Can You Hit A Heavy Bag With Just Hand Wraps (Without Gloves)
Whether you have your sights set on becoming a professional boxer or not, practicing punches on a punching bag is going to be an integral part of each of your boxing training sessions – regardless of your skill level or experience.
However, does that then mean that you need to make sure that you’re wearing boxing gloves every time you train with a bag? If you’re currently asking yourself this question, then rest assured that you have clicked on the right article.
To help you understand a little bit more about how to correctly hit a heavy bag and get the most out of each boxing session, below we are going to be talking you through why it is important to make sure that you’re wrapping your hands, as well as why wearing boxing gloves (in some instances) might not be necessary. Read on.
Can You Hit A Heavy Bag With Just Hand Wraps?
Regardless of your level of experience in boxing or what type of boxer you plan on becoming, it is important to keep in mind that you should always take the proper precautions to ensure that you are staying safe while you box.
In traditional boxing, most training will consist of a mixture of sparring and bag work, so it should come as no surprise to hear that one of the most common questions asked by boxers who are just starting out is what hand protection they should be wearing while punching heavy bags.
Even though it is important to make sure that you are staying safe and preventing injury, you might be interested to learn that, in some instances, it is actually considered a good thing to work with a heavy bag without boxing gloves!
When done properly and with all necessary safety precautions taken, heavy bag work can actually have the ability to strengthen your knuckles and wrists and, in turn, help you become a more powerful and intuitive boxer.
However, while it might be beneficial to sometimes go without boxing gloves while working with a heavy bag, it’s also very important to understand how often you should go without boxing gloves.
The last thing you want to do is progress too quickly to work with a bag with just wraps, as this could cause you to experience an injury, and at the very worst, a broken hand!
Remember, your hands and wrists are going to be the main point of contact for every throw and punch that you make, and besides taking the brunt of each impact, it means that your hands will be at the highest risk of becoming hurt while you box – so it’s important to make sure that you are taking proper precautions to prevent injury.
Nevertheless, when done correctly, working freehand with a heavy bag does come with its benefits. Let’s take a look at the main benefits below:
- It can strengthen your hands: One of the biggest benefits of working on a heavy bag without boxing gloves is that it has the ability to help strengthen your hands and knuckles.
- It can improve your coordination: Without boxing gloves in the mix, training on a bag with just wraps has the ability to strengthen your coordination skills, as you will be able to clearly see your hands during each punch and throw.
- It can help you become a more intuitive boxer: If you’re wanting to perfect your technique, then incorporating freehand bag work into your boxing training program can help you become a more natural, intuitive boxer.
Bag Work Without Boxing Gloves – Things To Remember
1. Take It Slow
If you’re planning on incorporating some heavy bag training into your boxing routine and want to go without boxing gloves, then you should make sure that you are starting out slow.
Regardless of whether you have been boxing for years or you’ve just recently taken it up, the majority of heavy boxing bag weights are typically anywhere between 60 and 200 pounds, which is a lot for your hands to be taking the brunt of – no matter your level of expertise!
For this reason, we recommend that you take the time to work on your bag work form with gloves prior to incorporating bag work sessions without gloves into your training regime, otherwise you will be risking injury.
As a side note, if you are currently training in a boxing gym, then we strongly recommend that you take some advice from a coach, as they will be able to advise you on when to begin working on a bag with just hand wraps.
Alongside that, a coach will also be able to help ensure that you are using proper technique while you box with a bag – which brings us to our next point!
2. Maintain Your Technique
Alongside making sure that you aren’t rushing into freehand bag work too quickly, it is also important to make sure that you are maintaining proper technique while you are working with a heavy bag.
If you don’t make sure that your technique is consistent and correct (especially while working without boxing gloves) you’re going to more than likely end up with an injury.
3. Space Out Sessions
Last but certainly not least, it is also important to make sure that you are spacing out each bag work session that you go without gloves.
As we have already mentioned above, punching a heavy bag without gloves runs a high risk of injury (and even broken bones in some instances) which is why it’s extremely important to make sure that you aren’t doing it too frequently.
When you feel ready to start working without boxing gloves, we recommend that you only go without boxing gloves once a week, as anything more frequent is going to be too damaging on your hands and wrists.
This love then later flourished into an obsession with all things combat sports. From Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to full MMA, I have truly tried it all. And now, with this blog, I wish to bring my knowledge to others. I hope my articles will help others to learn more about these often misunderstood sports, and the skills needed to be successful.
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