Styles of Punching Bags

Whether you are an amateur or professional boxer, someone learning self-defense or if you're taking a kickboxing class for fun and fitness, there is a style of punching bag that will fit your workout needs. By using a bag as a stand-in for a human opponent, you'll find it's a great way to prepare for a fighting scenario or help improve your cardio fitness.

  1. Hanging Heavy Bag

    • When training with the hanging heavy bag, the boxer or student is able to mimic a real situation by improving strikes and kicks, according to the Protective Strategies website. Working with the heavy bag, which usually weighs anywhere from 40 lbs. to 100 lbs., helps the person in training work his large muscle groups. A heavy bag workout will help to increase lactate threshold as well as improve cardio fitness.

    Standing Heavy Bag

    • The standing heavy bag is most often seen in kickboxing classes and sometimes in self-defense classes, but it ultimately serves the same purpose as the heavy bag. The floor standing heavy bag is portable and can be stored in a corner area so that it--along with enough bags for a full class of students--can be used in a multi-purpose room, such as an aerobics studio where several types of fitness classes are held daily.

    Speed Bag

    • The lightweight speed bag hangs from the ceiling with the lowest part of the bag located at nose or mouth level for the boxer. This particular bag is especially useful to help a boxer to improve his punching skills, including hand-eye coordination, and rhythm and timing, according to RossBoxing.com, helping to make short, fast punches. Working with this bag will also challenge the fighter's speed and endurance the longer he works.

    Double-End Bag

    • The double-end bag allows the boxer to adjust the height of the bag, so he can train for a specific opponent, according to the opponent's height. This type of bag has a far greater range of motion and a greater scope of unpredictability than even the speed bag, according to Boxing Equipment 24/7. The double-end bag adds in defensive training and footwork to the speed training of the speed bag.

    Punch Mitt or Pad

    • Though not a bag, the punch mitts or pads serve the same purpose as the various bags in helping the boxer to throw punches in real space. In the case of someone wear the mitts or pads on their hands can be especially useful in creating true, reactive resistance to the boxer's punches. Also called focus pads and coaching pads, these mitts are valuable training tools since they are portable and inexpensive.

    Tear Drop Bag

    • This bag, shaped the way it sounds, is designed specifically for knee strikes, elbow strikes and most punches from the clinch, per Blackbeltshop.com.