What is the best boxing bag to buy is a question I get asked many times. This is via my youtube channel and websites. I'm not talking quality and price because that is down to you to decide. Im talking shape, size and type of boxing bags because they all give you a different kind of workout. Other things to consider too are noise and where you will put it.
In this post i will go through a few things, by the end of it you will know what is the best boxing bag to buy for your situation.
What is the best boxing bag to buy?
The Heavy Bag
First off we have the heavy bag. These are great to punch because they will take any beating you are prepared to give them. Hit them as hard as you want and they will absorb your punches all day long. The things to consider with the heavy bags are - Where will you hang it? These boxing bags weigh between 70 to 150 pounds. So because it will be swinging about as you hit it you will need some sturdy fixings. Also a solid wall or ceiling to hang it from.
Above is my heavy Punch bag. My solid concrete ceiling and concrete post will take the impact of the bag as it gets hit. Think about your neighbours. If you are hitting a bag against an adjoining wall there could be some unbearable noise. The bag is set 100mm from the wall for one main reason, to stop the swing. A swinging heavy bag will eventually pull the fixings out of the ceiling. You can still move 180° around the bag if it is next to the wall and hit it.
Heavy bags also come in different shapes like the teardrop. Mainly for the uppercut punch which cannot be performed on the normal shape bag. Keep that in mind when choosing because you will want to be throwing uppercut punches. You can also buy brackets so you can hang the bag from a wall. Again make sure you have some good fixings into a sturdy wall.
The Heavy Bag On A Stand
The perfect scenario for not having a sturdy wall or ceiling to fix to is the bag on a stand. What you do on a heavy bag you can do on this. These can be slightly lighter bags but the stand will need to be pretty heavy to stop it falling over or moving when being hit.
The things to consider are - Is your floor strong enough to take the weight of this punch bag when being punched about? Do you have a neighbor that lives below? This could produce some noise and shaking on a not so stable floor. What is the surface this will be standing on? A floor with carpet will get wear and tear but will stop the bag from sliding about. If you have a tiled floor you may need a rubber mat to stop it from sliding about. I can literally punce my Slam Man around my gym, a few hefty punches could move him 300mm, but I like it like that.
Which brings us to-
The Slam Man
The Slam Man is one of my favorite punching targets, Similar to the heavy bag on a stand but with curves. I like to throw uppercuts to the chin and with the slam man you can get right up in there. I can throw a hook punch to the sides (obliques) followed by an uppercut to the jaw. That may sound simple with any bag but because the slam man has a head and a body, my punches have to be very accurate to land. The one thing about the slam man is only the head and part of the body is padded, so gloves is a must when beating him up. I think I would much prefer the similar slam man called bob, he looks good to punch all over.
The last things I want to say about the slam man is he can be adjusted in height from about 6ft, down to just over 5ft, im not sure if Bob is adjustable. The slam man also has a light system where you have to hit the light when it comes on, this is a good workout but a bit slow at times. I never use this as I will always be doing my iBoxing Rounds punch bag workout.
The Speed Ball
We are getting close to the end and I hope you are starting to get a good idea of What is the best boxing bag to buy. I have two more boxing bags/balls I want to cover, one is my all time favorite and the other is my worst.
First off the worst for me is the speed ball. It was the first boxing target I ever bought. It has got to be the most noisiest boxing ball you will ever hit, a constant banging at a fast pace will have your neighbours hating you and anyone within 5 yards.
The speed ball fixes to a wall via the frame that the ball comes on. The ball will usually be at head height when fitted to the wall. Some will say there are many punching exercises you can do with this, but personally the speed ball is purely for building stamina in your arms. If you are interested in building stamina in your arms you should try my punch bag workout iBoxingRounds, obviously when you get your punch bag.
So before I go into my favorite punching target, have a look at Anthony Joshua punching a speed ball, You will see what I mean about the noise, limited punching exercises and how he is only building stamina.
The Floor to Ceiling Punch Ball
This is my favorite hitting target for a few reasons. The first is it is not heavy and can be fitted to most ceilings. It will cause some vibrations but not much and hardly any noise. The lower connection can be fitted to the floor but I would suggest buying a floor to ceiling punch bag base from ebay like I did, it cost around £20.
This floor to ceiling ball is also called a speed ball. You can fit it about 1 ft away from the wall depending on the slackness set in the rubber strings. This is a fast workout but you can also use some heavy punches, building speed, accuracy and power.
Because of the movement and speed of this small target it will be a hard workout. Once mastered it will have you plucking flies out of the air like Bruce Lee.
There are a few more types of punch bags but I think I have covered the main ones. I hope this has given you some knowledge so you know What is the best boxing bag to buy.
