Getting ready to buy a heavy bag. Could use some advice…

[johnnylove-22]

I’m moving into a new house with a basement where I’d like to put a heavy bag for home use.

Anybody have one at home that they’re happy with?

There seems so be a variety of options.

1. Do I want it to hang from the ceiling, or do I want one that’s free-standing?
2. How heavy should it be?
3. I plan on kicking it, so would a Muy Thai bag be better than the traditional boxing bags?
4. Do I want a traditional bag, or one filled with water?

Help…

[angryangel]

Hi there.

I have a hanging heavy 5ft bag in my shed – suspended from a cross beam using a chain and a couple of caribiners (sp?).

I really like striking without the need of a focus mitt holder.

I rate them highly – because of its size and weight I also use it for various other training including:

– practicing my \”ground and pound\” from mount, side mount and side control.

– practicing transitions from north/ south to side control, to mount and reverse.

– practicing hip escapes from side control.

– picking up and throwing/ suplexing (good for functional strength too)

I have also toyed with the idea of straping a belt to it and threading a couple of \”arms\” (pvc piping) onto it to practice hip-throws and armbars, keylocks. Dunno how well it would work though.

If you had a long enough chain you could also let it sit low enough so that the bottom is on the ground and it is leaning on an angle. Pull guard on it and practice striking from the guard.

I am not sure if the water-filled ones offer this flexibility as I have not had any experience with them, though I have heard of them not being able to take full-power blows and there is a risk of leaks. Though I spose you could use sand as well? depending on the base low kicks might be more difficult too.

I have seen the heavy bag stands in the stores. They just seem less than stable to me – hence the need to bolt them down or buy plates of weights to stabilise it.

I have seen the longer, thinner thai bags but am unfamiliar with the benefits over a normal heavy bag. Can anyone out there enlighten? Is it conditioning?

I like my low thai kicks and let loose on the bag regularly, and combined with leg checking drills my shins are slowly getting conditioned, but no where near as fast as it took my forearms.

A modification that I have seen is for simulating the chin (for upper cuts, upward elbow stikes, tiger claw etc). You get a car tyre tube (deflated), remove some of the filler for the bag slide the deflated tyre down the bag until it is at the level you want. Refill the bag with the filler and then inflate the tyre. It sits very securely. Though I have not done it to my bag.

You can also get bags with the same \”donut\” buit-in but made of the same material/ filler as the bag. They were a lot more expensive though.

Hope that helps.

[johnnylove-22]

Great info. Thanks!

[clfmak]

I recommend the biggest, heaviest bag you can get. These are the most verasatile for all types of strikes (ie low kicks) and won’t move around too much, which can be a problem in small areas like a basement.
Those skinny bags, as I understand it, are designed for roundhouse kicks and are very heavy, so it won’t go swinging.
I’ve tried a water-filled bag once, and they’re great. The water seems to absorb the shock and keep the bag from moving around a lot, and provides a different feel.
The standing kind (wavemasters) are good for some things. They have a different feeling, but the hanging kind feels a lot better because of the way it moves when struck. But the base will move around the floor, and this gets annoying. And they can spring a leak at the seam (happened to me) and its quite hard to fix. But the base is a great thing for a dummy. I took off the padded upper part and made a dummy torso with arms and a head and stuff- great for weapons training, close footwork and standing joint locking. But eventually, like most of my training aids, I broke it.

[jjbklb]

I bought a combination speed bag/heavy bag set with stand at omni fitness.By itself it works good for the speed bag.The problem is whacking on the heavy bag will cause the whole assembly to slowly move across the concrete floor.There are bolt holes for securing it to the floor.I didn’t want to mess the floor .

There are three spots to put weights on the base.That still wasn’t enough.I placed 2×4’s across the base & stacked a pile of bricks on it for a solid base.

If I had to do it over again,I would get one that is secured to a ceiling beam.

[anonymous]

I’ve got a BOB bag at home. It has an upper body and head that looks exactly like a real person. That’s good for practicing precise strikes to the head or body, uppercut to the chin, eye gouging etc. You can also take the top off and put it on the ground and practice strikes from there. It has a waterbase though and so it kind of bounces and moves when you strike it hard. Might be good to have in addition to a bigger bag if you have room for it.

[jjbklb]

I got a Bob too.I had it filled with water & found it moved too much.I siphoned the water out & refilled it with sand.The most you can safely put in the plastic base is 230 pounds.

I still needed to put 2 additional 50 pound sand bags behind the base to discourage movement.

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