The evidence is the tools boxers use and the injuries they sustain when they don't use precautions. ???? I'm pretty serious about precautions when training, and my precautions are based on the entire history of boxing. I don't think I Was scolding you as much as pointing out that not wrapping your hands while hitting heavy bags is well known to cause acute and long term injuries. How about this scene, which is realistic. I rarely put on gloves when hitting the bag, but I always wrap. Always.
Plenty of MMA guys don't really wrap their hands or wrap them very lightly to maintain grappling sensitivity. You obviously can't hit as hard, but if you're mixing in kicks, knees et. you're also not putting as much stress on the hands as you would be if purely boxing. To slightly support the idea of training specificity in this matter; I've also seen a couple of guys do most of their striking training Dutch KB-style with sixteen-ounce gloves and long hand-wraps, then get in the cage throwing bombs with two layers of gauze under four-ounce gloves and immediately mess their hands up.
It's true that properly wrapped hands aren't as flexible as most people are used to especially when getting digital, if you get my drift, but the whole thing with wrapping is "ounce of prevention, pound of cure". If you Google it, there are a million articles about the importance of hand wrapping when doing bagwork. The key to it all is realizing that all those little bones in your hands aren't meant for hammering on things over and over. Otherwise mankind would not have invented the hammer, we'd all have fists of iron. Gauze really does make a difference, so do cotton and spandex.
Some speedball work from today. Hands are dropping still, timing is a tad (if we're being generous!) rusty. Apologies for the poor video angle
I haven’t seen a speedball like that. I like how it swings down in different directions. What is the resistance like on it? What is the ball stuffed with, or is it inflated?
It's a fairly cheap decathlon offering. No idea what it's stuffed with, but it feels foamy. It's light, not designed for power, I'm probably using 20-30% for the majority of strikes. I've deliberately left the base part filled to discourage me from hammering away.
I've been checking out a similar standing speed ball in place of the double end bag which I often need to re fix at the ceiling. How does it compare to double end? Looks like you have to hold back a lot, but I wonder if the bottom was fixed or more weighted if it would be different.
Haven't used a double end bag for a couple of years, so take this with a pinch of salt! In terms of training, I found a double end bag much harder to get a rhythm on, but that made it much more realistic for head movement. It's fairly easy to learn how to use the standing one, it moves predictably(ish) if you hit it consistently. It's easy to move around when using, the base doesn't get in the way for striking range footwork. It's slower to return than I remember a double end bag being, you get a bit more thinking time. Easier to set up than a double end bag, breaks down and is easy to transport. For sure if the bottom was fully weighted you could use some more power, but it's never going to take a hit like a heavy bag. At this weight, at about 40% power the base moves around, anything much over that and it can topple. I've seen it get toppled by a 13 year old when I was keeping it in a gym.
Standing speed bags are typically either inflated or foam so as to provide as little resistance as possible, hence the speed. The base is filled with sand or water and yes, the heavier the base the faster it will reflex hence it's alternative name, "reflex bag". $100-$200+ for a decent one, but they are great because they take up almost no room, are pretty easy to move around, and provide an awesome cardio and muscle workout especially in the arms, legs, and abs. I actually prefer reflex bag work to standard heavy or speed bag work, I think they provide overall a lot more comprehensive benefits, not to mention laser focused strikes and agile footwork.
I should correct myself here, I realized it depends on the exact type of reflex bag. I can't see your base but some of these use a static base with a spring action that sits on top, others have a variable weight dynamic base that moves and returns to position on its own (also sometimes called a bop bag after the children's toy). For the latter, adding weight makes it reflex faster. For the others, it'll be highly dependent on the spring (length, number of coil turns, wire gauge etc). Some of these have modular coils for increasing or lowering tension. Some random photos: high spring adjustable bop:
Well, now I want a bop bag. If it stays down for the count do I get the belt?? Mine has the spring just above the base