# Bag training at home



## watching (Mar 23, 2018)

I'm looking for recommendations on which type of bag to use for my at home training. Punching bag, wave master, the Bob, I've even thought of purchasing some target shields and making my own standing thing with the shields attached somehow.
I want to be able to kick and punch. What do you all use at home?
And by the way, I don't have anyone to hold shields for me, so I need something I can do on my own.
Thanks


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## JR 137 (Mar 23, 2018)

Get a hanging heavy bag if at all possible.  They’re far better than freestanding bags.  Muay Thai style bags will allow you a very good range of kicking height.  I like Outslayer.

I can’t hang a bag, so I have a BOB XL.  It’s very good.  So long as it’s filled properly and on the right surface, movement shouldn’t be much of an issue if you’re not doing running and jumping kicks and punches.  If my living situation changes and I can have a hanging bag, I’ll buy a Muay Thai bag and keep the BOB XL too, as I like it that much.  

Get a decent pair of gloves and learn how to wrap your hands.  Make sure you’re hitting correctly, and don’t go full power right from the start.  Build up to it.


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## Tames D (Mar 23, 2018)

I like RevGear free hanging bags. Full length for low kicks as well as head shots.


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## Tames D (Mar 23, 2018)




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## Tames D (Mar 23, 2018)

The 6 foot bags can run you anywhere from $120-$250.


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## pdg (Mar 23, 2018)

I have a 5' heavy bag hung in the garden.

It's much much heavier now than when I got it 18 months ago - cycles of rain, snow, heat, cold, sun really compress the filling - it's like slightly padded concrete.

Probably not great for punching to be fair...

Awesome for kicking though.


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## Buka (Mar 23, 2018)

Hitting things is tricky, at least on your own. I think the best way to start would be to see what's available and at what cost. Then look at your home situation, where it's going to be used and what that may affect. For instance - if you're going to be using a typical heavy bag, where is it going to hang? If it's in a basement, it's going to make a hell of a racket to the rooms above you, it will probably shake the whole house. Which might not bother you, but it might bother somebody else....which always leads to problems and is not conducive to good training.

Whatever you end up using, make the space it's going to be used in "cool". Make that area a place you like being in, a place that makes you feel like it's an extension of your outside training, otherwise good intentions tend to fall by the wayside.

I suppose the best thing, if available to you, would be to go hit everything, everywhere - and see what you like to hit. Then go shopping.

The biggest mistake I see people make for punching things at home is they either buy cheap, or buy something too heavy and hard.

And get some good gloves. And for those who want to use _my bare hands!_ Get two pairs of gloves.


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## Kababayan (Mar 23, 2018)

I have three heavy bags in my garage, each for a specific reason.  Like Buka said, don't buy cheap.  For boxing I have a Ringside bag.  It cost me $150 and has lasted for ten years. I like it because the filler doesn't settle at the bottom, like the Everlast canvas bags do.  Having a good pair of gloves is important too. It's nice having boxing gloves and also MMA gloves so that you can feel a difference in speed and power.  I have that on a heavy bag stand, so it does limit my movement.  I only round kick on that bag. I also have the Versys.vs.BoB. It's great for Kenpo-style striking and light kicking.  It doesn't develop the punching-power that a heavy bag does, but it allows you to have more focused speed-hand strikes and allows for practicing some trapping. I also have a submission master grappling dummy for the ground and pound-type punching and knees.


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## watching (Mar 23, 2018)

I appreciate everyone's responses. Can you guys tell me why I should use gloves? I'v always done my training on bags and target pads bare handed, except when I was learning boxing for a little while and my coach insisted I wrap my hands and where gloves.


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## pdg (Mar 24, 2018)

Gloves and wraps serve a few purposes imo...

They do a very good job of protecting your hands and wrists, especially against a heavy bag.

They let you punch harder.

The extra weight is good for muscle conditioning - if you can punch fast with proper technique with an extra pound on each hand you'll be faster if you ever need to do it bare fisted.


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## _Simon_ (Mar 24, 2018)

I use a full length (5-6ft?) hanging bag from a stand. Love it, although I would love to freehang it up without the stand so I could move around it more, but it still does the trick (the stand squeaks a great deal though!). Ah yeah I remember I was asked awhile ago on a thread how much my bag weighed! Totally forgot about that... XD


Sometimes I'll use gloves (MMA-style gloves) and sometimes I'll go bareknuckle. I reckon they both serve a purpose. If I'm going particularly heavy I'll usually glove up (as knuckle skin tends to rip easily on it..), but the Kyokushin in me still loves the raw feel of bareknuckle ;D.

I also have hand pads but no one to hold them for me! *sad face*


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## watching (Mar 24, 2018)

_Simon_ said:


> I use a full length (5-6ft?) hanging bag from a stand. Love it, although I would love to freehang it up without the stand so I could move around it more, but it still does the trick (the stand squeaks a great deal though!). Ah yeah I remember I was asked awhile ago on a thread how much my bag weighed! Totally forgot about that... XD
> 
> 
> Sometimes I'll use gloves (MMA-style gloves) and sometimes I'll go bareknuckle. I reckon they both serve a purpose. If I'm going particularly heavy I'll usually glove up (as knuckle skin tends to rip easily on it..), but the Kyokushin in me still loves the raw feel of bareknuckle ;D.
> ...


I hate not having a training partner nearby too! My school is about an hour and a half away


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## JR 137 (Mar 24, 2018)

watching said:


> I appreciate everyone's responses. Can you guys tell me why I should use gloves? I'v always done my training on bags and target pads bare handed, except when I was learning boxing for a little while and my coach insisted I wrap my hands and where gloves.


Gloves and wraps protect your knuckles, wrists, and skin.

I used to use light MMA gloves on the bag.  They pretty much had the sole purpose of keeping me from ripping up my skin.  I first started consistently hitting a bag at my YMCA, and there were some blood spots on it from other people.  No need for further explanation.

When I got my BOB XL, I kept the same gloves.  My knuckles started swelling up, and my fingers and hands started getting very stiff.  Then I started developing carpal tunnel syndrome.  I ditched those and bought a new pair of the same gloves, as the old ones had seen better days.  Helped a little bit.  Then it got worse.

Being a part-time athletic trainer (sports med), I’ve seen a lot of people with hand and wrist issues from long term bag work.  I’ve seen people tear ligaments, cartilage, require surgery, etc.  No thanks.  

I did my research and that lead me to Title Gel World bag gloves.  They were pretty much a unanimous best bag glove recommendation everywhere, minus a pair of two that were significantly more expensive and the ones who said they were better said they were slightly better.  Since I took some time off to heal up and wore them, not a single issue.  They’re around $100, but having no more hand issues was a solid $100 investment.  When they wear out, I’ll happily buy another pair without thinking twice.

For those who say I just needed to condition my hands, get used to it, etc.; I say not worth it nor practical.  I’m a school teacher, not a pro fighter.  And I use my hands for typing and a lot of other hands-on (no pun intended) stuff.


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## Dirty Dog (Mar 24, 2018)

watching said:


> I appreciate everyone's responses. Can you guys tell me why I should use gloves? I'v always done my training on bags and target pads bare handed, except when I was learning boxing for a little while and my coach insisted I wrap my hands and where gloves.



Gloves and wraps provide protection for the hands and support for the wrists and protect you from injuries caused by improper technique. 
The upside is that you'll be able to punch harder, for longer, without getting hurt. 
The downside is that because poor technique doesn't hurt, it may take longer to develop good technique. Because pain is a good teacher.
Personally, I encourage students to wear wraps/gloves to start with and then decrease what they're wearing over time.


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## watching (Mar 24, 2018)

Anyone ever use these wall targets?
Punch Wall Target Pad Taekowndo Karate Martial Arts Training Bag Boxing Fight | eBay


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## _Simon_ (Mar 25, 2018)

watching said:


> Anyone ever use these wall targets?
> Punch Wall Target Pad Taekowndo Karate Martial Arts Training Bag Boxing Fight | eBay


Nah I haven't used those, looks like a cool idea! Just wondering how to put it up without using nails.. maybe tie it with string to a pole.. hmmm...

"Wall target that is suitable for daily training, but also suitable for home use when training, Tae Kwon Do to learn essential personal appliances."

What! Suitable for training and also for when you're training! Awesome... and always wanted a way to learn more about appliances through martial arts...

(Sorry, I love some of these descriptions XD)


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## watching (Mar 25, 2018)

_Simon_ said:


> Nah I haven't used those, looks like a cool idea! Just wondering how to put it up without using nails.. maybe tie it with string to a pole.. hmmm...
> 
> "Wall target that is suitable for daily training, but also suitable for home use when training, Tae Kwon Do to learn essential personal appliances."
> 
> ...


Some of the reviews mentioned using an adhesive... but i don't know what kind.


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## pdg (Mar 25, 2018)

_Simon_ said:


> Just wondering how to put it up without using nails..



Use screws instead?


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## Gerry Seymour (Mar 25, 2018)

watching said:


> I appreciate everyone's responses. Can you guys tell me why I should use gloves? I'v always done my training on bags and target pads bare handed, except when I was learning boxing for a little while and my coach insisted I wrap my hands and where gloves.


I prefer bare-handed work. But the gloves are an important tool, too. I've hit the heavy bag with every pair of gloves I have - cheap sparring gloves (dipped foam), boxing gloves, bag gloves, kempo gloves, MMA gloves. They all feel different, and I hit a little different with each. I use wraps sometimes (with or without either boxing or bag gloves). On average, I hit softer (overall) with my bare hands than with any of the others (except maybe the dipped foam - I'm afraid those will disintegrate). And I go with the most abandon with the more padded gloves, so I get a better workout.

I don't really like the boxing gloves on a bag as much as some of the others - it changes the shape of the striking surface so much I have to watch for rolling the wrist. But they are hella fun for throwing hooks.

As for what bag, get one you really like. That's about it. As a blind suggestion, I'd start with an actual bag over a BOB if you are only going to have one. And go back and re-read @Buka's recommendations a few posts back.


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## _Simon_ (Mar 25, 2018)

pdg said:


> Use screws instead?


LOL yeah I think screws is what I meant really... avoiding nailing or screwing anything in. Am not planning on getting one of these pads but just curious how to hang


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## Kababayan (Mar 26, 2018)

watching said:


> I appreciate everyone's responses. Can you guys tell me why I should use gloves? I'v always done my training on bags and target pads bare handed, except when I was learning boxing for a little while and my coach insisted I wrap my hands and where gloves.



What everybody has said about wearing gloves is right on point.  Gloves protect the wrists and hands during hours and hours of hitting the bag.   The main reason I think that gloves are important is because many people using heavy bags for the first time don't punch the bag properly. At least when starting, beginners tend to push the bag rather than striking and retracting quickly.  There are some really good "How to hit a bag" tutorials on youtube.  I would focus on tutorials from boxers, as they tend to hit heavy bags more often than anyone else. That's not to say that going full-bore on a bag doesn't have a place in training; it's very important. But to do that for an entire training session, especially when done incorrectly, can hurt the wrists. I do like hitting the heavy bag without gloves occasionally, but not if I'm doing a long bag workout.  I'll go gloveless on the BOB.


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## Flying Crane (Mar 26, 2018)

It depends on what you are training for.

If you want full contact competition, then the wraps and gloves protect you from injury during long training sessions.  And likewise, wearing wraps and gloves protect you during competition.

The problem is, the wraps and gloves can mask poor technique, that will get you a broken finger or broken wrist if you ever need to throw a real punch outside the ring.  The wraps and gloves protect you from injury due to poor technique, and can prevent you from even knowing that your technique is poor.  In fact, wearing them can force you to use poor technique that works well enough while wearing them, but would be a disaster if you ever used that technique bare-handed.

So...if you are not interested in competition, and are interested in self defense, then you need to be able to safely punch, without the protection of wraps and gloves.  That means you need to train without them.  Bare fists on the bag.

In that case, work up gradually to develop the appropriate conditioning and to avoid injury.  Even with good instruction, there is an element of self-discovery with a heavy bag, figuring out just how to line up a punch safely.  So don’t be in a hurry.

And yes, without the wraps and gloves you will not be able to hit the bag for hours at a time.  But you don’t need to.


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## _Simon_ (Mar 26, 2018)

Flying Crane said:


> It depends on what you are training for.
> 
> If you want full contact competition, then the wraps and gloves protect you from injury during long training sessions.  And likewise, wearing wraps and gloves protect you during competition.
> 
> ...



Great post FC.

Yeah gloves can definitely mask bad technique, hence why I feel it's important to go without them. Not all the time, but it definitely informs you of bad technique.

Another thing people do I've noticed is when starting training on a bag, they see a bag and think "okay I've gotta just hit it hard", and start out just smacking the thing. It's okay to start really slow and light, like seriously slowing your punches riiiight down so that you can gradually build up to harder punches. Focusing on good technique, and once you've gotten the hang of that (being mindful of where on your hand you're striking, keeping a tight fist, straight wrist and being aware it's not compromised there so it can buckle), building up power slowly.

And yeah I've actually never understand how people can go an hour or more on the bag! It exhausts me haha, I much prefer shorter sessions on the bag, but then I guess it depends what you're doing on the bag. I tend to mix it up and drill certain techniques or combos on the bag, feet, legs, hands, elbows, knees etc, and love doing shorter high intensity rounds on it.


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## Flying Crane (Mar 26, 2018)

_Simon_ said:


> Great post FC.
> 
> Yeah gloves can definitely mask bad technique, hence why I feel it's important to go without them. Not all the time, but it definitely informs you of bad technique.
> 
> ...


In the same vein, it is my suggestion that people don’t spar against the bag.  Instead, systematically drill the basic strikes and gradually work up to short combos.  But really focus on the basics, that part should be forever, whatever else comes into the program.  Focus on the stances and stance changes and power transfer that goes with that.  Make those fundamentals really solid.

I don’t see any point in bouncing around and sparring against the heavy bag.


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## Jdokan (Mar 28, 2018)

You all have it wrong...don't buy anything use nature....


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## Jdokan (Mar 28, 2018)

Seriously, I think you need to find what fits your needs.  Size of area, etc.. As far as wrapping...A lot of good info here already...again determine "your" use/desire.  do what works for you.  As an aging guitar player I don't like to damage my hands  so my bag work is letter than most here on the forum.  I use open hand to slap, then elbows knees kicks.  Have fun with whatever your choice.


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## Jdokan (Mar 28, 2018)

oops meant that to be "lesser" not letter... see what I mean about hand damage...


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## Flying Crane (Mar 28, 2018)

Jdokan said:


> Seriously, I think you need to find what fits your needs.  Size of area, etc.. As far as wrapping...A lot of good info here already...again determine "your" use/desire.  do what works for you.  As an aging guitar player I don't like to damage my hands  so my bag work is letter than most here on the forum.  I use open hand to slap, then elbows knees kicks.  Have fun with whatever your choice.


I agree about using caution to avoid long term damage.  Unless you intend to do high level full contact competition, you do not need hours and hours of this stuff.  A fairly moderate amount of bag work can be enough for most lay persons looking to develop some self defense skills.  It just needs to be consistent so the skills are maintained.  In my opinion, 30-40 minutes at a time, a couple times a week is plenty.  And that time includes kicks and punches.

People sometimes feel they need to train for hours and hours.  Dedication is good, do what you enjoy.  But personally I think it is possible to become a slave to your training.  When that happens, you are out of balance.


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