Jazz Up Your Heavy Bag With Household Items

Who knew that a trip to the hardware store would improve your boxing technique? There are foundational elements of offense, defense, and footwork that can be greatly improved with three heavy bag drills and items you may already have at home. You will need thick string or rope, duct tape, and a pool noodle. In this article, I’m going to show you how effective these simple items are at improving your boxing game.

Drill #1

Supplies

• Heavy bag

• Duct tape

Impact

This drill will help you to improve your jab and range. Visualization is key and imagining your opponent as the heavy bag will help you mix up your distance and better set up punches.

Directions

• Place your hand at full extension from your heavy bag and mark your full extension reach

• Stick a piece of tape on the floor where your lead heel is

Drill

• Start in your boxer’s stance

• Using the tape as a reference point to understand your full range, step your lead foot over the line to initiate mid-range

• Then step both feet over line to initiate close range

• Practice throwing the jab, stepping over the line with your lead foot

• Continue stepping back and forth while throwing the jab and getting a good feel for mid- and close-range punches

Drill #2

Supplies

• Heavy bag

• String or rope

Impact

This drill will help to improve your rolls, your defense, your footwork, and your overall movement.

Directions

• Tie the string or rope around the heavy bag and attach the other end of it to a wall or a piece of furniture across from the bag (about 10-15 feet away) to create a slip rope

• Make sure the string or rope is at chin/chest height and tight

Drill

• Start in your boxer’s stance on one side of the string or rope

• Start by rolling under the rope to your rear side, then back to your lead side

• Keep going back and forth underneath the string or rope, with your hands in your guard

• You can add any punch to your roll as you pick up momentum

• Continue for 3-5 minutes

Drill #3

Supplies

• Heavy bag

• Duct tape

• Pool noodle

Impact

This drill will help you to improve your boxing defense. At close range, this drill will help you to develop angles and be a more controlled fighter.

Directions

• Holding the pool noodle on each side of the bag, use the tape to secure it to each side (your heavy bag will look like a kindergarten drawing of a person lol)

• This will simulate your opponent’s punch range, as well as give you a better visualization of where punches may be coming from so you can see how to avoid them and land your counter punches.

By combining the first two drills, you can begin to better grasp your range, improve your movements, and train your fundamental boxing technique

Drill

The pool noodle can be used similar to the slip rope but now you are in the range of the heavy bag.

• Start by standing at full range from your heavy bag

• Move your lead foot forward followed by your rear foot, either slipping to the side of the pool noodle or rolling under to work on your bob and weave

• As you roll back to your original position, find your balance and either throw a punch or roll to the opposite side

• Try your best to keep your pace as close to “fight-speed” as possible

• Repeat the same steps at close range using the pool noodle as the “slip rope”

Incorporate these quick drills three times per week when training. It doesn’t take much to train hard, but the dedication and repetitions will make any fighter into a great fighter. Train hard, be consistent, utilize what you have, and always train differently. Remember, fights are won, often through defense and through small movements; boxing is about inches, and the more you practice, the better you will be.

Do these drills in your next boxing training session, record it, and tag me on social media @coachpj. For more training tips and drills, be sure to check out the FightCamp blog and YouTube channel.

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