I am in the market for a heavy bag that I will be using exclusively for kicking (mainly Muay Thai round kicks.) I do have a bit of a punching bag addiction, and this will be fifth training bag. I am considering the Ringside elite freestanding bag because it seems like it can withstand kicks without moving much. Has anyone here trained with this bag or have any other suggestions? The wave bags seem to move a bit too much (I used to have one a while ago but they may be better now). I have been using my heavy bag to kick but there is always a fear of cracking my toes on the bag stand (which I have done many times). Thank you in advance.
Ringside elite freestanding bag exclusively for kicking?
- Thread starter Kababayan
- Start date
Thank you for the insight. Do you have any suggestions of another freestanding bag? I can't hang anything or I would get just get another heavy bag. Thanks again.
JR 137
Grandmaster
I don’t know the bag in question. If you’ve got problems with any freestanding bag sliding, I’ve got a fix though...
I filled my BOB XL’s bade with pea gravel. Weighed it down pretty good but it still slid on my rough concrete basement floor. I bought an industrial rubber mat and put it under the base, and it hasn’t ever slid since. I think this is the one I use, but I bought it a while back so maybe not the exact one:
TrafficMASTER Black 36 in. x 36 in. Rubber Anti-Fatigue Comfort Mat-KFTRM9191-1 - The Home Depot
I filled my BOB XL’s bade with pea gravel. Weighed it down pretty good but it still slid on my rough concrete basement floor. I bought an industrial rubber mat and put it under the base, and it hasn’t ever slid since. I think this is the one I use, but I bought it a while back so maybe not the exact one:
TrafficMASTER Black 36 in. x 36 in. Rubber Anti-Fatigue Comfort Mat-KFTRM9191-1 - The Home Depot
Thank you for the info. I'll do this once I get the bag. I think I'll end up getting the Ringside Elite because it seems like the other bags kick over too easily. Thanks again.
JR 137
Grandmaster
I've got the Century BOB XL. There's tons of people saying it tips over too easily. I've seen a ton of videos of people tipping it over. Tow things I pretty much always notice - they're pushing it rather than striking it correctly, and/or the base isn't filled right. Don't get me wrong, if I put the BOB XL on the highest setting and hit it in the face hard enough, it could tip over. But I don't practice punching 6'6" tall people on my bag very often.
I hit a Wavemaster XXL 5 days a week for about 6 months (it was at my local YMCA). It was filled with water, and not once did I tip that one over. I've seen a ton of people tip that on in videos and even watched a guy at the Y tip it over. Every one of them looked like they were pushing rather than striking. If you plan on running and flying kicks, then yeah, they'll all tip over. But a heavy bag would swing just as much.
I wouldn't recommend the Wavemaster XXL for other reasons though. The foam breaks down quite fast. It wasn't too bad when I started hitting it, but during that time I left clear permanent indentations on it. Of course I don't know who else was doing what else to it, but according to the staff hardly anyone hits the thing for any length of time. I was fooling around and smacking it around a few weeks ago, and it felt like a pillow. I was hitting the plastic core. Not that big a deal if you're wearing heavy gloves, but kicking the thing isn't going to feel good, especially with your shins.
The BOB is far firmer and more durable in my experience. And it doesn't have the faulty screw in mechanism that people reportedly break constantly. I really wanted the Wavemaster XXL as it's like a freestanding muay Thai bag; after the one in the Y, no way I'd buy or recommend one.
Are you sure there's no way to hang a bag? The Outslayer muay Thai bags are phenominal. I can't hang one either, so I've got the BOB XL. When I move to a space where I can hang a bag, I'll get one of thos and keep the BOB XL alongside it.
Ringside makes some great stuff. Hopefully that bag is up to their other stuff's standards.
Thank you for the info. I can't hang anything because I keep my wife's car in the garage. I currently have four bags: The Versys VS.Bob, A Ringside Heavy Bag, a Grappling Dummy, and a speed bag. I use each consistency. I am looking for a bag specifically to lay kicks into. I don't want to use the Versys Bob because I don't think the legs will withstand thousands of full impact kicks. I currently use my heavy bag but the stand doesn't give me much room for error if I am off by an inch or two (my toes hit the stand many times). Thanks for the info on the Wavemaster. I didn't consider the foam breaking down and feeling the plastic post in the middle. I guess I could use a BOB XL and lower the body to practice thigh kicks. That may be an option.
Well, there's your solution. Get the wife a smaller car, and there's plenty of room!
Seriously, I agree with you on the heavy bag with a stand. I kicked a stand hard enough to transfer paint to my big toe last year. That hurt for a long time, and I can't make myself kick with any force on a stand bag anymore.
JR 137
Grandmaster
I’ve never seen a BOB XL in stores. A lot of places have the standard BOB. Here’s how I made my decision to get it, because the standard BOB is too short:
Find a standard BOB in a store (places like Dick’s carry them). If you look at the standard BOB, you’ll see the tube that slides onto the base’s shaft. There’s quite a bit of that sticking out from the bottom of the standard BOB. On the BOB XL, that part only sticks out an inch or two. So if you go see the BOB in a store, lower the BOB all the way down and throw a light kick to see where your foot/leg ends up. If you’re hitting the base, it’s not long enough. If you’re hitting the part attached to the BOB, you should be good.
The BOB XL has another advantage - the standard BOB has that open back that the “skin” rips from at the screws. The XL’s skin goes all the way around, eliminating that problem.
And order from Amazon Prime. Most places will kill you in shipping; Prime is free.
Find a standard BOB in a store (places like Dick’s carry them). If you look at the standard BOB, you’ll see the tube that slides onto the base’s shaft. There’s quite a bit of that sticking out from the bottom of the standard BOB. On the BOB XL, that part only sticks out an inch or two. So if you go see the BOB in a store, lower the BOB all the way down and throw a light kick to see where your foot/leg ends up. If you’re hitting the base, it’s not long enough. If you’re hitting the part attached to the BOB, you should be good.
The BOB XL has another advantage - the standard BOB has that open back that the “skin” rips from at the screws. The XL’s skin goes all the way around, eliminating that problem.
And order from Amazon Prime. Most places will kill you in shipping; Prime is free.
Thanks for the tips.
