Expert: Alan Kahn - 10/14/2006

Question
im 25 and have been boxing training for about 6 yrs have used f2c ball heavy bag speedball pads etc never had any probs so i made myself a wee gym to get in some sneaky practice between lessons and i bought a bag a f2c ball and a speedball, the problem is my speedball is as slow as shit so slow it is un useable it will only give me 2 rebouns which as you know is no good i can sqeeze a third out if i really scud it but i know that something is not right with it the others i have used have been much faster the ball is pumped to the correct pressure {to the touch} and the problem persists i was wondering ball or board? it is a BRYAN speedball set its in the argos book any ideas


Answer
Hi Thomas,

I am not familiar with the "Bryan Speedball set" personally, but a web search finds this:

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3022690/Trail/C%24cip%3D42222.S...

I am not sure why you can only get two rebounds out of your bag, except to suggest it may be a any one of a few problems. The board may not be holding still. This is a single vertical Pole system, meaning there is only one vertical mount holding the unit on the wall. In my experience, these tend to shake a lot as you punch them, and any extra board vibration interferes with the natural rebounds of the board (effectively, killing them). It also looks like a very light board, and probably rattles on it's own.

The swivel could be an issue. I'm not sure what kind of swivel you have but the "shorter" ones are normally better. I have seen some swivels, especially European models, that are pretty "long", in that from their board attachment to the bottom of the swivel, it is a long distance. This distance adds drag by creating a longer rebound arc, which slows the bag down. You might consider changing swivels.

The bag could also be a factor. I am not familiar with the bag shown here, and don't know what kind of material it is or if that shape does well.

In my experience with similar problems, it is usually a board problem. A good way to check might be to take your speedball to another location and try and use it on another board, (hopefully a better one) and see if that makes a difference. If it does, your board is an issue. If not, try another bag on your board and see if it is really slow also. If another bag performs better, than the problem may be with the bag.

Lastly, hit your bag somewhere on a different swivel and see if that makes a difference, but be careful to note that the board may also be different. If you can, change to another swivel on YOUR board and see what happens.

Good luck and hope some of these suggestions help you.

sincerely,

Alan Kahn
author, The Speed Bag Bible