Thanks Alan!

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
  • Chris M
    Speed Bag Guru
    • Mar 2006
    • 750

    Thanks Alan!

    I got a speed bag set up for Christmas and shortly thereafter bought the Speed bag Bible and DVD and I've been hooked ever since.

    Alan, I don't know how I could have learned what I've learned without your fantastic instruction. Your enthusiasm and experience is evident right from the beginning and you are an excellent instructor.

    I've been lurking the forms for a while and I have gotten some very good information.

    Although I got the cheapie Everlast setup originally, I quickly upgraded the drum with a 1.5" cherry board that I was able to make myself since another of my hobbies is woodworking. I also upgraded the swivel at first to the Everlast chain-link swivel, I quickly got discouraged with it and bought a metal ball and hook swivel.

    I recently got a great deal on a used Ringside adjustable speed bag platform for a really good deal and I want to put it outside on my garage wall in the back yard so I can enjoy working the bag in the outdoors.

    Last night, I was searching ebay and found the same seller had another one like I bought and it has the possibility of also being a good deal. I was not disappointed because I got this setup for about $250 including shipping and it goes for over $600 new from Ringside.

    Check it out: http://cgi.ebay.com/Ringside-Heavywe...QQcmdZViewItem

    Someone else on this forum may be in the market for a good deal.

    Again, thanks Alan! I hope to meet you someday at a sports show or other demo.

    Chris
  • Tim
    Administrator and Founder of SpeedBagForum.com


    • Jan 2006
    • 3428

    #2
    Originally posted by Chris M
    Alan, I don't know how I could have learned what I've learned without your fantastic instruction. Your enthusiasm and experience is evident right from the beginning and you are an excellent instructor.
    I'll second that. The DVDs are great. I've watched the 2 hr complete training one 3 times now.

    Originally posted by Chris M
    I quickly upgraded the drum with a 1.5" cherry board that I was able to make myself since another of my hobbies is woodworking.
    I'd love to see a picture of that if you can upload one

    Comment

    • Chris M
      Speed Bag Guru
      • Mar 2006
      • 750

      #3
      I'll take a picture and will upload it tonight when I get home from work.

      Comment

      • Chris M
        Speed Bag Guru
        • Mar 2006
        • 750

        #4
        BTW Alan, thanks for your support of our troops. I am 14 year veteran of the US Army and Florida National Guard and it's nice to see you support the troops.

        Field Artillery! Hooahh!

        Comment

        • Speedbag
          Author of the Speed Bag Bible, founder of speedbagcentral.com

          • Feb 2006
          • 7109

          #5
          speed bag answer

          Hi Chris M.

          Thanks for the kind remarks. Believe it or not, I started "The Speed Bag Bible", and finished it 7 years later, basically because I knew there were people like you (and Tim, and many others I've met..) that loved the speed bag like I did - and were waiting for a way to "let the genie out of the lamp", or give them a purpose, or path to know and do more with it. I knew that because anywhere in public that I got under a board to workout, they came. and kept coming, wanting "to learn how to do that.." So here is a little history for you on how it came about.

          One day in a local health club, one of my more faithful students at the time, Greg Bashara (saxophone on right) said to me: "man, you need to figure out a way to write all this down. I can't remember it all, and if you die I'm never gonna figure it out..."

          That was about 1989. I thought about it, and being philosophical (at times..), I decided he was right. A lot of people seemed to gather round and watch, wanting to learn. and there was no book I could find that explained the speed bag. Again, being philosophical, everyone wants to leave at least one footprint in the sand of history, or knowledge - and maybe this was my niche. It was an empty corner in the boxing/fitness market.

          So I started writing down everything I thought I knew about the speed bag. Actually, that is when my real education began, for along the way I learned much more than I ever knew. and my own skill skyrocketed also. I started videotaping my workouts, talking to the camera, experimenting with combinations, bags, swivels and music. I have many S-VHS tapes full of workouts.
          I started in 1989, and finished the first version of the book in May 1995, and got the first printed copies in July 1995.

          The "Supershow", sponsored by the Sporting Goods Manufactors Assoc, held the largest sporting goods convention/trade show in the USA. ( it just ended in January 2006. last show... internet is killing need for conventions )
          I was at the Supershow in February 1996 doing speed bag demonstrations for a company called HITMAN. Click on pictures called speed bag appearances, photo #1 to see me at this convention. I'm hitting an everlast 4200.
          They made a home boxing gym/heavy bag & speed bag unit and I was brought along to basically to demonstrate and draw a crowd. After one demonstration, a guy came up to me and said: "Hi, I'm John Brown, owner of Ringside Boxing. That was amazing, and if you have a book and video I want to sell it." I had a book, but no video. He said: "You need to make a video or a series on how you do this. When can you have it ready?" ( I also met several representatives from the USA/atlanta Olympic committee, which also proved fateful, as you will read in a moment)

          to that point, all my speed bag footage (and pictures in the book..) had been shot in my garage/speed bag studio. That wouldn't work for a saleable video production, so I turned one bedroom into my "video studio". covered a full wall window with the blue bedspread background and started shooting. I took three weeks off from work in May 1996 to shoot the footage. Now I live in Texas. Most days in May - August, It is 100 degrees plus during the days. With 340_degree Kelvin video lights, There was no way I could film during the day. ( and traffic noise was a problem also). So, for three weeks, I slept / viewed and wrote script during the day, and shot the video's at night, when it was "down" in the 80's. I would tape from about 10pm to 6am. I quit shooting for these tapes the end of May '96.

          In june 1996, I began preparing demonstrations for the Summer Olympics. mostly editing music for an awards show/banquet. In July 1996, I went with Hitman to the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, GA (their other companies are: NDL industries and most especially Body Armour, which they supplied to many dignitaries and the international police force personnel that were all over atlanta for the games. As an equipment sponsor, they did seminars in body armor equipment, and I did speed bag seminars at Morehouse college for one week. This was my last association with Hitman. (I was also supposed to be the boxing related entertainment for a USA olympic boxing tribute/banquet for the American boxing team, with Evander Holyfield as the guest speaker. I would hit the bag in a musical demo, then he would speak to the boxers and dignitaries). But if you remember, a bomb went off at centennial park, and the teams were all put under lockdown. The banquet was cancelled.

          After that, I edited the tapes during August 1996. All this was done on my own equipment at home. My finished "Edited S-VHS Video Masters" tapes were ready for reproduction in September 1996 and were first offered in the Ringside Catalog christmas edition of 1996.

          In 2002 I re-edited the openings and endings to add new footage (cycle footage shot in 1997-1998), and new distributors in credits. The book has had several printings, with various changes and corrections. (Just yesterday, I found an error on page 109 )

          But hearing from guys like you, Tim, KDiver58, Fuzz_Donkey, et al. make it all worth it. I just knew you guys were out there.......

          +++++++++++++++++++++

          By the way, I have hit the Ringside wall unit you are talking about. VERY nice unit. Great sound, and very stable.

          Sorry for the length of this post. But I thought you might want to know how some of this came about.

          by the way, my Day Job is a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist for the department of Veteran Affairs (VA hospitals). I started out there as a recreation therapist, actually. Been 24 years now. Regardless of the politics of the war, we will always love the warrior.

          My materials, and time should location allow, will always be free to any who pay this price.
          Speed Bag

          Put a little Rhythm in YOUR workout!
          *attendee: Every SB gathering so far!
          The Quest Continues...
          Hoping for another Gathering...


          sigpic

          The Art of the Bag

          Comment

          • Chris M
            Speed Bag Guru
            • Mar 2006
            • 750

            #6
            Thanks for taking the time for that post, I enjoyed it. As a matter of fact, I'm going to print it out and stick it in my copy of the Speedbag Bible.

            I really look forward to picking your (and others here) brain!

            Chris

            Comment

            Speedbagforum.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
            Working...