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WABUKAN Arsenal · Training tools · Europe

Punching bag

The heavy bag trains power and combinations. Thai bags are longer, to kick and knee.

Punching bag
Punching bag WABUKAN illustration

Also known as

heavy bag · heavy bag; saco pesado; sac de frappe

Origin and history

Heavy bags became standard equipment in boxing gyms in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as gloved boxing spread under the Queensberry Rules. Today every striking art uses them.

Martial arts that use it

Boxing Kickboxing Muay Thai MMA

Construction

A cylinder of canvas, leather or synthetic material, filled with fabric, sand or foam, hung from a chain; boxing bags are usually 1–1.2 m long, kickboxing bags longer.

Basic techniques

Training

Training tools are used in short, regular sessions: correct technique first, then gradual increases in load or contact so that joints, skin and tendons adapt.

Safety

Increase load and contact gradually, stop if joints hurt (as opposed to normal muscle fatigue), and check the equipment and its fixings before each use.

Legality (general information)

This is training or traditional equipment, not a weapon, and is generally free to buy and own. Clubs and federations may still set rules on approved models and condition. General information, not legal advice.

Did you know?

Bags filled only with sand become hard as they settle, which is why mixed or textile fillings are common.

More weapons

Meel Dussack Bokken Shinai Makiwara Chi ishi and nigiri game

Sources

Original WABUKAN text, written from these cross-checked sources (facts, not sentences).

  1. Wikipedia — Punching bag
  2. Wikipedia — Boxing