Alright folks, grabbed my heavy bag gloves today after watching those fancy Alex Punch technique videos. Looked smooth as butter online, right? Figured I could just jump in and throw those punches like a pro. Yeah, not so much. Let me tell you exactly how it went down.
The “Easy” Start That Wasn’t
Okay, first thing. Saw the video stressing “relaxed shoulders”. Easy peasy, I thought. Stood in front of the bag, raised my fists, felt super stiff. My shoulders were practically touching my ears! Forced myself to drop them. Felt weird, almost sloppy. Tried throwing a simple straight punch. Bag wobbled a bit. Felt weak. Like, really weak.
Twisting Trouble
Next up, the whole “rotate your hips and shoulders” thing. The guy on screen made it look like one smooth motion. Me? Felt like trying to rub my belly and pat my head at the same time. Threw a punch, my arm moved… my hips stayed put. Felt disconnected. Tried again, twisted my hips but forgot the shoulder. Felt awkward, off-balance. Kept at it. Footwork went to heck. My stance felt wider than a sumo wrestler’s dinner plate. Frustrating as heck! My punches landed sideways sometimes, just brushing the bag.
The Stupid Little Mistakes Piling Up
-
My list of fails was growing:
- Breath Holding: Punched and grunted, realized I’d been holding my breath like I was underwater.
- Chicken Wing Elbow: After a few punches, glanced at the mirror – my elbow was flaring out so wide a bird could nest there.
- Fist Mishaps: Couple times my thumb ended up on top of my fingers instead of tucked safely. Hello, potential thumb disaster!
- Face Smack: Got over-eager on a hook, leaned in too far. Bag swung back faster than expected and tapped my nose. Lesson learned!
Finding a Tiny Bit of Rhythm
Slowed way down. Focused ONLY on one thing: turning that back foot when I threw a straight right. Did it super slow. Punch… rotate foot. Punch… rotate foot. Forgot about power, forgot about speed. Just wanted the feeling. Threw maybe 20 right hands, just focusing on that foot twist connecting to the hip twist. Started to feel… less terrible? Like things were actually connected? Small win!
Switched to the left hand. Same deal. Slow. Patient. Focusing just on turning the left foot and pushing the hip forward. Felt weirdly heavy at first. Kept going. Gradually, started feeling my weight shift forward a tiny bit. Felt like I was pushing the punch a little instead of just waving my arm.
Putting It Together (Sort Of)
Took a break. Drank some water. Came back feeling slightly less like a spastic robot. Tried throwing simple combos: Jab (left), Straight (right). Slow motion at first. Jab… turn foot? Right straight… OTHER foot turn! Felt like learning to walk again.
Gradually, very gradually, sped it up a tiny bit. Stopped thinking about every single twist and turn. Tried to just move. Focused on breathing OUT with each punch. Kept checking my stupid elbows weren’t doing their chicken dance.
Still messed up. Lost the rhythm sometimes. Elbow flared. Breath caught in my throat. But… not as often. The punches started sounding different on the bag. Less “thwap”, more “pop”. Started feeling it travel through the bag a little bit. Not massive power, but solid.
The “Master” Conclusion? Not Yet!
Mastering anything takes time, especially basics. Today wasn’t about perfect Alex Punch techniques flying off my hands. Nope. It was about getting schooled by the very first steps.
-
Big takeaways for next time:
- Slow the heck down. Forget power initially.
- Shoulders STAY DOWN. No turtle impressions.
- One piece at a time: Foot, Hip, Shoulder, Punch. Drill it separately.
- Breath. Out. On. Every. Punch. Seriously.
- Check the mirror constantly for stupid elbow flares.
Feel super humble now. Those basics? They’re the real deal. Gotta crawl before I sprint. My bag took some hits, my pride took more, but hey, the journey’s begun. More practice tomorrow!
