what punching bag is right for me For an aspiring boxer, mixed martial artist or fighter in preparation, there's no piece of equipment more vital than the punching bag . Punching bags act equally practice targets for helping you lot develop and perfect your punching and kicking techniques.

Just similar the residual of your sports equipment, your punching bag should mesh with your particular athletic goals. Understanding which style, size and fabric you demand is essential to your grooming.

TYPES OF PUNCHING Bags

athlete hitting the heavy bag with MMA gloves on

There are several unlike punching purse styles to consider, based on the sport you're in and your training goals. The heavy purse — ideal for improving your overall technique — may not be appropriate for an athlete looking to amend speed, reflex and reaction time. A speed bag won't be used for polishing your front kicks. The right bag for kickboxing may not be the all-time one for Muay Thai, and so on.

At Ringside, we have nearly 200 unique punching bags to consider to adjust your specific goal, sport, athletic build and budget. Here are a few of the most popular kinds:

Heavy Bag

These big, heavy-duty punching bags are typically suspended from the ceiling so that they can withstand a lot of impact. In general, heavy numberless are designed for improving overall punching and kick technique. Your "standard" heavy bags are cylindrical, but heavy bags come in several different shapes and sizes. They counterbalance betwixt 30 and 200 pounds and are typically hung with a chain, swivel or rope. Choose this kind of purse for boxing, MMA, Muay Thai, karate and more.

ringside large leather heavy bag

OUR PICK: RINGSIDE Large LEATHER HEAVY Handbag

Other Types of Heavy Bags

  • Muay Thai Heavy Handbag (aka Assistant Purse) — A slimmer and longer version of the typical heavy bag, the Muay Thai heavy bag is designed differently for training low kicks and knee strikes. These kinds of bags are often used in Muay Thai and MMA.
  • Circular Heavy Bag — Short, spherical heavy bags, or those with teardrop shapes, may exist used to hone in on certain body punches. For example, y'all may utilise what's known every bit a "wrecking ball" heavy bag if you lot want a heavyweight pocketbook that will help you perfect more targeted kicks and punches.
  • Angle Heavy Bag — The angled heavy purse usually features a top-heavy design with a broader peak portion and a slimmer trunk. These kinds of punching bags allow you to throw better straight punches, hooks, uppercuts and body shots.
  • Double End Heavy Bag — The double end heavy purse is similar the angle purse, but information technology features two dramatic angles — think of an hourglass shape. The benefit of this is that information technology allows athletes to train body-head combinations, since the silhouette of the bag roughly mimics that of an opponent.

types of heavy bags

Free-Standing Punching Purse

Gratis-standing punching bags, equally the name implies, do non require whatever kind of fixed mounting system. While most punching numberless are required to be hung from the ceiling or attached to the wall, complimentary-standing bags are mounted on a heavy, durable base. This allows them to placed anywhere that in that location is room. They are too easily re-positioned to allow a space to have multiple uses. Typically these types of bags have a spring-loaded design so that the bag returns to the fighter when hit. This type of recoil offers a very different speed and movement than might be expected from a standard-mounted handbag, delivering a different claiming to the fighter. The gratis-standing bags are smashing for practicing the low kicks common to Muay Thai and other mixed martial arts. They are ideal for dwelling house use or gyms where ceiling or wall installation is non an option.

ringside freestanding heavy bag

OUR Choice: RINGSIDE ELITE FREESTANDING Fettle PUNCHING BAG

Speed Purse

As its proper noun suggests, the speed bag is meant to aid athletes amend their fast-paced punches, by profitable with with strength, timing, endurance and specific goals, such as helping fighters larn to proceed their hands upward or building shoulder strength. Speed bags are filled with air and are significantly smaller than heavy bags, so they're often suspended from the ceiling or wall with a platform. They're commonly shaped like a globe or a teardrop and are well-nigh commonly used for traditional boxing preparation.

ringside boxing speed bag

OUR PICK: RINGSIDE Battle SPEED Purse

Double Stop Bags

Double-end bags are meant to help athletes land an effective counter dial past sharpening reflexes, improving speed and hand/eye coordination, and effectivity nailing down a sense of timing and rhythm. Double end bags come in diverse sizes depending on the fighter's needs and can exist mounted from a wall or ceiling.

ringside brand double end bag

OUR Choice: RINGSIDE BOXING DOUBLE END Handbag

Uppercut Handbag

Unsurprisingly, the uppercut pocketbook is uniquely designed for focused uppercut exercise. It can also be used for directly punches, such as jabs and crosses, hooks and more. These kinds of bags can be mounted onto the wall or ceiling, depending on their shape and size. We recommend uppercut bags for serious boxing athletes.

ringside uppercut heavy bag

OUR PICK: RINGSIDE UPPERCUT HEAVY BAG

Wall Purse

Wall punching bags tin be used for a wide range of training endeavors and in gyms or training facilities with high or vaulted ceilings. Unlike typical bags, these numberless are mounted to the wall and don't provide any rebound or hinge. Otherwise known equally mounted punching bags, these bags are much less common than swinging numberless, but may exist a skillful selection in environments where typical ceiling mounting isn't an selection.

cleto reyes wall bag

OUR Choice: CLETO REYES WALL Purse

Grappling Dummy

Arguably the nigh lifelike punching numberless around, grappling dummies wait like a human opponent, often consummate with a caput, legs and hands. Grappling dummies are generally freestanding (not mounted to the wall or ceiling) and don't have a base to go on them rooted, which allows you to perfect your takedowns, throws, submissions and strikes. These are commonly employed in wrestling and MMA, including jiu-jitsu and judo.

combat sports grappling dummy

OUR Option: Gainsay SPORTS LEGGED GRAPPLING DUMMY

CHOOSING SIZE AND WEIGHT OF PUNCHING Pocketbook

The master considerations for choosing a punching bag size are the fighter'south age and size. Just like in a real bout, a fighter should be matched with a bag that works well with his or her own tiptop and weight. Punching bags come in sizes ranging from two.5 feet to 6 anxiety and weights ranging from 60 pounds to 150-plus pounds, but this is not a hard and fast rule. You'll find bags in a multifariousness of heights, widths and weights. Some punching numberless have integrated mechanisms that allow you to adjust the weight as needed.

A quick note near choosing kids' punching bags for youth trainers. Youth punching bags counterbalance significantly less than standard, adult-sized numberless. Because the blows will exist less powerful from a youth fighter, these bags don't require the same amount of strength or bear on absorption. The focus of these numberless is not on force or ability grooming, but on developing technique.

For adults, of class, you lot'll need to choose a larger and heavier bag. Merely which size is right for you lot or your clients?

The full general dominion for sizing your adult heavy bag is that it should be approximately half your weight . For case, if you counterbalance 160 pounds, you should choose an 80-pound punching bag. Heavy bags that are 4 or five anxiety long are usually sufficient for adults. Every bit long as you have enough resistance and steadiness — i.e. the bag doesn't flail wildly in every direction each time you lot land a square punch — then you should be in good shape, size-wise.

pair of athletes punching freestanding heavy bags

PUNCHING BAG SURFACE MATERIAL

In general, punching numberless are made of either leather or a synthetic material, such as vinyl or plastic. Leather punching bags are the most traditional and are nevertheless arguably the gold standard, desired considering they're incredibly durable and comfy, not to mention archetype in aesthetic.

With that beingness said, leather tends to exist more expensive than man-made materials. For this reason, many punching handbag brands utilize a lifelike synthetic leather that provides a similar feel as leather without the high cost.

Even so, synthetic punching bags do bring some advantages, particularly in specific environments. For case, vinyl and nylon may be better suited to boiling spaces considering they're more resistant to developing mold and mildew. Occasionally, yous might see a purse constructed from canvas. While much less durable than genuine and synthetic leather, canvass punching bags are extremely affordable and can be skillful in very low-utilize scenarios.

PUNCHING BAG FILL Fabric

The last consideration in punching pocketbook selection is the fill, AKA what'due south inside the purse. The fill determines the firmness, comfort, weight and even the cost of your punching bag. In most cases, your punching bag will come pre-filled, simply you may need to buy filler for a bag that was sold empty or refill information technology as needed if you've had a leak or the make full has begun to atomize. The most popular punching handbag fillers include:

  • Sand — Naturally, sand is the best choice for people who want maximum weight in their punching pocketbook. Sand is like shooting fish in a barrel to fill up into near whatever reservoir and, unlike water, won't cause a huge mess if it leaks. On the other hand, sand tends to alter in hardness if it'southward exposed to moisture and may leak out of the bag's reservoir into other areas.
  • Water — Water-filled heavy bags are convenient, since nigh of united states of america accept water nearby at all times. Today'due south water bags are more dependable, reliable and safer to dial. Normally, water-filled punching numberless have a "bladder," which allows for easy filling and prevents breakage.
  • Air — Often used in speed bags and double end numberless, air is a inexpensive and convenient filler for those who need a lighter weight option. The primary downfall of air-filled punching bags is that most tend to deflate slightly with abiding apply, then they volition need to be refilled every couple of days.
  • Fabric —Punching bags that use textile fillings are good for applications where you want to reduce muscle strain on the wrist, elbows and shoulders. The material is relatively soft, lightweight and conforming. Most standard and muay thai mode heavy bags employ a combination of fabric and sand make full to provide the right corporeality of weight and bear on feel.

Materials that you can use to fill an unfilled heavy punching bag

Demand MORE Data ON PUNCHING BAGS? CONTACT The states

Nosotros know that shopping for punching bags, and fighting gear in general, tin be a tough task. With then many options to counterbalance, it takes a bit of time and try to pick out a punching bag that's a perfect match for you or your customers. If y'all're still not sure which i is best for you, the team here at Ringside is always available to provide you with one-on-one communication. Contact the states today if you lot demand more information or production recommendations. And if you want more great information from Ringside, or to exist kept up-to-date on our latest deals, sign up for our e-mail newsletter.