Punching bag

[krishanu]

does anybody here know how to pack a punching bag? i heard that you pack the bottom with sand so that it is bottom heavy and then fill the rest up with sawdust. unfortunately i havent come across any muai thai puching bags where is live. only boxing (short and thick) puching bags are available.

im not sure, but i get the feeling that this is more suitable for boxing or arm strikes as opposed to kicks. any suggestions?

[RASor]

Osu krishanu-san,

Punching bag size would not really matter as long as you know how to use it for your benenfit and gain.

At our dojo all the bags are filled with cloth and tightly fitted inside. Advantage of cloth filling is - not too hard and heavy for the legs giving the user less risk of sustaining an injury during his striking or kicking and allows more students to use it. But of course we have the sacks of sand for hardening the shin and knuckles. I think the bags are Australian made (Bradley?) but are great durability and high standard.

I personally use at home TKO bags but filled them with sawdust not sand. So far I have not experienced much difference with the bags in the gym and that at home whenever I practice on them (except for dust coming out of bag). I guess this is because my focus is in technique rather than in strengthening my strikes and kicks.

Just remember no matter what you fill in your bags it is best to first start light then get deeper into the strikes and kicks. You are the best gauge to know how far to go.

Enjoy training with the bags it is very helpful.

Osu!!!

[Billy no mates]

A fine kiln dried sand in a thick bag or stuff sack(to stop it running out as the seams of the bag open slightly as the bag ages and settles) is good in the bottom of a big bag then i sheath the bag with army surplus sleep mats(i use dutch army ones as they are the thickest i can find) and fill up the core that is formed with shredded/reclaimed/re-cycled rubber .
If you use bag gloves or mitts you could probably do with out the sheath around the core to save your hands,its a bit of work but i think its worth it to get something thats really fit for purpose,i think its better value long term to buy a good quality leather bag,although the inital outlay is a bit higher they last much longer .