Hitting into a Boxing Punching Bag: Good or Bad?

[mann]

A 100lb heavy bag for hitting and long toss for pitching are the drills that have produced the best results for me.

Any prop used in a drill can be dangerous, just use your head.

same here, for both.
Long toss has always been my dds favorite,

How far back have you seen someone get, in the step back drill? (pitch step back, pitch step back) Center field?

Fun stuff

 

[SBFAMILY]

The damage as mann pointed out would be to the wrists. You release the wrists at contact, turn the barrel, not a push. The bat stops and cannot go to extension and bounces backwards. That jolt or sudden impact is the issue. If mann is using a soft object than no issue. The big issue is hitting tires, punching bags, inflated basketballs. I was a a college camp that had 14 and under kids hitting a punching bag as hard as they could swing. After that camp, may kids were complaing about soreness in the wrists and arms. Growth plates are not developed in young kids and not to sound as a sexist , girls are not use to that type of activity. Heck at 14 I was cutting wood. I'm sure some girls do this but not many. The above coach was a male and had no idea what he was doing. That is my issue with male coaches not understanding or teaching to the level of the students. I see more of it in high school than anywhere else, since I travel and give clinics to high schools. Not to pick on baseball coaches, but that is where most softball coaches in high school got started.

 

[bleacherdad]

Plastic bat, IMO.

Also, the purpose is not to teach the feel of driving through. It's to teach the feel of ideal point of contact.

Read no further than this post. This post describes/captures all that is the bag drill.

The drive through the ball, as prescribed by others in this thread, is a worthless concept.
Why not hit basketballs while we at it.

 

[mann]

Read no further than this post. This post describes/captures all that is the bag drill.

The drive through the ball, as prescribed by others in this thread, is a worthless concept.
Why not hit basketballs while we at it.

Try it, hitting basketballs, let me know how that works for you.
Then hit a bean bag chair.

 

[ChrisSB]

Just wanted to bump up this old thread and see if there were any other thoughts on punching bag drills?

 

[Rolling Hard]

Heavy bag is a tool to teach visually where the parts should be at contact. Hitter should swing maybe 60 to 70 percent.

 

[Ksphenom]

I use a heavy bag with the weckmethod RTM club. It's a check swing utilizing three locations on the bag. Low, medium (normal), and high swings within the players normal strike zone. Huge emphasis on speed and technique. No overloading or bat wrap allowed nor any pulling off front shoulder or head while trying to hit the bag harder and faster. Have the player take note about the feel of the power (feel) from feet, legs, core transferring to and through the club while holding the finish.

 

[docnsx01]

My daughter's 10U team has a station during hitting practice where the girls stand in front of a big boxing punching bag and swing into it. The bag is right about where contact would be so hitting the bag stops the girls' swing abruptly at that point. This seems like a bad drill to me. Shouldn't the girls be working on feeling like they are hitting "through the ball" and extending instead of having their swings stopped at contact?

My daughter used to be instructed into hitting into something rigid . Usually at her lessons inside they woujd tell her to swing into the heavy rubber backstop a few times to have strong point contact .. I like you always thought it should continue after the point of contact to be able to finish swing ! So my buddy and I made this this comes apart but the base that has wheels is over 100lbs for stability ! It height adjusts but it allows her to extend thru her swing .. we do however use wrist guards when she attacks it

 

[Josh Greer]

I'm too lazy to go back through the thread to see if it was already said. But I like the old tire on a stick drill better than a bag. Take 2 old tires and cut holes vertically. Stack the 2 tires (again, vertically) onto a pole mounted sturdy. Ours was always a pole in the ground. You could make something more portable as well.

The drill is similar to the bag drill except the tires can rotate on impact. So you can actually drive through it. Not sure if that's what you are going for. But it's what we midwest hicks have done.

EDIT: too funny....see directly above.

 

[radness]

My daughter's 10U team has a station during hitting practice where the girls stand in front of a big boxing punching bag and swing into it. The bag is right about where contact would be so hitting the bag stops the girls' swing abruptly at that point. This seems like a bad drill to me. Shouldn't the girls be working on feeling like they are hitting "through the ball" and extending instead of having their swings stopped at contact?

Never have liked that.

THERE is a point where injury should be considered.
Cant swing as hard as we should/can because its a fixed object. Or too heavy to move.
THERE is a point where mechanics can be hindered.
THERE is deffinetly different swing mechanics were the impact moment actually hinders what needs to occur right at impact barrel hitting through the ball.

If anything IT would be better to swing at weighted balls as driving barrell (or pulling for some) is extremely important.

Plus there are many drills that promote exploding to and threw the ball without hinderence of fixed overweighted bag.

*some people may like it.
I do not.