rate my bag work pls

[wizard]

I have the same criticisms that everyone else has but I would also like to perhaps give you an alternative plan of action.

If you're dead set on competing in MMA this summer, that gives you about six months to get you striking up to snuff. Normally that might be enough if you have the fundamentals down (which you don't) or if you could devote multiple days during the week to just striking (which according to your post you can't).

The only thing you have going for you right now is aggression (at least in my estimation) and I would suggest, given that you can't or won't commit to more then once a week for striking, that you work very hard on getting your anaerobic/conditioning way up and forget the technical aspect of boxing for now. Instead concentrate mostly on the one thing you have going for you: aggression.

If you were to join a boxing gym right now they would have to break you of the bad habits you have, teach you the new, correct way and then drill it into you so that it becomes second nature. I don't think you have time for that unless you are very gifted or if you can dedicate some serious time to it.

Maybe you can join or find a gym and practice taking people down that are trying to hit you while you avoid getting knocked out. Or learn the most basic possible jab/cross/hook. If you add anything else to it you'll probably be doing yourself a disservice. This is the equivalent of me saying: "hey, I've boxed a few years, why don't I take 4 to 8 hours of BJJ a month for six months and then jump in an MMA fight?"

They would tell me I was a madman for even considering it. But like I said, if you are totally committed to competing this summer (and much respect to you for doing that by the way) I would suggest trying to harness your aggression (through some hard sparring), ignore the technical side of it (for now) and get your conditioning way up.

Just my .02

thanks for your reply....really makes me think about how im gonna aproach the whole thing..

i really like the idea of sticking to the Basics....jab cross and l-hook...im working on this everyday....also the chin down and bringing the punches back fast.....my back leg connected to the floor...

i also talked to some old friends of mine who are mt fighters(switzerland is a big mt country)and they told me they would sparr with me as soon as it gets warmer...coz the training room that i workout from has no heat an is absolutely freezing now in winter...so i will get my sparring on in march/april

[wizard]

The Gracies did it once upon a time, who says you can't?

At least get your striking defense down (hands up, chin down, head moving). If you can find someone knowledgeable, work on using those basic strikes to set up takedowns and getting takedowns while the other guy is striking. This may mean weathering the storm to get into the clinch, shooting under punches to the head (make sure he's in no position to throw a knee to your noggin), or even bumrushing low kicks. See Silva v. Jardine for that last one, and I guaran-fuckin'-tee you won't be fighting anyone that'll be kicking as hard as Jardine. Don't neglect ground and pound either, it is where wrestling and aggression meet. Sounds like you have the BJJ to pass a shitty guard, just use your wrestling to obtain and maintain your dominant positioning and don't get caught with a sub.

Oh, and conditioning. If you do nothing else, condition.

yeah the basics ....thats all im gonna think about....

i would say my strongest feat.is my double leg...i wanna keep it humble but i must say i get the take down 90 % of the time...in wrestling that is.....with somebody kicking and punching its probably diff....possibly easier???......

[WhiteShark]

To fight this summer with what you have said so far:

1) Stop hitting the bag until you get some coaching. You are reinforcing bad habits.
2) Learn the Peek-a-boo guard and jab to double leg. You don't want to stand with anyone that knows what they are doing.
3) Cut the bag down and lay it on the floor. Ground and Pound is the only striking you should be doing with no standing training and as much grappling experience as you have.

[WhiteShark]

...with somebody kicking and punching its probably diff....possibly easier???......

Missed this gem on the first read. NO just, NO. If you fight a Sprawl and Brawl striker you are going to get killed. Start practicing takedowns against good wrestlers that are trying to hit you immediately.

[JohnnyCache]

It's "easier" if you catch them with one foot in the air, it's "harder" in that they can hit or knee you in the face on the way in. A good drill is to do a 1-2-wrap where you throw a combo then wrap up the bag down low or a 1-2-down where you do a sprawl at the end of the combo.

On your striking:

The good:

You set a pretty good pace on the bag. What you're doing with your hands is...approximately correct. You have some understanding of the need to move your feet.

The Bad

Your kicks are slow, and they're slow because you're overthinking/overposing, not because your leg is slow. You never throw them high, low, or on the left at all, always that wooden one to the mid-right.

You don't change levels with your hands very much either

Right now, your hips are a disconnect between your feet and your hands. They should be a conduit between your feet and your hands. Your weight-bearing heel should hit the grounds just as your knuckles hit the bag. Your hips and calves should initiate the blow.

Re your footwork: It's good that your feet aren't planted, but you got problems. A jab, for example, is a pressure punch - you should be moving one foot to the other, preferably your back foot to your front, when you do it. I know you want to drag that leg for stability, but the more you move your feet the harder you hit (short, of course, of bouncing TKD style) and if you lean clear out over your front leg, all your weight will be on it and a counterkick to the leg with hurt like hell.

You should always be defending with your off hand. Don't drop it down to your waist to make a louder noise. Always, always recoil to guard. Build that good habit and you'll be ahead of the shoot+ lay'n'pray formula you see so often in local MMA.

You should work uppercuts more - they do more with lighter gloves and legal clinches then they do in boxing.

You should be working all the way around the bag in a circle, since you have the space.

You look like you're actually in good shape, i have a hunch you can roll far longer then you can hit the bag? If you're gassing faster then you should be, work on exhaling as you strike and not bunching up. If you do this along with better tortion in your hips, you'll find a relaxed power - that's where KOs come from. You should be using your muscle to accelerate and recoil your limbs, not to push on the bag. Ballistic force is what you want to push the bag.

And yes, find someone to coach you on some standup.

[Landser]

Am I right in saying hes dropping his hands too much when hes doing the number 3 and 4 combos, kind of flailing? My question is what should you do when the bag is a) coming towards you and b) going away from you. Should I be using jabs, crosses, and uppercuts? What for in b), hooks seem like they'll miss.

And I have a problem with those roundhouse kicks too. Because when I first saw his kicks, I was kind of impressed by the amount of power he put into it, but apparently it was too slow/telegraphed. If I rush a roundhouse kick I notice it tends to be more of a 45 kick and loses a lot of power, is this ok and just something I should accept while I work the heavy bag? From what little kickboxing I was taught, it was to "chop your opponent in half", of course if its telegraphed so much it wont do much good.