Some Bagwork

[Augustane]

[FilMor]

Easy to counter since you leave your chin exposed all throughout your session. You will walk into a big right hand one day;if you don't fix those holes.

[Ray Corso]

It's ok to fool around like your doing but that's not how you use a heavy bag. First off that bag is to high and much to heavy for you. Your punches are meaningless and if you stepped in harder I think you'll get hurt by it.
Heavy bag routines are to build punching power and also get power in combination. When you throw a left your right hook NEVER follows! When you hook the left hand never follows! Those should be your main combos to work on not double left hand pitter patter crap!
You throw NO body shots, and although you move alright around the bag your never stepping up and in to catch it at its high point!

Listen young man you need a bag that you can make an impression on. Meaning your punches move it! A bag where you can feel your fists sink into it!
That's the only way your going to get the "feel" you need to experience. Your on a "heavyweights" bag that's to big, to heavy and to tall for you!
Get something less weight and that has some "give to it"! Height wise it should be between your hip and knees and slightly above your height.
(the lower part is more important than height)

With the wrong tools your wasting your time and developing bad habits too.
The work your doing on that big bag could be done on a double end bag.
Find the bag that I'm describing and start working on combos that are fast & hard! When you come off the jab you better be punching your hardest and that big bag is NOT affording you that lesson! Get it done son. Ray Corso

[shermanator]

You have a good snap and movement , but tuck your chin. You're leaving it exposed. Make it a religious habit to keep your chin tucked. Also you drop your right hand alot. Snap every punch back to your guard whether jab or crossover or hook.. Even if you think you won't need to during a combo you should make it an automatic habit.. always ready for the counter. Tighten your guard , you don't have to completely cover your face but if you leave it too loose like that you'll catch quick jabs to the chin.. do you practice on the double end bag?

I agree with Ray Corso about the size of the bag being able to make an impression onto it since it's heavy bag work .. but I don't think this size of this bag always has to be too big for you. I'm 5'7 at roughly 148lbs and I do heavy bag work on a bag twice as heavy and big and have it moving with every hook , low hook or crossover .. But i first started out on a smaller bag , initially i always had alot of power from weight lifting but learning technique is where the application of power really started to show with my heavy bag work..
I can tell you have alot of power in your punches even if it doesn't show as much here, with what Ray said if you practice on a double end bag and start working on combos that are fast & hard or even step-up your strength conditioning workout even with calisthenics / dips / pushup combinations, you'll soon bring alot more power on that heavy bag and send it flying.

[nivek535]

pacquiao's an amazing fighter, but i (with no intent to disrespect) dont think his style is a style to learn from... very open to counters..

[ShoulderRoll]

I thought your footwork and movement was pretty good.

Just adjust it a little for throwing with more power, and Corso's comments on what combos you should be working on are right on the mark. Also go to the body more (with power) as he suggested.

The heavy bag is primarily for power not for speed!

[Pork Chop]

I'm no master like Ray and I haven't been posting here for a long time, but if you don't mind, I'd like to post some observations:

Like others have said, your movement around the bag is pretty good, so is your work rate. The problem is that I think you're so focused on staying mobile, you rarely sit down on your punches. There's one good left straight at 1:15 that sends the bag swinging, most of your left hand shots should be like that, especially your overhand lefts. You have a bad habit of picking your left foot up and putting it into the right position at the contact point of the left hand punch, instead of using it to drive your punch.

I'm not sure if this is a style thing with particular gyms, but I notice some boxers tend to always hit the bag low. Most of your punches on the bag are shoulder height or lower, except for your over hand lefts. You're in good company, because I noticed Floyd doing this in prepping for Maidana when he was hitting the yellow and black Grant bag; but I was taught differently. I was always told head punches should be thrown at chin height or higher. This will help with your tendency to hold your hands low. I also think this is the truth behind Ray's criticism that you don't go to the body - because your head shots are so low, they're indistinguishable from going to the body for the most part.

Southpaws can't really hold the lead hand low like most orthodox fighters; I know because I am one. As a southpaw, your lead will be checking & defending against an orthodox jab (usually), so if anything you want to hold it higher - so you can parry and come in over the top with a jab or a hook.

Ray's right that you need to follow up any right hook with a leftt hand, or any left hand with a right hook. A general rule of thumb is that after your combo, whichever direction you're planning on going, you should finish up with a punch from that hand. In other words, if your plan is to shuffle left after your combo, finish with a left straight or an uppercut then bob out of there, if your plan is to shuffle right, finish with a right hook or an uppercut then bob & weave out of there.

Your money combos are going to be jab-cross-hook, cross-hook-cross, and uppercut-hook-cross. For jab-cross-hook, you'll throw all 3 to the head, then you'll bob (duck), weave to your right, throw a hook to the body, then a hook to the head, and then circle off to your right. For a cross-hook-cross you'll be stepping into the bag, at the end you'll duck, weave to your left, throw a jab low, then a jab high as you continue circling to your left. For an uppercut-hook-cross, first before you throw any punches, you'll step to your left as if you're slipping a cross, imagine throwing the left uppercut underneath it, hook-cross to the head, quick bob & weave to your left and jab as you circle left.

Some other combos you may want to think about: jab high, jab low, circle right; jab high, cross low, circle left (as you jab or hook). If you're going to throw the left overhand (should probably lead with a jab), follow up with the right uppercut, and circle right with the jab. Another combo to consider is jab, circle right with the hook, stab the left hand straight with a lunge forward and circle off with the jab.

One more thing to think about that I kinda touched on is parrying. You can use parrying an incoming jab as a staging ground for your offense. If you are shorter than your opponent, think about parrying the incoming jab from underneath then ripping your combo to the body (starting with the left). If you are taller, think about parrying over top of their jab and coming in with your combo - but in this case your combo will be more successful if you follow the parry (and kick off your combo) with a straight right hand (loaded jab) or a left cross.

Footwork - a major thing to consider is getting your right foot outside your opponent's right foot anytime you throw anything. You'll want to prepare for the inevitability that your opponent will be better at getting his left foot outside your right and following up. Imagine him hooking you (or jab-hook), catch it like you're talking on the telephone, feed a straight left before he can land his cross, bob & weave under his cross, follow up with a straight left and circle off. If you think you can anticipate the hook, practice bobbing & weaving under it with a left cross to the body (or a blind, leaping rear hook like pacquiao), then a hook to the head before circling off.

Sorry if this is information overload. It may help to take notes and work on each piece of advice individually. Unfortunately a lot of coaches don't really understand the southpaw game and don't really teach it all that well. Your most dangerous weapon is the leadoff cross, but so is your opponent's. Prepare accordingly, and you'll do fine.

Hope you don't mind all this advice. As a fellow southpaw, I'd like to see southpaws advance their skill. If all else fails, watch Rigondeaux, Vernon Forrest, Pacquiao, and others so you can use the lessons to stay out of trouble.

[{Pito}]

Listen young man you need a bag that you can make an impression on. Meaning your punches move it! A bag where you can feel your fists sink into it!
That's the only way your going to get the "feel" you need to experience.

What do you think of water heavybags Ray? I love'em. Since it won't budge as much without proper technique yoit forces you to do things right and dig in to work it correctly and most importantly easier on the wrists!

[New England]

are you right handed?