If you’ve just started boxing or are looking for a quick way to improve your own home gym, then you might be looking at picking yourself up a punching bag. Most of the options you’ll see in professional gyms are far too expensive for the average person training at home. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t some really good options out there. We’ve put together a quick guide full of the best punching bags for beginners, to help you train at home.
The bags we’ll mention in this article are ones we think make a good fit for beginners. But if you’re just curious about all of the different types and shapes of punching bag, we already have a great article on punching bag types.
The Benefits Of Punching Bags For Beginners
Punching bags have some great benefits for beginners. Here are a few things which having a punching bag lets you do:
- Boxing in your spare time without a partner or coach
- Training at your own pace
- Having fun and getting fit without much experience
- Practicing punches at full power without worrying about injuring anyone
- Experimenting with your own combinations
- Repeating a technique to help perfect your technique
If you want to find out more about the benefits of using a Punching bag, this article on why punching bags are useful might be exactly what you’re looking for.
Good Types Of Punching Bags For Beginners
Standard Heavy Bag
The heavy bag is the most common punching bag used for boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai and other martial arts. The term heavy bag can be used to refer to bags of multiple shapes and sizes, but a typical heavy bag is usually 4ft-5ft tall, with a consistent width from top to bottom. Usually they’ll hang so that the bottom is just below waist height.
A heavy bag is perfect for beginners because they can be picked up for a good price. They’re fairly versatile, and let you work on most techniques such as straight punches, hooks, kicks, elbows and perhaps knees.
You will however need to make sure that you can hang it safely. You’ll need a ceiling which can definitely support the weight. If you don’t have one, or aren’t fully sure then you’ll want to pick up a punching bag mount/bracket as well.
Note: Before you buy, make sure to check if the bag is filled or unfilled. Unfilled will be cheaper, but you’ll have to pad it out yourself with old clothes or fabric offcuts.
Our suggestions for beginners
Freestanding Heavy Bag
If you don’t have a good place to hang a heavy bag, look into a Freestanding bag. These bags stand on the floor rather than hanging. Usually the base will be filled with either water or sand in order to hold it up-right. These types of bags are perfect if you need to move them out of the way when not in use.
While freestanding bags are more convenient, it’s possible to knock them over if you hit them hard enough. They also don’t have the natural ‘swing’ that hanging bags do.
Our suggestions for beginners
Reflex/Cobra bag
Reflex bags (also referred to as Cobra bags), are similar to freestanding bags. The difference is that they have a smaller target and a spring, meaning the bag bounces back to you when hit.
For beginners, these bags are easy to find and small enough that they can easily be put away when not in use. They make a good way to try out some light boxing combinations and work on timing. Unfortunately, you often can’t put too much power in on them.
Our suggestions for beginners
Double End Bag
The double end bag (or floor to ceiling bag), is a small bag on a cord between two points. Usually these will connect to the floor and ceiling. The tension of the ropes can change how quickly the bag swings. Likewise, the size of the ball can determine how big or small a target it is for training accuracy.
The double end bag allows for some good speed and rhythm training, with the added benefit that you can move around and use proper strikes. The speed that the bag swings back with means that this bag is also useful for practicing blocking, which means you can easily practice counter striking.
The benefit for a beginner is that these are pretty easy and cheap to get hold of. Just be aware you will need an attachment on the floor and the ceiling, so it will need it’s own dedicated space.
Our suggestions for beginners
Aqua bag / Water Heavy Bag
The aqua bag is something which has gained popularity in recent years. Most heavy bags are made with a leather exterior filled with some sort of textile padding. Aqua bags on the other hand are filled up with water.
When hitting an aqua bag it has a completely different feel. Strikes sink in a little more, which is said to be better for your joints, and it really lets you throw much harder than on a regular bag. Physically hitting a water filled bag feels a lot more like hitting a real person.
These are only available as hanging bags and are often heavier than other bags of the same size. If you don’t have a good place to hang it, you’ll need a mount. The price can vary a lot depending on the size, but a small or medium bag is perfectly fine for beginners.
Our suggestions for beginners
Once you’ve made your decision on what type of bag you want to go for, make sure to check out some reviews. To help you out, we’ve reviewed some of the heavy bags we’ve spent the most time working on in our Equipment Reviews section. Not all punching bags have the same quality and feel, so it’s really important to know that you’re getting your money’s worth out of such an expensive item.