Buying a Boxing Punch Bag – What to Know!

About the Boxing Punch Bag
The presence of a collection of punch bags, also referred to as heavy bags, is one of the key characteristics that defines a boxing gym. Many gyms retain heavy bags that have been part of the furniture for many years, complete with running repairs administered with duct tape following years of impacts from the patrons.

The heavy bag allows you to use different styles and techniques, either moving side to side and pinging off jabs, right crosses and other long range punches, or stepping in close and using crunching short range hooks and short range uppercuts. The heavy bag can be used to improve speed, strength and endurance by configuring the rounds, punching rate and punching style accordingly. It’s also a great way to relieve the stress at the end of a hard day! As an additional bonus, you don’t need much floor space for using a heavy bag, as you need never be any more than a few centimetres out of punching range.

There are a number of different types of heavy bag. Things have moved on a pace since ubiquitous free-hanging bag made famous on the old boxing films (except Rocky, where he used half a cow carcass…it takes all sorts I guess!) Modern punching equipment includes wall-mounted pad systems, angled hanging bags and even ‘person’ shaped high density foam free-standing objects complete with chiseled good looks and taught six-pack. But, do these additional choices actually offer any benefit beyond that offered by the old faithful heavy bag?

In this article I want to describe to you the various options when it comes to buying a piece of heavy hitting equipment and provide a view as to the type of equipment I buy (or don’t buy) when renewing the hitting equipment in the gym.

The Types of Punch Bag

The Heavy Bag

I have used many different styles of bag over the years. The traditional type of heavy bag is what we expect to see. The bag itself is generally hung from a wall-mounted bracket or by using a free-standing system, both of which I’ll cover later in the article.   The bag is usually packed very tightly with torn up fabrics, giving a realistic and satisfying impact when striking.

A good heavy bag is made of tough-wearing leather, is cylindrical and comes in various sizes and weights.  At the top of the bag is a set of chains or toughened straps with eyes that allow the bag to be hung from a hook.  I prefer to go for the chains as they tend to be much more hard-wearing.  With the straps, the eyes can often fail resulting in the straps tearing and the bag being rendered useless.

The Maize Bag

The maize bag is a tear-drop shaped heavy bag filled with, unsurprisingly, maize.  The maize bag is a wonderful piece of equipment that enables massively powerful hooks and uppercuts to be developed at short range.  The maize bag is available in a range of colours and sizes, although traditionally tend to be classed as be small (approximately 15kg) or large (30kg+). The smaller version cannot be hit with the same force as the larger version, but it does offer the option of swinging to allow excellent development of the slipping, ducking and rolling skills.

Due to the shape of the bag and the nature of the filling, it has a unique response and ‘feel’ when hit with a shot. When a heavy shot is landed, the bag absorbs power without the ‘spring’ that is present with most heavy bags.  For this reason the maize bag is not really practical for round-after-round use, not if you value being able to feel your hands after a workout anyway.

If you have plenty of space available to buy and heavy bag and a maize bag, then they are well worth the value.  If I were restricted to just one piece of heavy hitting equipment, it would be the heavy bag rather than the maize bag.

The Angled Heavy Bag

The angled heavy bag is a real favourite of mine.  It is in effect a compromise between the conventional heavy punch bag and the maize bag.  As well of the core of long range punches, the angled heavy bag allows a range of uppercuts and hooks to be used as well.  This is because of the unique shape.  The key is that an angled heavy bag is packed in the same way as a conventional heavy bag and not with maize.  So, it isn’t as dense and solid as a maize bag and is therefore more practical for prolonged use over a number of rounds.  If I were to own only one punch bag, it would be an angled heavy bag.

Wall Mounted Pad Systems

In terms of the wall-mounted pad system, I feel that unless you are working to a generous budget and you have ample floor space available, these pieces of equipment should be reserved for a full-sized gym. A key benefit of this type of system is that it encourages the boxer to combine effective footwork with dynamic body movements and a varied range of punches.  Many also believe the solidity of the device improves punching power.  Mike Tyson was famous for using one early in his career, and he could hit a bit!

My own view is that possessing a wall-mounted pad system is something for a boxing gym rather than a home set up.   The reason is the same as it is for the maize bag, it is impractical for use for a prolonged period such as a session of 6 x 3 minute rounds.  It’s definitely a ‘nice to have’ rather than a ‘must have’.

Free-Standing Systems

The is a relative newcomer to the scene, the free-standing heavy bag.  Whilst these tend not to be used in boxing gyms, they are certainly an option if limited space is a problem.  They effectively have the bag mounted on a vertical pole into a heavy base.  The big benefit is that it can be stored away after use.  The drawback is that you don’t get the ‘swing’ of the bag that adds so much to the workout.

Another modern piece of equipment is the free-standing ‘human’ target, made from high density plastics and rubbers and complete with life-like body shape. I’ve seen these pieces of equipment in gyms over the years, but it has to be said not very often.

In principle, the idea is sensible, but what I’ve witnessed is that people constantly strike the target under the chin with uppercuts. On one memorable occasion, this focused assault led to a split in the neck of the dummy and ultimately a complete decapitation, generating the rather disconcerting situation of a mock human head bouncing across the floor of the gym.

My own view is that this piece of equipment is an expensive luxury that I feel may add little, if any, additional value to that provided by more conventional heavy bags.  If you are really pushed for space, then the fact that the device is free-standing is a positive.  It would be far less intrusive than some of the standing heavy bag hanging systems.

Hanging Your Heavy Bag

There are 2 basic methods of suspending a heavy bag/maize bag/angled heavy bag:

• Wall Brackets
• Boxing Stands

The wall brackets are, as you would expect, secured to a suitably solid wall. When fixing the bracket to the wall, great care needs to be taken to ensure that the fixings are appropriate for the job. A heavy bag being smashed with punches is quite a load to consider. I can think of few things more embarrassing or indeed painful than to be knocked unconscious be a falling steel wall bracket, so make sure you read the instructions provided with the bracket.

The boxing stand comes in a range of designs. If you are unable or unwilling to use wall-mounted brackets, and a free-standing bag/boxing dummy is not for you, then the use of a boxing stand might be the way to go. The boxing stand is effectively a steel frame that provides the stability required to suspend the heavy bag. Again they are really a piece of equipment for the domestic/mainstream gym environment rather than a boxing gym. They can though be a tidy solution although I would try to go for a model that allowed a degree of movement around the bag without the risk of stumbling over the ‘feet’ of the stand.

My preference would be to use the wall-mounted bracket, for both reasons of price and of the stability. Some of the cheaper boxing stands look to me like you may need to add weight to the bottom to guarantee that the whole thing doesn’t go toppling over as you pound home the shots. As long as you fix a wall bracket properly, it will stand the test of time.

I hope that you have found this article useful. Why not head off now and find out a little about the boxing gloves that you might use to go with the heavy bag of your choice. 

Cheers

Fran

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