There is no item of workout gear more important than a heavy bag for a prospective kickboxer, traditional martial artist, or boxer who is currently undergoing training or has achieved the highest levels of success. Heavy bags serve as practice objectives, allowing you to refine and improve your striking and kicking methods as you gain experience.
Your heavy bag, like the remainder of your workout gear, should be a good match for your specific physical objectives. Determining the type of clothing, size, and materials you require is critical to your training success. If you're practicing for a game, there are various heavy bag models to choose from, depending on your preference and the training objectives. The heavy bag is fantastic for developing general skills, but it may not be the best choice for a professional athlete who wants to enhance speed, reflexes, and response times.
An easy answer to the main question is "YES," heavy bags can be used for kickboxing. With all honesty, kickboxing is incomplete without heavy bags because most of the training revolves around it, depending on your level of expertise. This article will help you learn things about heavy bags that you never knew were important.
Pick the Right Surface Material of Your Heavy Bag
Depending on its use, a heavy bag is often composed of leather or a synthetic fiber material such as vinyl or plastics. Leather heavy bags are by far the most conventional and are regarded as the benchmark in the kickboxing industry. They are sought after since they are extremely durable, reliable, and comfortable, and timeless in appearance.
However, leather is significantly much more costly as compared to manufactured materials, which is not surprising. To avoid the excessive expense of leather, many heavy bag manufacturers use real synthetic leather that has a similar feel to leather but are inexpensive to the real thing.
Despite this, synthetic heavy bags have several benefits, particularly in specific situations such as gyms. Vinyl and polyamide, for instance, may be considered suitable for humid environments since they are more susceptible to the development of mold growth. On rare occasions, you may come across a bag made of canvas material. Canvas heavy bags, while far less resistant than natural and synthetic leather, are relatively economical and might be helpful in situations when the bag would be used infrequently.
Focus on the Mass of Your Heavy Bag
The critical variables for picking a heavy bag size depend upon the person's height, age, and weight who has to practice on it. Just as in actual combat, a boxer should be paired with a bag that performs well with its particular height and weight. Heavy bags come in diameters ranging from 2.5 feet to 6 feet and masses from 60 pounds to 150-plus pounds.
However, there are heavy bags of different sizes and weights mentioned earlier. Also, they can be customized according to preferences, but they are obviously much more expensive. You'll encounter heavy bags in a range of sizes, thicknesses, and weights. Some heavy bags have inbuilt mechanisms that enable the user to alter the load as required.
The usual guideline for measuring the heavy bag is that they are best at around half your body weight. For instance, if your weight is around 160 pounds, it is recommended for you to use an 80-pound heavy bag.
Heavy bags with a height of 4 or 5 feet long are generally adequate for adults. If you have sufficient resistance and stability, meaning that the heavy bag doesn't flap uncontrollably everywhere every time you hit a straight punch, then you are good to go as far as the size is concerned.
What Material Should Be Inside Your Heavy Bag?
Another important aspect of heavy bag purchasing is the bag's filling because the material inside it matters more than we think. The filling impacts the hardness, durability, weight, convenience, and even the price of the heavy bag. In most situations, your heavy bag will arrive already filled with the said material, but you'll need to purchase filler for a bag that was supplied unfilled or replenish it as required. You'll need the filling if you've had breakage or the filling has started to deteriorate.
The most common heavy bag fillings are:
- Water
Water filling in the heavy bags makes them more convenient, as water is around at all times for most of us. Modern water heavy bags are trustworthy, dependable, and better to punch. Typically, water-filled heavy bags contain a bladder that leads to quick refilling and avoids breaking.
- Textile
Heavy bags that contain fabric stuffing are suitable for situations where you wish to lessen muscular tension on the wrists, elbows, knuckles, and shoulders. The fabric is quite delicate, lightweight, and fitting. Most conventional and Muay Thai model heavy bags incorporate fabric and sand filling elements to create the correct amount of weight and contact sensation.
- Sand
Sand is, without a doubt, the most outstanding choice for those who desire the most weight possible in their heavy bags. Sand can be poured into nearly any receptacle. It will not produce a significant problem if it leaks like a water-filled bag.
However, sand has the tendency to change its hardness when combined with water and is prone to leaking out of the storage of the heavy bag, and it can easily get into tiny spaces and can be trapped there for a long time.
- Air
Air is a relatively inexpensive and convenient filling for people who want a lightweight heavy bag option. It is also employed in a variety of other applications. The most significant disadvantage of heavy bags filled with air is that they begin to deflate somewhat over time, necessitating the need to re-inflate them after every two days or so.
Heavy bags are a big part of kickboxing and other combat sports. People who take part in it know the importance of having a durable heavy bag. If you are thinking of starting your kickboxing journey or have just begun, investing in an excellent heavy bag is vital. It will help you perfect your skills and achieve the best results in less time.
