Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a spontaneous form of cross-fighting that combines various fighting styles like boxing, wrestling, judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), etc. The MMA fighters do not use the speed bag or are not fully reliant on boxing.
The speed bag is a major training apparatus in MMA since it teaches fighters how to fasten their hands, improve accuracy, and develop coordination. But not every MMA fighter trains with the speed bag.
Why Do Some MMA Fighters Use a Speed Bag?
At this point, even before diving into specific reasons why one might avoid the speed bag, there need to be words on its good properties. Usage of a speed bag is often encountered in those fighters who specialize in boxing to a far higher degree, where hand speed, precision, and timing are especially important. The speed bag develops:
- Hand-eye coordination – It trains reflexes and punching accuracy.
- Punching speed – Useful for delivering quick and accurate punches.
- Rhythm and timing – Develops the ability to find a steady rhythm while striking.
- Endurance for the shoulders – Strengthens the shoulder muscles so that a fighter can throw more punches without tiring out.
This is why such fighters as Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier, who must win fights based on their boxing skill set, are often seen using the speed bag bag becomes a valuable tool for these strikers.
Fighters Who Do Not Use a Speed Bag
Conversely, there is a fair number of mixed martial arts fighters who exclude the speed bag from their training routine. Most of these happen to hail from grappling-heavy traditions such as wrestling, judo, or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). Their style relies more heavily on takedown, ground control, and submission than it does on striking techniques, which is why such training on speed bags holds less priority for them.
Fighters From a Wrestling Background
Whereas wrestlers focus on takedowns, clinch work, and ground control, they often do not train on striking exchanges. Their conclusion is simple; working with the speed bag is not going to generate any significant improvement in their ability to dominate opponents, so they focus on:
- Takedown drills – Practicing double-leg and single-leg takedowns.
- Ground-and-pound techniques – Improving striking from top control.
- Strength and conditioning – Increasing explosiveness and endurance concerning grappling exchanges.
Because fighters like Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan will rely heavily on wrestling, neither find the use for a speed bag in training.
Fighters with a Judo Background
Judo strategies mostly involve the usage of throws and clinch tactics to bring opponents down. It emphasizes the gripping, balance, and body control aspects of fighting, as opposed to striking.
They do not use punches or punching combinations, and thus, a speed bag is not present in the week of judo-based fighters.
A couple of notable names from the MMA circuit with a judo background who don’t utilize speed bags are Ronda Rousey and Kayla Harrison. Their main strategy is to bring the fight to the ground and submit rather than stand and bang.
Fighters with a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Background
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is majorly submission-based in which the fighter controls the opponent on the ground and imposes the submission. Striking is not a prominent ingredient in BJJ; therefore, a speed bag is not a determinant factor for these fighters.
Charles Oliveira, a former UFC lightweight champion, has an excellent BJJ game and tends to finish with submissions, and he doesn’t rely on speed bag training since grappling is his main strength.
Fighters with a Karate Background
Karate fighters emphasize explosive movements and precision striking, but that does not mean a speed bag is always in use. Karate, unlike boxing, has a focus on making one single strike effective rather than putting together a series of punches. Fighters like Stephen Thompson and Lyoto Machida use various striking drills in place of a speed bag.
Does Not Being Able to Use the Speed Bag Affect Performance?
Despite the pluses of cooking with a speed bag, refusal to do so may not directly entail a handicap for a fighter. MMA is such a sport that allows for multiple valid fighting styles, and each fighter somewhat adjusts the training to play to their strengths.
Wrestlers, for instance, prevail on the ground to control the opponent, thus sidestepping punching speed altogether.
Punches are outweighed by submissions for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialists in concluding fights. Thus, it becomes less important for them to develop punching speed.
Judo fighters rely mostly on grips and throws, on which they would enhance their training.
So those fighters who don’t employ speed bag training learn to compensate by sharpening up other areas of their game. Instead of focusing on punch speed, they could work on strength training, endurance, grappling, or cage control.
Conclusion
Training for speed, accuracy, and coordination requires tools like speed bags. Speed bags are not usually used by MMA fighters. These are very important for boxers while people coming from grappling, judoka, BJJ, or karate backgrounds do not even include them in their training.
Grapplers like Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan or maybe Charles Oliveira, among several others, need not ever touch a speed bag to learn the art in MMA. Instead, they focus on training methods to succeed in a specialty and show that there are many ways to reach play in the octagon.
In the end, speed bags are all about either using or avoiding them based on a fighter’s style or strategy adopted. MMA being the blend of different disciplines requires every fighter to do something unique in his/her training to maximize strengths in the cage.