Ever thought of pulling on a pair of gloves and doing a dance or two around the ring? Boxing is notoriously tough, but with the Speed Bag: Urban Gym app (99 cents) you can get a taste for the sport without worrying about suffering a black eye.
The app leads you through increasingly difficult rounds of speed bag exercises. The instructions for Round 1 state you must strike the bag at least 10 times, and notes that 50 percent of your strikes must be good strikes for you to advance.
You are also advised to “pay attention to the speed bag cadence – rat-tat-tat, rat-tat-tat.”
I flubbed my first few hits, but then settled into a nice rhythm and passed Round 1 with no trouble. Round 2 was a different story, however, as it requires you to hit consecutive angled strikes. It took me several tries to catch the ball at the correct time at the right and left corners of my iPhone screen. The difficulty progresses from there.
I don’t know whether the app improves real life boxing skills, as it claims, but with a little practice, striking and controlling the speed bag does become easier. Of course, you don’t get any of the intense cardio workout that boxers get during their daily training at the gym.
But if you become the next Manny Pacquiao, you will know who to thank.
