibly decreased by 50% I'd say due to the medication I was on.

I barely go to box now. Maybe once in two months because of it's "setting". In a storage room. There is no other place for it sadly...

But I'd like to include one day in a week for boxing, but I am an amateur and just throw punches, but I'd like to actually learn it, but it's hardly affordable at the moment and probably time-consuming by doing it "outside."

I can pretty throw hard punches with right arms, but not so for left. It's quite weak.

Can someone give me simple boxing tips? And tell me if I incorporate it as an exercise routine or a hobby?

Today I went to do some boxing for 15 minutes, till arms got red! Then went to the a HIIT exercise also for 15 mins on the elliptical to "add a different flavor" to cardio for the day.

Tips will be appreciated!

[Packard]

If your calves and hamstring muscles are not tired at the end of a session of hitting the heavy bag, then you are not doing it right.

You don't say if you are hitting a speed bag or a heavy bag. Speed bags are for hand/eye coordination and upperbody cardiovascular work.

The heavy bag it for power. And you generate most of your power from your legs and torso and not from your arms. I'm certain there are videos on the internet that show good boxing form. Google: Boxing instruction [video].

See: http://video.google.com/videosearch?sou ... 4018414154" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[skully]

No...they were not completely worn out, but then again I only did it for 15 minutes. I'd like to get a routine, but have no idea how to start up one. I looked for a lot of things actually, and I'm literally at a stage of learning how to throw a punch, which I have very minimal background through Karate when I was like 9 years old. As to stretch and twist the hand...

I have a heavy bag. I honestly bought it to vent off, because...I literally started breaking everything around me for a very long time...but once I got the bag...I was on anti-deps meds, and I don't have that "anger energy" anymore, which helped me a lot with exercise back then.

Oh how much I miss it, lol.

Thanks for the link!

you seem to know about boxing...Can you give me some sort of routine I can follow for once a week? Is boxing considered cardio? I heard it can tone up your arms and back well?

[Packard]

I will tell you what I do and how I went about it.

I have a speed bag, a martial arts bag (hangs from the ceiling and is strung to the floor with a stretch cord), and a heavy bag.

I started by doing 3 minutes speed bag and martial arts bag work 3 times per week. I hit the heavy bag 1 day per week but I did 3 sessions of 3 minutes each.

Each week I added 1 minute to each session so that I am now doing:

10 minutes of speed bag; 10 minutes of martial arts bag, three times per week.

I do 30 minutes (3 x 10 minutes) of heavy bag 1 time per week.

I've recently added juggling (balls) to improve hand/eye coordination.

Between sessions of bag work, I do abdominals. I also do 20 minutes of lower body cardio work 5 times per week (stair climbing and rowing).

I have arthritis so I limit the number of days I work the heavy bag as it makes hands quite sore for several days. If you do not have that issue, then you can work the heavy bag more often.

I am considering getting a Wing Chun dummy so that I can work on defense. They are pretty expensive so I may not go ahead with that purchase. I'm still thinking about it.

[skully]

Thanks for the tips...

I don't have any problems, but I did hurt right wrist twice in lifetime...but I really need wrist wraps before I really get into heavy boxing. I do prefer to keep it once a week, because I don't think boxing techniques will help me with fat loss any where near as much an elliptical machine or a treadmill.

I could hit the bag fast and repeatedly, and then slow down with the punches and so on...but I really need to get the hang of it.

Sadly I do not have the speed bag, martial arts bag...but for now the heavy bag will have to do, and I actually love it.

For how long do you do abs between the sessions. How long of a break do you take between them? 2-5 minutes?

[Packard]

abs takes about 10 minutes. I need about 5 minutes recovery time between sessions or I will not have the energy repeat.

[skully]

Oh alright, that makes sense....but I can't seem to get left hand to punch right...I know naturally people are either left or right handed, but is there any way you can "practice: you other hand to make it strong too? right arm can def punch hard, left...I'm scared to end up injuring it because, even though I follow the way the punch is suppose to be like...it just doesn't work 70% of the time!

[Packard]

The power comes from the twisting of your torso while punching. Concentrate on your whole body instead of your arm.

[skully]

I've been trying to do that, but I can't seem to get that side of me to focus, in the right arms...i feel whole body moving forward and giving an effort. I mean, even I feel abs are getting worked up, just not while doing anything with left side...even the muscles in left arm are much less than in right arm!

[Packard]

Study a few of the videos listed here. Maybe that will help.

http://video.google.com/videosearch?sou ... 4974908408" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;