The heavy bag is one of the most versatile and effective tools in boxing training. It’s also easily accessible—many gyms, even those not focused on boxing, often have a heavy bag. Incorporating a variety of drills and exercises on the heavy bag will not only improve your technique but also make your workouts more intense and enjoyable. The added challenge can increase your motivation to train longer and harder, ultimately boosting your boxing skills.
Below I’ll break down a few drills and approaches on how to hit the heavy bag. When developing a heavy bag routine, it’s important to break it into rounds that align with your training goals and current fitness level. Using a round timer will help you stay consistent. A typical structure consists of three minutes of work followed by one minute of rest, mimicking standard fight or sparring rounds. For high-intensity rounds, such as pyramid punch-outs, you may need shorter rounds, especially if you’re not yet conditioned for longer sessions.
How to Hit the Heavy Bag
Be mindful of your rest periods. Active rest (such as footwork drills) is ideal for lower-intensity rounds, while passive rest (deep breathing and walking around the bag) is best after high-intensity efforts. Don’t forget your footwork during all rounds—move around the bag, step off, pivot, and practice stance switches. The only time footwork isn’t the focus is when you’re working on punching with balance, where the goal is to stay stable and deliver shots.
In this guide, we’ve broken down heavy bag drills into three main categories: Attack Rounds, Defense and Attack Rounds, and Conditioning Rounds. Mixing these in your workouts will keep your training balanced and effective.
Attack Rounds
Head-Body-Head
This drill is about practicing level changes. Start with a punch to the head, drop to the body, and finish with one or two shots back to the head. The goal is to flow smoothly and quickly between these levels. Mix up straight punches and hooks, for example: jab to the head, hook to the body, and finish with a hook to the head. You can also focus on throwing all punches from the same side. This drill helps develop unpredictability and improve your chances of landing clean shots.
Hooks – Short, Medium, Long Range
Work on switching up the range of your hooks. Begin with close-range hooks while staying tight to the bag, then step back to medium range, and finally, throw hooks from maximum range where they can still connect effectively. Make sure to mix in shots from both hands and change ranges quickly. This drill will help you adapt your hook game depending on the distance from your opponent.
Jab Round
The jab is fundamental, especially for outside fighters. In this round, focus on different aspects of the jab: throw singles, doubles, triples, and quadruples. Incorporate movement and mix up your levels by jabbing to the head and body. Use feints, snap your jab back as quickly as possible, and try half-beat jabs where the second jab only returns halfway before snapping back out. Use this round to set up combinations and practice your footwork.
Southpaw/Switch Stance Jab
Try practicing a full jab round in your non-natural stance. This will expose weaknesses in your footwork and technique. It’s also great for developing speed in your cross when you switch back to your natural stance. Apply the same principles from the standard jab round but focus on improving your switch stance.
Body Attacks
In this round, focus on body shots. Throw pure body combinations, mix in footwork, and practice finishing combos with body shots. Use both straight punches and hooks to the body. When throwing body hooks, aim diagonally upward as if you’re targeting the opponent’s opposite shoulder. Perfecting this can make your body shots more devastating.
Short Combos
This is a great early round to warm up and solidify your fundamentals. Focus on simple combinations like jab-cross or double jab-cross. Keep things basic but sharp, paying attention to technique and movement in and out of combos. This round is an excellent way to fine-tune your basics before progressing to more complex combinations.
Punching with Balance
This round focuses on delivering punches while maintaining balance. Limit your footwork and concentrate on staying stable with weight on the balls of your feet. Move minimally, then plant yourself and throw combinations. Focus on upper-body movements like slips and rolls from a balanced stance. This drill also helps develop power by allowing you to throw more stable and controlled punches.
Working on the Inside
Simulate inside fighting by getting close to the heavy bag. Maintain contact with the bag, throw short, sharp punches, and use your elbows and shoulders to simulate controlling your opponent. This drill will get you comfortable working in close quarters and improve your ability to deliver fast, tight shots up close.
Moving to the Right
Spend a full round moving to the right, which can feel awkward at first since most boxers naturally move left. This drill helps you develop better movement to your weak side, giving you an edge in sparring by making you less predictable. Southpaws should move to the left. Practice jabbing while moving to the right, and circle off before throwing combinations.
Defense and Attack Rounds
Block and Counter
Start by practicing one block and counter move until it feels smooth. For example, catch an imaginary jab and return with your own jab. Once this feels natural, mix up the block and counter combinations, such as a side guard block followed by a hook. Focus on fast counters, training your body to respond instinctively to an opponent’s attack.
Dempsey Roll
This classic drill combines head movement with powerful hooks. Slip your head to one side while throwing a wide hook with the opposite hand, then slip the other way and throw the hook from the opposite hand. The Dempsey Roll keeps your head moving off the centerline, making you a harder target while generating extra power from your body’s momentum.
In and Out Compound Attacks
This drill combines defense and attack. Start out of range, then quickly step into range to deliver a fast combination before stepping back out. Focus on getting in and out of range efficiently. Add in ducking before and after your attacks to make your defense and offense fluid.
Head Movement Between Punches
Improve head movement by incorporating slips, dips, and pulls between punches. Try starting with head movement before launching a combo, then add head movement between and after punches. For example, jab, slip left, slip right, then throw a straight right. This drill will make you more difficult to hit and improve your fluidity in the ring.
Heavy Bag Conditioning Rounds
Breathing and Relaxation Round
After high-intensity rounds, this drill helps you recover while teaching you to relax during a fight. Focus on efficient breathing—short exhalations with each punch and deep breaths between combos. Loosen up your shoulders and body while throwing light combinations and moving around the bag. This round builds stamina and keeps you calm under pressure.
Low Drives
Work on your leg conditioning by staying in a low stance while delivering punches. This will burn your legs but improve endurance. Stay low, deliver shots, then move to a new position while maintaining a low stance.
Punch-out/Pyramid Punch-out
This round pushes your fitness to the limit. Throw multiple shots in quick succession (at least six punches), then move. For a pyramid punch-out, start with two punches, then increase the number of punches until you reach ten, then work your way back down. This drill simulates the final rounds of a fight, forcing you to keep punching when fatigued.
By incorporating these rounds into your routine, you’ll maximize your heavy bag training and improve your overall boxing game. Many of these drills can also be adapted to double-end and uppercut bags, giving you even more options for your training. Keep pushing yourself, and you’ll see the results in the ring!
About the Author: Jason Van Veldhuysen
Jason Van Veldhuysen has been coaching boxing for the past 20 years and has been an online boxing coach for the past 15 years. He is the founder of the Precision Striking Youtube Channel (over 1 million subscribers), as well as the founder of the Precision Striking Membership, an exclusive program that helps fighters train to their highest levels while refining their boxing skills and technique. With years of experience as an amateur boxer and a passion for teaching, Jason specializes in footwork, combinations, and drills that elevate a boxer’s overall game. Known for his clear and practical training methods, Jason has helped boxers at all levels—from beginners to competitive fighters—reach their full potential.