by Shawn Longmore |
Last Updated: June 3, 2021 What's In This Post?
Punching bags
If you’re a fighter or fitness enthusiast, adding a punching bag to your gear and practicing on it is a must. Punching bags should be a part of every fighter’s training equipment, whether you’re a beginner or advanced in the sport.
When I was training to fight, I can say that the punching bags and focus mitts were essential equipment to help improve my power, endurance, accuracy, and speed.
The first-ever punching bag was invented back in the 1800s which was made from animal skins and filled with sand. The skin was usually from a bull or horse, but other parts of the world used different types of material for its construction.
Years after, fighting gyms evolved the design of punching bags to make them more durable and secure. As a result, today we have a wide range designed to suit everyone’s training needs.
Types of Punching Bags
There are over 30 types of punching bags available in the market today for boxers, mixed martial artists, and fitness lovers. Some of the more popular brands include Title, Everlast, and Century. The most common bags are the hanging, flow, free-standing heavy, speed, and grappling dummy. So which type is best? Your training style and personal preference will help make this decision.
Their designs and size vary significantly, but they’re generally used for the same purpose – to keep you fit and give you a place to practice your kicks, punches, or combinations. We’ll cover each type of punching bag below to help you make an informed decision on which to buy. Finally, I’ll show you some tips on choosing the right punching bag for your training needs.
Free Standing
Free-standing punching bags are the most common and popular ones, with a base designed to stabilize and keep it upright while training. However, I’ve been able to knock it over with a spinning heel kick. This type of bag will typically weigh between 100 and 500 pounds after filling the base with sand or water—some of the larger ones can reach weights as heavy as a thousand pounds.
The free-standing heavy bag material is typically vinyl, leather, or synthetic with a foam-filled center. I love hitting this bag, but it tends to move around the room when punching it too hard. To avoid chasing it around the room, try not to use maximum power to hit it when practicing.
If you plan to buy a free-standing punching bag, make sure that it has an adjustable hook so you can adjust its height. Thus, making it easy to move from adult size to kid-size in a matter of seconds. These bags are also easily moved out of the way to free up space.
The price can range from around $200 to over a thousand dollars.
FITVEN Free Standing Punching Bag 70''- 205 lbs with Boxing Gloves
Bags for Kids
Kids can hit on full-size heavy bags, but having something smaller is probably better for their height and reach. For that purpose, you can get them a punching bag shorter than most standard adult bags. These are known as mini or junior heavy bags, and they’re usually smaller in size – about half the length of the regular heavy bag.
Kid bags will typically come with an adjustable hook to help you change the height, which is excellent for growing kids. The weight of these bags ranges from about 20 to 60 pounds, although larger ones are available in the market.
The price for kid’s punching bags can range from around $50 to over a hundred dollars.
RDX Kids Punching Bag with Gloves. Heavy Filled Boxing Set with Non Tear Maya Hide Leather.
Hanging Bags
This training bag generally hangs from a frame or roof beam and is suspended by ropes or chains. It’s also known as the “long rope” punching bag since it looks like a long hanging rope attached to the ceiling.
You can swing side to side, forward, or backward when hitting this bag, making it a little more challenging to practice kicks, punches, and combinations. Hanging heavy bags come in different sizes, starting at about three feet long and ending at over six feet.
The price for hanging bags can range from under $100 to over $1000.
Outslayer Filled 100 lbs Heavy Punching Bag. Perfect for boxing and martial arts training.
Speed Bags
The speed bag is simply a smaller version of the heavy hanging bag. It’s hand-sized, and you can practice your punches on it easily without taking up too much space. Speed bags have a circular frame and are typically around 12 inches in diameter.
They come in two pieces – the base and cover are available in leather or synthetic materials. Since these bags are small, they can also be mounted on the side of a wall to help you practice kicks and punches effectively.
The cost for speed bags can range from under $30 to over a hundred dollars.
Meister SpeedKills Leather Speed Bag w/Lightweight Latex Bladder.
- Genuine full-grain cowhide leather
- Lightweight inner latex bladder provides faster performance
- Balanced and centered
- Available in Small (7.5" x 5"), Medium (9.5" x 6"), Large (10.5" x 7")
Bungee Ball
This type of bag looks like a speed bag with a bungee cord on the top and bottom. The ropes help pull the bungee ball back in place during your punches and kicks. It’s a relatively new design that provides better resistance than speed bags but is slightly more challenging to use.
The cost for bungee punching bags typically costs less $50.
TOCO FREIDO Double End Punching Ball, Speed Bag with 2 Difficulty Levels. It can help train your reaction, agility, punching speed, fight skill and hand eye coordination while providing an interesting workout. Specially designed for MMA ,boxing , fighting and other punching training, and for professional use in gyms as well as workouts at home gym.
Light Duty Inflatable
Kids and seniors will love the light-duty inflatable punching bag to help them stay fit through boxing and martial arts training. The light-duty bags tend to be smaller and lighter than the more common heavy bags we’re used to seeing in gyms.
These synthetic punching bags are cheaper than leather or vinyl, and you can also find them in different colors. The cost for light-duty punching bags can range from under $25 to over a hundred.
Protocol Inflatable Punching Bag for Fitness and Cardio. Get a solid workout with this full-sized, inflatable punching bag that can handle the toughest of punches and kicks. Enhance your agility, speed, and reflexes all while enjoying a fun cardio session.
Grappling Dummy
The grappling dummy is a specialized practice bag that provides an opponent feel during your training sessions. If you’ve taken a grappling, wrestling, or Jiu-Jitsu class, then you’ve most likely rolled around with one of these. They come in different sizes and weigh between 20 and 100 pounds, depending on your height and strength.
Grappling dummy bags are leather or nylon, and although they’re great for practicing ground fighting, some people use them to practice their punches, kicks, and strikes.
These will typically cost you over a hundred dollars to purchase adult sizes or under $50 for kids.
✅ Get Train with Human Shaped Dummy
✅ Especially Designed for Kids
✅ Made by Premium Quality Canvas, Durable and Washable
Combat Sports 70, 90, 120 & 140 lb Grappling, MMA, Wrestling, and Submission Dummy.
Body Opponent Bag
The body opponent bag will also give fighters the feeling they are battling a real person while training. It’s similar to the free-standing punching bag since it has a base that holds sand or water. However, unlike the punching bag, this one is shaped like a person. One of the popular models out there is called Bob.
The Bob bag usually costs less than $400.
Century B.O.B. (Body Opponent Bag) - Freestanding punching dummy for all martial arts training styles. Perfect for boxers too!
Horse Hide
The genuine horsehide bags tend to be more expensive than regular vinyl or synthetic punching bags. However, they’re also more rigid and thicker, which provides better resistance when training. In addition, you can expect a quality horsehide punching bag to last for decades, unlike lighter-weight bags you can get for under $100.
These will typically cost around $400 to over a thousand dollars.
Water Filled
Similar to the heavy hanging bag, water-filled bags are typically larger and heavier than regular practice bags. Water-filled bags use ropes or chains to hang from the ceiling but can also be attached to a stand. They’re made of durable materials such as vinyl and have a center core that’s filled with water to help reduce the impact on your joints while training. When you hit the bag, it will absorb your punch or kick instead of feeling solid.
I loved going to the gym and training on this type of bag. I would swing it away from me then throw a sidekick as it was coming back to me. The bag would almost fold in half and wrap around my foot which was a pretty incredible feeling.
Water-filled bags used to cost around $1,000 but now have a price range of $200 to $250.
The professional water-filled heavy bag is easier on joints than traditional sand-filled bags.
How are punching bags made?
These days, punching bags are made from synthetic materials because they last longer than leather and hold up better when boxing or practicing martial arts.
The most popular punching bag material is vinyl since it’s easy to maintain. However, the downside of vinyl is that it will eventually start to sag, which means you’ll have to fill it more often or tighten the stitching.
You can also find them in a variety of other materials, such as leather and neoprene. They tend to be pricier and sometimes harder to find, but you can expect them to last longer than vinyl.
How do I care for my punching bag?
Most punching bags come with a vinyl cover that’s easy to remove so you can clean and dust it off. Most experts recommend wiping down your bag after each use. You’ll need to be careful and look out for any tears or holes in the bag so you can patch them up and prevent them from getting worse. Most bags also come with a zipper to allow you to move or replace fillings if your bag is starting to lose its shape.
When cleaning your punching bag, don’t forget about the chains or cords that connect the bag to the ceiling or wall.
Will a punching bag help build muscle?
Absolutely! They are great for building strength in both shoulders and core muscles and your upper body through repeated impact when you strike the bag. They’re also great for cardio. I like to set a 5-minute timer and run through different combinations as fast as possible. Give it a try, and I guarantee you’ll be out of air within a minute or two.
Training
Now that you better understand the different bags available let’s talk about some training techniques.
How often should I use my bag?
Train more often for better results. Try to set a weekly routine that implements bag work at least twice a week for best results. For example, I like to slip on my MMA gloves and hit the bag every day but don’t always find the time.
Below are some suggested warmups to help you get started. The warmup should only take about 5 minutes to complete.
- Day One: 3 rounds of 4 minutes each – Do 2 minutes with high intensity and concentrate on power, speed and combinations, then reduce your pace for the last minute to recover.
- Day Two: 3 Rounds of Punching Only 5 Minutes Each. So you’re only punching for 5 minutes, but I guarantee that you’ll feel it after.
- Day Three: 3 Rounds of Kicking Only 5 Minutes Each. Good chance this will be your most demanding workout yet! Focus on speed and power without pulling back. I prefer to hit the bag with my shin during these rounds.
- Day Four: 3 Rounds of 3-4 Punches/Kick 5 Minutes Each.
- Day Five: 3 Rounds of 1-2 Punches/Kicks 2 Minutes Each.
- Day Six and Seven: Rest
Punching Bag Workout
Start by placing your feet about shoulder-width apart. Now hold the punching bag in front of you and start slowly by moving the bag back and forth from side to side.
At this point, your goal is to keep the bag in motion as much as possible and not lose momentum when punching, which means quick, explosive blows. Then, keep practicing combinations until you start to feel fatigued.
Next, you will want to practice your kicks. Use the same motions as punching and kick the bag with your right followed by your left, then alternate between both legs on each side of the body until you’re tired.
Speed Bag Workout
The goal is to hit the bag as fast as you can for 30 seconds without losing your rhythm, then rest for 15 seconds before resuming. This bag will help build speed and endurance, which is great when learning new combinations or practicing your form.
Cardio Benefits
Working out on a bag is great for cardio. It not only increases your heart rate, but it burns calories and improves endurance levels too. It’s not hard to burn up to 500 calories in a short workout.
Bag stands
These are not expensive or hard to find. Many sporting goods stores carry them, but you may be able to find them cheaper online. The average price for a stand is about $150.
The stands are simple to set up and not only hold the bag but give you about two extra feet of space so you can practice kicks with more room to move, which can help strengthen your hip, leg, and knee muscles.
Century Heavy Bag Stand. Durable Steel Construction Includes Weight Pegs and Mounts.
- HEAVY DUTY - Sturdy base to support strong workouts
- TUBULAR CONSTRUCTION - 3-in. tubular steel construction
- HEAVY BAG CAPACITY - Holds up to a 100lb Bag
That’s a Wrap!
I hope this article was helpful in terms of choosing your next punching bag. I enjoyed writing it and will try to add more information about training techniques and workouts in the upcoming weeks. Be sure to add your email for our weekly reviews and training tips.
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