Freestanding Heavy Bags vs. Heavy Bag Stand vs. Hang it from the ceiling?

**Bob B** · 05-20-2008, 09:14 AM

I am looking to get a heavy bag into my basement (the only style I have any experience with is boxing, so that is what it would used for), and am looking for some opinions on these two styles:

Freestanding Bag: These look convenient, but maybe too light? The heaviest I saw was 270lb, filled.

Heavy Bag Stand: With a speed bag on one side and a heavy bag on the other, this seems to be a good option. The one I was looking at had spots to put weight plates, to help keep it in place. But even with 45lb plates all around, is this going to stay in place during heavy bag work?

Traditional bag hung off the ceiling or one of those tripod wall mount: A heavy bag hung off the cieling is the only style I have any experience with. I KNOW it will work well, but I wonder if I am going to run into problems with hanging a 70-100lb bag off a wood beam over the course of time? I might be able to hang it on the steel main beam, but it might be too low then.

Any opinions from those with experience with the first two styles would be appreciated. They LOOK like good options, but looks can be decieving...

**DVC** · 05-20-2008, 10:18 AM

Freestanding - I have a BOB (body opponent bag). The base is filled with water or sand. Great bag and it gives you realistic targets. However, you can't practice leg kicks, etc on it. I don't like the other freestanding bags.

Hang from the ceiling - There's some hardware that's spefically made for basement rafters - it works well. Also use the big spring attachement. No problems with a 100 pound thai bag.

Heavy bag stands - don't like them. They completely limit your ability to move around the bag and work angles and get off line.

YMMV

**grimel** · 05-20-2008, 10:27 AM

Originally Posted by DVC

Freestanding - I have a BOB (body opponent bag). The base is filled with water or sand. Great bag and it gives you realistic targets. However, you can't practice leg kicks, etc on it. I don't like the other freestanding bags.

Hang from the ceiling - There's some hardware that's spefically made for basement rafters - it works well. Also use the big spring attachement. No problems with a 100 pound thai bag.

Heavy bag stands - don't like them. They completely limit your ability to move around the bag and work angles and get off line.

YMMV

What he said. I like the hang from ceiling and BOB. I HATE with a holy passion the bag stands.

**Studey** · 05-20-2008, 11:29 AM

In regards to not being able to use kicks on BOB, here's some pictures of a modification I made to mine to allow low-line attacks.

**seth bailey** · 05-20-2008, 11:33 AM

Hang from ceiling. I just bought a new one because I finally got fed up with the stand. Granted, it was a foam cylinder and not a BOB, which I'm sure would have been better, but I hate the stand. Not a pro, or even amaturer fighter, just wanted to work on the few thing's I know that I've actually used in my semi-sordid past, but it wouldn't stay in place. Filled with sand and water, I'd have to wait for it to settle before striking again. Now I have a heavy bag hung in the garage, and it works just find. Think I'm gonna regulate the foam cylinder to knife work.

**michael** · 05-20-2008, 11:44 AM

Originally Posted by Studey

In regards to not being able to use kicks on BOB, here's some pictures of a modification I made to mine to allow low-line attacks.

Hey Studey,

That looks great. What did you use to construct the legs? I need to do that with mine.

**David III** · 05-20-2008, 11:50 AM

I've been using a heavy bag since the early 1980s (meaning I have screwed up or broken every way to use it!) -- ceiling by all means. The only way a stand won't move around is if you bolt it to the floor and then it bends or you'll decide you needed to move it, or with weights, it just slides around a little at a time so that you end up repositioning it a lot.
A big wood beam will hold a 100 lb bag, but when I did it, I didn't trust the wood anyway and reinforced it with metal. Just used an old lasso to tie it up there.
Right now, mine's on a stand

until I can get up into my shop's roof and figure out where the main beams are. It is really irritating to chase the bag around - ideally, I'd like it hanging from a relatively heavy chain, which, with a hook, would allow me to vary the bag's height pretty easily.

**ricco** · 05-20-2008, 01:23 PM

Bag stands don't work very well. A heavy bag is no different than any other training equipment, you tailor it to the type and amount of training you will do. BOB is a target for self defense training, the body is hard and angled so you have to use heavy gloves to avoid damaging your wrists and the head is too soft to for power punches(hyperextending the elbows could be a problem). I use BOB for knees and elbows out of a Thai clinch. I don't know about damage to your house, it probably will over time. I can tell you that other people in the house are going to become annoyed with you jarring the floor. The guts of every hanging heavy bag tend to settle over time so if the bag is low to begin with your going to have problems. I think the Century XXL free standing bag would work best for you. I doubt you will able to punch it and knock it over and if you can you don't need my advise I need yours. I don't think a heavy bag that moves is a problem. One of the reasons I like it is because it does move.