Hey everyone, I'm looking for some friendly advice. I bought a 75 pound bag a few months ago. I also bought Everlast bag gloves and hand wraps. My problem is, when I hit the bag, the knuckle of middle finger on my right hand hurts a lot. I'm right handed and take an orthodox position. I even tried those Everlast gel wraps, and double wrapping my hands and still that one knuckle hurts bad enough that I can't work the bag as often as I'd like to. Any helpful advice on techniques or equipment would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Hi Steve, Can't comment on your form since I can't see you hitting the bag (welcome to life in the virtual world). Still, assuming your form is decent, you might just need to work on a little conditioning--it takes a while to get your joints to the point where they can tolerate the punishment of hitting the heavy bag. You might need to hit the bag with something more substantial than bag gloves (often 8oz or less). Try some 16s and see how your hands feel. This may be a very simple fix. If not, read on. Try doing knuckle push-ups on your off days. This will not only toughen up the knuckles but your wrists and forearms too. I spent years doing thousands of these per week and had no problems on the heavy bag. They're also good for improving your grip, which is important too. When you make contact with the bag, squeeze your fist tightly at the moment of impact (then relax again). I come from a karate background and this was always the secret to not busting up your hand, knuckles, or whatever when breaking boards and the like. Every single one of us eventually made the mistake of hitting the target full power without fully tightening our hands. The lucky ones only ended up with sore hands. The rest of us had the opportunity to reflect on our stupidity as we waited for broken knuckles to heal. While board breaking in karate is definitely not the same as a heavy bag workout in boxing, the principle (so far as your hands are concerned) is pretty similar. Remember, the bags typically are filled with sand (try hitting a heavy bag toward the bottom sometime and you'll have a really good sense of what it feels like to hit a brick). In any case, good luck and keep on boxing. :thumbsup
