boxing bag?

[buksing_king]

Hey there everyone

I was thinking that to enhance my training .... it would be optimal if i had access to a boxing bag at home

This may sound completely lame and stingy but i was wandering if anyone knew of any wayz to build a boxing bag ... or to basically just build a structure that you can hit

I have thought about matress around trees... but it didnt work ...

Also i had a volley-ball pole thing.... which i wrapped with towels... it seems to work alright .... but the pole kept on coming our of the ground

If anyone has any ideas on how to build/make/invent a piece of equipment that can take punches( doesnt have to be big enough to take kicks) then i will be glad to hear your ideas

Any replies will be greatly appreciated

[Former castleva]

What first popped up in my mind is "makiwara".Striking board that karatekas have used for long.
I think if you do a little search you might very well find instructions on how to buid one (it´s basically a dense plank of wood rooted to ground in which you then wrap a strong rope or cloth.) Simple yet effective,different from a bag though.
Consider though that while many are to this type of hard conditioning or even tree trunk striking etc. without health issues,the danger of arthritis/joint problems,fractures,strains and are still there (if you do have an acces to dit da jow liniment,that helps of course)
So be careful,train smart,slowly and with care.

Then as another alternative you can attach padding/pads to trees or wall and practice with such if you want too.
One such is phoenix eye system which includes various pads attached to fit your size,to a board or wall (rubber pads attached to height of persons arms,head,stomach,groin etc. )

I´ve also heard of such cheap choise like attaching a phone book to a tree and striking that.

[Liokault]

Do you not have room for a punch bag?

[SevenStar]

My guess is that he has room (he did ask about them after all), but can't afford one. Go to a surplus store and get a duffle bag. fill it with sand.

[SevenStar]

Also, check local clubs and see if they have a bag they can sell you for cheap. If nothing else, just spend a little extra time at your school and work the bag there.

[buksing_king]

Yeah i think i might look into that thing that the karatekas(sp?) have used for a long time

Also the reason hwy i ask this is because i basically have no room for a punching bag

Money is not really a major issue here unless were talking like over $100

But yeah ... a striking structure that is compact would be good, basically just to condition, when i have a psare moment around the house i can just go and condition or shadow boz or whatever

Keep the input coming !:)

[Royal Dragon]

Go buy one of those Oron hand bages. You know, the kind filled with Mung Beans and has the eyelets to tie it to a tree??

get one of those, fill it with mung beans, corn or sand and tie it to a tree or support beam in your basement.

I haven't looked, but I bet martialartsmart.com sells them. I got mine from wing Lam for less than $10

[Former castleva]

Good to hear if it helped.

To modify the responses of others slightly,I´d just like to say that if you can afford just some kind of a bag for the tool you can easily fill it afterwards with proper material,won´t be too expensive.

It´s beneficial if you´re just at least able to get some kind of a tool for striking training etc.
Shadow boxing (especially with a mirror) is a good work-out like kata but from a tool like a bag you get r-e-s-i-s-t-a-n-c-e which will help more to develop your bones,muscles and other tissues.

[IronFist]

Originally posted by SevenStar
My guess is that he has room (he did ask about them after all), but can't afford one. Go to a surplus store and get a duffle bag. fill it with sand.

Ow, ****, that's hardcore. I tried to fill a 6ft Thai bag with sand once cuz I thought that's what you were supposed to put in punching bags. I got like 350lbs of sand in there and it wasn't even half way full, but it was hard as a rock. Then I decided that I should probably fill it with old clothes and towels and only put about 100lbs of sand at the bottom.

In conclusion, don't fill a duffle bag with sand unless you want to break your hands, or if you are just that hardcore.

IronFist

[Water Dragon]

I hang my heavy bag on a tree in the back yard. It's a little bit of a pain to hang and take down (and someone will steal it if I leave it there.) But it works. I saw a show about prison on TLC once. This guy would roll up his mattress, stuff it in a pillow case, and hold against the corner with his head while he beat on it. Be creative :)

[SevenStar]

Originally posted by IronFist


Ow, ****, that's hardcore. I tried to fill a 6ft Thai bag with sand once cuz I thought that's what you were supposed to put in punching bags. I got like 350lbs of sand in there and it wasn't even half way full, but it was hard as a rock. Then I decided that I should probably fill it with old clothes and towels and only put about 100lbs of sand at the bottom.

In conclusion, don't fill a duffle bag with sand unless you want to break your hands, or if you are just that hardcore.

IronFist

yeah, it hurts like crazy, doesn't it? I know someone that's trying to make one now.

[LEGEND]

For 150 dollars u can get a freestand POWERLINE WAVEMASTER...www.century.com!

[buksing_king]

thanks everyone

I might hang a bag of a tree, i think i will probably be able to get a durable(weather) bag for outdoors for under $100.....

Does anyone know of anyways to harden (condition) your knuckles and foreknuckles ( in my style we use alot of charp-chuis)

i have heard of punching a bag full of rice, replaced by sand, then replaced by iron fillings or whatever but i think someone just heard that of a friend of a friend of a friend etc

Are knuckle push ups good this ?
What about lightly punching walls for like 10 mins a day ?

any replies are greatly appreciated.......

ps moderator ... feel free to move this to the training/condition forum

[Leto]

You could find some old tires and attach them to a wall or panel. cut in half along the diameter, covered with some kind of canvas, it makes a pretty tough hitting bag. Makiwara is a good cheap alternative, too. get a seven or eight foor board, but it 3 to 4 feet in the ground, stabilize with cement, or rocks or something...wrap something around the top to pad it a little at first, like a piece of leather or a belt.

knuckle pushups are good for conditioning the knuckles, as well as strengthening the bones in the forearm which are used in punching. Hitting a board, like the makiwara, is also a really good way. That was the way almost exclusively used in Okinawan karate. The sand thing is good, too...I use that more for fingers and palms, though....traditionally that was the way to train iron palm/ iron finger. If all else fails, just go out and hit an old tree with crumbly bark.

[Former castleva]

Those knuckle push-ups and stuff is basically good but I´d just like to remind you to start slowly,don´t rush.
Try to keep your knuckles healthy,don´t rip them which happens easily at first.If torn,clean them to avoid infection and let them heal completely.
Do not condition your fingertips by striking a bag or related hard area,this is only a way to invite eye and other health injury trough meridian pathway damage.
Remember about the possible downsides of this type of training,which may result in sitff joints and nervous damage etc. causing hands to become "dead" as in the traditional devastating practice of old time veterans and others.
Massage hands before and after practice to increase blood circulation.

[Ray Pina]

Take an old pear of jeans and cut off about two feet of legging. Sow the bottom together. Fill it with what you want. I suggest not making it too hard because full power punching can hurt your wrist, I also advize against wrapping your wrist. This will lead you to a false sense of power, then when you are on the street and fighting without wraps you break your wrist a' la Mike Tyson.

Now that its filled, seal the top and hang it from a tree, post, whatever. Pretty cheap, works better then a big heavy bag that can't be hit properly with full power.

Nothing beats training with a partner though, for practicing shielding and absorbing. By some boxing gloves, convince a friend.:)