Punch Bags

Get yourself fit, increase your strength and learn to defend yourself by using punch bags. There are many different types available from small speed bags to uppercut bags or heavy bags. Most are hung from the roof but there is a growing demand for ‘free standing’ bags which offer the advantage of portability. A hung bag is quite troublesome to move to a new location involving the fixing of heavy bolts and metal plates.

A safer bag, sometimes called a spiral bag, is one that is attached to both the floor and the ceiling as the movement is restricted thereby reducing the impact of a swinging bag.

Build up your muscles every day by doing as little as a 5 minute session hitting the bag. Learn techniques for punching workouts and get into a rhythm and you will find you will acquire speed and strength improvements.

· Speed bags (speed balls) are good for building up shoulder muscle and increasing speed. They are very good at improving hand-eye coordination.
· Heavy bags are good for breathing techniques, healthy heart and increasing stamina. A heavy bag could weigh anything from 70 lbs to 450 lbs depending on the needs of the user.

Why bother with buying a new bag when you can build one yourself easily. You don’t have to join a boxing club or a karate club to practice punching and utilize a training bag. An old blanket stitched into a tube shape and filled with dry garden leaves will act as an ideal punching bag which is very cost effective. The filling can be renewed as you get stronger. Alternatively you can purchase an empty or unfilled bag at numerous online sites. They can be filled with material from home like water, grass, maize, packed dry leaves or even sand.

Stimulation to exercise is sometime driven by equipment but even the most basic equipment will give one the incentive to begin a training regime. If you want to lose weight and get rid of frustration at the same time then why not punch out or practice ‘jabbing’ at the bag. You can draw pictures of someone nasty on the bag to help you get rid of your aggression. You will feel better if you have this form of release, especially in today’s stress ridden society. But be careful too as improper technique can lead to Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI).

There are many beautifully colored and attractive training aids for children all weighted appropriately to suit the age group of the children. These are ideally suited as gifts for children because it encourages them to exercise which is vitally important in today’s society which has seen a large increase in child obesity. For safety reasons children should not be encouraged to strike the bag with excessive power due to the fact that their bones are not fully developed and could suffer injury. Adults should wear hand guards when striking with force.

Other uses for Punch Bags

Judo players often use loose unsecured bags for practicing judo throws. Karate and Tae Kwon Do exponents use the bags exclusively for kicking and practicing kicks. Footballers too can use heavy secured bags for perfecting the shoulder charge which simulates impact collision. Many different types of combat attack training can be conducted on the bag such as jab, cross, hook, uppercut, haymaker and hammerfist. Top boxers can throw over 200 punches a minute.

Many materials have been used down the years such as canvas, kangaroo skin and goat skin. Artificial leather is used in the cheaper varieties. Nowadays vinyl is used but leather is still the preferred material due to its durability and longevity.

Punch Bag History

Many different forms have existed and have been used for sword training and bayonet practice. The origin goes back through military warfare as far as can be remembered but records of bag use from the 1700’s are available. Construction is easy as much of the raw material is ready to hand i.e. a sack of some sort and filling material. The sport of boxing dates back to the ancient Olympic Games and for the first time in the 2012 games in London female boxers will be fighting for gold, silver and bronze medals.

Movies Props - Punch Bags in The Movies

Many war movies show soldiers practicing their punching techniques but several boxing movies show boxers training with bags, The star-studded Oscar winning movie, Million Dollar Baby, with actors Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman features a female boxer played by Hilary Swank, who was a contender for the world boxing crown and many clips in the movie featured her training with a bag. In another classic movie, Rocky, the hero was famously seen practicing his punches on punch bags that were, in fact, hanging slabs of beef.