# Hanging vs. Free Standing Heavy Bags?



## SFC JeffJ

What are the pro's and con's of each of these?  Which do you prefer to train with?

Jeff


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## Andrew Green

Hanging bags are much better.

Freestanding ones feal "empty" too hit, which they are, you can't really sink a solid hit into them, and if you try to kick them, often you end up knowcking them over.  Not to mention the fact that after a few hits it is not where it was when you started.


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## exile

Andrew Green said:


> Hanging bags are much better.
> 
> Freestanding ones feal "empty" too hit, which they are, you can't really sink a solid hit into them, and if you try to kick them, often you end up knowcking them over.  Not to mention the fact that after a few hits it is not where it was when you started.



I agree, and there are other reasons toochief among them, for me, the fact that while they're swinging and you're trying to get a bead on them, it's much closer to a real combat situation than a standing bag just sitting there so you know exactly where it's going to be whenever you strike it.

I also think it's good to punch and kick into a very heavy bag that sometimes is swinging _towards_ you. Your technique and power have to both be excellent or it's gonna _hurt_. All in all, much more realistic training, I believe.


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## Carol

I haven't yet done any serious training with a heavy bag.

So...best I can do is describe what I like about the freestanding bag.  I don't have one here at my house but my school has set up a practice area with a Wavemaster XXL.  The bag is mounted in the corner of the area so that ain't moving anywhere regardless of how hard it is hit.

I personally like it because of its consistency.  I drill on the same move repeatedly for awhile so I get a feel for how I can improve upon it.

I'm looking forward to training on a heavy hangng bag sometime.  I think I would like that a lot...but I'd need a different place to live before I hung one


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## ArmorOfGod

Hanging ones are better, like everyone said, but if you live in an apartment, stationary ones are better than nothing.  Also, the BOB freestanding are kind of cool due to their shape.  You can practice working chokes in and direct your strikes towards specific head targets.

AoG


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## Andrew Green

Remember the purpose of the heavy bag, that is to develop power.  You can't develop power on a target that has no weight behind it, which standing ones don't, the weight is under it. Proper tool for the proper job.

They are better then nothing, but if you have a place to hang a bag, a hanging bag is a much better option.


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## zDom

All well-stated comments above.

I agree that:

 hanging heavy bags are best

 swinging hanging heavy bags are GREAT training (but be careful!!)

 free-standing bags are better than nothing, but not even in the same league as a hanging bag

 Bob is fun to choke  And to practice neck strikes and solar plexus/rib shots on.

One option that is better than free-standing bags but not quite as good as a beam-hung hanging bag is a bag on a "cornerman" (do they even make them anymore?) They tend to "walk" across the floor, but that can be mitigated by placing it against a firm post or weighting down the legs with sandbags.


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## pstarr

I favor hanging bags - especially the old-fashioned canvas ones.  The stand upon which the free-standing bags are mounted always seem to get in my way.


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## still learning

Hello, I prefer hanging ones and I have both of them.

OK...there is another school in town that has over a dozen of free standing for years....BIG problems with leaking and cracking on the base.

Never tried "BOB"....looks like a great bag to work on.........Aloha


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## MJS

JeffJ said:


> What are the pro's and con's of each of these? Which do you prefer to train with?
> 
> Jeff


 
I'm in agreement with whats been said.  I use both.  The free standing ones tend to move around if they're hit hard, ie: such as kicking it.  However, if space is an issue, they're more compact.  The hanging ones take up alot of room.  They tend, depending on the size, to be heavier, which is good.  They'll start to swing eventually, but thats ok, because it'll force you to move around, working footwork, body position, etc.  

Mike


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## exile

zDom said:


>  swinging hanging heavy bags are GREAT training (but be careful!!)



Amen to _that_definitely be careful! I often use MA shoes when kicking against a freely moving heavy bag, but I sometime kick barefoot too just to give myself an extra incentive to deliver the kick hard and then get outta there. If you're at all sloppy, it can hurt. And with certain kicks, like a rear-leg side kick, if your timing is off, and the bag is swinging towards you at the point where you drive the kick in, you can get the kick jammed back into your hip. Not only can it knock you totally off balance, but it can leave you feeling like a truck hit you if you do that a couple of times in a training session...




zDom said:


> One option that is better than free-standing bags but not quite as good as a beam-hung hanging bag is a bag on a "cornerman" (do they even make them anymore?) They tend to "walk" across the floor, but that can be mitigated by placing it against a firm post or weighting down the legs with sandbags.



I've never heard of these kinds of bags. Where did you run across them, zD?


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## Tez3

The Bob type ones can be very theraputic, find a photo of someone you would really like to beat up but can't of course as you are a responsible martial artist, enlarge it on a photocopier till it is life size and tie around 'Bobs' head, then let loose your beat kicks punches ect. Enjoy!


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## exile

Tez3 said:


> The Bob type ones can be very theraputic, find a photo of someone you would really like to beat up but can't of course as you are a responsible martial artist, enlarge it on a photocopier till it is life size and tie around 'Bobs' head, then let loose your beat kicks punches ect. Enjoy!



I have to say, my first name is Robert, I go by `Bob', and all of this talk about these particular human-shaped bags makes me, um, kind of _anxious_... :wink1:


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## Tez3

exile said:


> I have to say, my first name is Robert, I go by `Bob', and all of this talk about these particular human-shaped bags makes me, um, kind of _anxious_... :wink1:[/quote
> 
> Ooops, it's aright though they're 'armless!
> 
> Sorry couldn't resist!


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## sankaku-jime

I have a free standing bag, whilst a hanging bag is better where I live it is simply not practical.

I find the bad usefull for both timing and for testing on how powerfull your strikes are. 

also the one I have is good for low kicks sometimes hanging bags are to high for me.

there is a good review here

http://www.rosstraining.com/articles/freestandingbags.html


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## jdinca

Ditto on the hanging bag. It's great for range, targeting, developing power etc, either static, or with it moving. The bag doesn't lie.


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## zDom

exile said:


> I've never heard of these kinds of bags. Where did you run across them, zD?



A cornerman is not a bag type. It is a piece of equipment to hang a bag FROM.

Try this link:

http://www.amazon.com/Cornerman%99-.../105-2630597-0118022?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods


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## Infinite

zDom said:


> A cornerman is not a bag type. It is a piece of equipment to hang a bag FROM.
> 
> Try this link:
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Cornerman%99-.../105-2630597-0118022?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods





300 DOLLARS!?!??!


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## Brian R. VanCise

A hanging Muay Thai bag is simply the best heavy bag out there.  After that Hanging bag's are generally better than there free standing counter parts but take up more space generally and are not always as desirable. (ie. apartment or constantly moving)


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## exile

Tez3 said:


> exile said:
> 
> 
> 
> I have to say, my first name is Robert, I go by `Bob', and all of this talk about these particular human-shaped bags makes me, um, kind of _anxious_... :wink1:[/quote
> 
> Ooops, it's aright though they're 'armless!
> 
> Sorry couldn't resist!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hey, that's very good, Tez! _I_ sure wouldn't have resisted if I'd thought that one up
> 
> 
> 
> 
> zDom said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A cornerman is not a bag type. It is a piece of equipment to hang a bag FROM.
> 
> Try this link:
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Cornerman%99...sporting-goods
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Gotchawasn't reading carefully enough. Will check it out. I'd love to have a hanging heavy bag, but the garage has been Declared off-limits to such things, so I'm looking for alternatives... thanks for the link!
Click to expand...


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## jks9199

Infinite said:


> 300 DOLLARS!?!??!


There are a few versions of the Cornerman bag stand around.  Ringside has several models on their website; prices still start around $200 or so, off the top of my head.  And you still need a certain amount of room to set it up and use it.

The freestanding bags are a little more forgiving in space; when you're not using it, it's only as big as it is around, no legs, support arms, etc.  But they're kind of a pain if you don't have enough weight holding them in place.  They are better for practicing circling, since it's not real common for any hanging bag setup to allow you to really circle the entire bag.


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## zDom

Brian R. VanCise said:


> A hanging Muay Thai bag is simply the best heavy bag out there.  After that Hanging bag's are generally better than there free standing counter parts but take up more space generally and are not always as desirable. (ie. apartment or constantly moving)



How is a "Muay Thai" bag different from other hanging bags and why are they better?


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## Brian R. VanCise

zDom said:


> How is a "Muay Thai" bag different from other hanging bags and why are they better?


 

It is the fact that they are considerably longer and therefore allow you
to practice your leg kicks.  A good one is generally made out of higher quality materials than something you might pick up somewhere else.  

Here is a very good bag.
http://www.fairtexgear.com/html_documents/gear/gear_item.asp?p_id=105

Here is a 7 Ft Bag
http://www.fairtexgear.com/html_documents/gear/gear_item.asp?p_id=54

Personally I have never worked on their seven foot bag.  However the six foot bag is very, very sweet!


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## James Kovacich

Andrew Green said:


> Hanging bags are much better.
> 
> Freestanding ones feal "empty" too hit, which they are, you can't really sink a solid hit into them, and if you try to kick them, often you end up knowcking them over. Not to mention the fact that after a few hits it is not where it was when you started.


I have both but my freestanding bag is a TKO which is differant than Century's. The TKO bag has the pole with the spring in the middle like the Ringside bag. The differance is that the Ringside fresstander needs the donut sandbags to support the base while mine has a base that I filled with sand.

The Century base fills with water or sand I beleive but it does not have the pole. Where I have a pole with a spring, they have their base continuing up towards the bag which contributes much to the hobbling. My base is low.

It is lighter than a hanging heavy bag but the spring action makes for good "hooks" as it comes back with a quickness. Mine dosen't hobble like the century model. My base is about16-18 inches high and probably has at least 150 lbs of sand in it. If you like a "springy inya face" bag, it's good. I also have the cobra reflex bag which does similar but at a differant level.

With hanging heavy bags I prefer the double-ended hanging bags to limit the movement.


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## Brian R. VanCise

Here is a video clip of someone working out with a Muay Thai bag.





 
I like to have the bottom of the bag anchored so that is does not swing quite as much.


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## James Kovacich

Brian R. VanCise said:


> Here is a video clip of someone working out with a Muay Thai bag.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I like to have the bottom of the bag anchored so that is does not swing quite as much.


Thats exactly what I'm talking about!


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## Slihn

At home,I train with a hanging bag that is connect to a bag stand.Its cool and all but when I hit it it swings just WAY to much when throwing combinations are out of the question.Right now I have it tried down the the stand to keep the movement to a minimum.

I thought about the free standing bag but I agree with most of the post here in that it would move around way to much as well and hence will do little good for building power.

I think that the Muay Thai bag is the best.It is long enough to practice all heights of attack and it has considerable weight to that you can throw combinations without it swaying to much.Also because of its height,when it does sway you can use it(the swaying) to work on your footwork(follow the bag with your attacks,like you would with a liver partner).

The only down side to the muay thai bag is that it is a bit thinner than the boxer's bag.There for linear based attacks(like the teep,or push kick,side kicks and spinning back kicks) are hard to land,the lack of width of the Muay Thai bag makes it easy for you foot to slip off(Techniques like those should be done using Thai Pads and/or a kicking sheild,a boxers bag of ok if you have someone holding it).

No one bag (just like no one training method) has all of the answers it is best to train with as many different tools(methods) as you can.A heavy bag will build power but not much speed.Focus mitts will build hand-eye coordination and hand speed but no power.A balanced training method is always the best approach.


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## zDom

Brian R. VanCise said:


> It is the fact that they are considerably longer and therefore allow you
> to practice your leg kicks.  A good one is generally made out of higher quality materials than something you might pick up somewhere else.



Ahhh OK.

I like the longer bags, too. Never knew they were called "Muay Thai" bags, though. Worked them, just never shopped for one before.


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## matt.m

If it is the one where the pad is roughly six feet high that just sits on a base then we have one at the St. L school.  I love it.  Working combos with spinning and turning kicks is the greatest.

Never knew it to be a Mauy Thai bag either.


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## ares

I feel the hanging bag is best, because you can do more with it. a FSB sometimes gets hard to do some kicks because of the base. HB lets you do groin shots with the knee and hands and in my opinion are more durable then standing bags. ares


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## exile

Brian R. VanCise said:


> Here is a video clip of someone working out with a Muay Thai bag.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I like to have the bottom of the bag anchored so that is does not swing quite as much.



Whooo... that is one _righteous_ bag! 



			
				Slihn said:
			
		

> The only down side to the muay thai bag is that it is a bit thinner than the boxer's bag.There for linear based attacks(like the teep,or push kick,side kicks and spinning back kicks) are hard to land,the lack of width of the Muay Thai bag makes it easy for you foot to slip off...



True... but that just means you're practicing for both accuracy and power at the same time. The heavy bag where I train is like that (on the thin side, but not as long as the bag in Brian's video clip). So you have to _nail_ the kick dead center, or your foot does slide off and the bag spins... I actually don't mind that (though I did at first!), it forces you to be precise in training the rear-leg side kick, for example...


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## Drac

Andrew Green said:


> Hanging bags are much better.
> 
> Freestanding ones feal "empty" too hit, which they are, you can't really sink a solid hit into them, and if you try to kick them, often you end up knowcking them over. Not to mention the fact that after a few hits it is not where it was when you started.


 
I agree as I have used both..The hanging bag is better and a most unforgiving teacher if you make a mistake..


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## exile

Drac said:


> I agree as I have used both..The hanging bag is better and a most unforgiving teacher if you make a mistake..



Absolutely. It will _punish_ you for carelessness, especially on a full force kick without footwear... I've had some close calls.


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