There are so many different punching bags available on the market today, it can be hard to know which one is right for you. Depending on your needs and your budget, you can choose from a variety of different options. Even if you don’t plan on regularly using a punching bag, we recommend having one at home to keep fit and stay healthy. A punching bag will provide you with a great cardio workout in just a short time. It’s also a great way to de-stress after having a frustrating client call whilst working from home! In a perfect world, you’d have the space to put your own hanging bag on the wall or ceiling, but this isn’t always possible. That’s where free-standing bags come in. Free-standing punch bags are typically easy to assemble, clean, move and add to your existing gym setup. The best thing about them is that you don’t need to drill a hole to get them in place.
Tips for Buying Free Standing Punching Bags
As with any other purchase, you need to make sure that you’re investing in a high-quality product. This, of course, means making sure that you’re buying a brand-new, quality-made bag.
When choosing any workout equipment, knowing the intended use can certainly help build your confidence.
Here are a couple of questions you might ask yourself to get started:
- How long would you use it for each session?
- Do you want to replicate the gym intensity?
- How hard do you want to hit it?
- Who is it for? Kids, adults, or a mixture?
Make sure to start your search by knowing what you want from a punching bag. For example, if you are teaching kickboxing to your kids, you might want a free-standing punching bag with a different flex or bounce to add safety.
Size
The bigger, the better! Unless it is just for your kids or your space is really limited and you need to store the product away after every training. Don’t get a light bag. There are 2 main reasons for that:
- Small bags move a lot and can be hit over, especially with kicks. You don’t want to constantly move the bag back to the initial position during your workout.
- The heavier the bag, the more effective the training is. If you want light training, you can do shadow boxing, but if you train on a heavy bag, you want to sweat, right?
Shape
You might be familiar with the Bob-man, a human torso made from latex, with his own visible facial features. Bob is quite useful for martial arts who want to focus their punches and kicks on a specific area of the body.
Alternatively, you can get cylindrical bags that are essentially identical to boxing bags and made of dense foam with a vinyl cover. They might even have printed numbers on them, making them useful for training combinations or motivating children.
There are also free-standing punching bags that stand on a thin flexi neck or stick with a speedball on top. It is debatable if these qualify as free-standing punching bags, as they aren’t designed for the same purpose as regular punching bags.
Base and Capacity
The base of a free standing punching bag is one of the most critical components. When purchasing a punching bag, you must choose one that has a strong, sturdy base that can hold a lot of weight. The capacity of the base will determine how durable and stable the punching bag will be. The capacity of the base is one of the most important aspects.
The base will be constructed of plastic, so you must be careful about how thick its walls are. A frequently asked question is, “how do you fill up the base of a free standing punching bag?” The answer is not as easy as it seems. People often recommend sand or other nonliquid substances to fill the base. You would have to empty 100 liters of sand to accomplish this! The capacity of the base of a free standing punching bag should bea t least 80 to 100 liters. But as sand weighs a lot, 100 liters of sand is equal to 160 kilograms or 350 LBS.
Although some home-boxers have been known to fill their base with liquid as viscous as motor oil as it provides more weight, water is the most accessible option to most.
Some heavy bags on the stand also have suction cups under them. So, if you have a linoleum (or other smooth) floor, these are very beneficial to avoid knocking the punch bag over.
Materials and Quality
Finding a standing punchbag that is both high-quality and inexpensive is a difficult undertaking. Everybody wants the best quality at the lowest price, but unfortunately, it may be a bit unrealistic. When purchasing a punching bag, quality is critical. The material of the bag’s shell, along with the density and thickness of the foam determines how much damage it can take. No matter what sort of foam you choose, it should be able to take a pounding.
Don’t settle for anything but the very best quality, as the outer shell must be tough. After all, you’re going to be hitting this thing! As the old saying goes, buy cheap, buy twice; you don’t want to wait for weeks for your bag to be delivered, only for it to fall apart after a few stiff strikes.
Many cheap products also have a weak base, which may crack and cause water leakage if you fill it with water.
What Are The Best Punching Bags On A Stand?
Here we’ll review our top recommendations for free standing punching bags. We’ve tired them all and again, have to say, that a hanging bag is definitely superior to any of the free-standing boxing bags, but from what is available, here are some products worth looking at.
Century BOB XL
The legendary BOB - Body Opponent Bag is a lifelike mannequin for realistic self-defense training. It can be used with or without gloves and is great for training the accuracy of punches and strikes. If you want to train accuracy, there is no better solution than Bob, but if you want a sweaty and challenging punching bag training, you should look for a cylinder-shaped bag.
Pros:
- High quality material that lasts
- It has a face and a torso for aiming shots
- Adjustable height
Cons:
- Rough material that may hurt untrained and unprotected fists and feet
- Not possible to low kick
- You cannot put much power into the head punches
Best for: Taekwondo – you can practice the accuracy of your kicks; Self defense – strangle, aim for the nose, throat, end eyes.
Verdict: Suitable rather for training accuracy than getting a good, powerful, and sweaty punching bag workout.
Century Wavemaster XXL
The Wavemaster XXL punch bag stands at 175cm (5' 9") and has a 45cm (18”) diameter, making itone of the most sizeable of all standalone punchbags. It is quite sturdy and can take strong punches and kicks. It is made from premium materials with a premium vinyl exterior and a high-density foam interior. 20kg (44 LBS) unfilled, the Wavemaster XXL is pretty portable, although after it is filled it will weight close to 100kg. The base capacity is almost 130 liters (33 gallons). It is one of the heaviest and largest free standing punching bags available due to this.
Pros:
- Sturdy
- Great quality
- Punch or kick easily anywhere – from low kicks to head punches
Cons:
- Moves a bit (you can kick it over)
- A bit too soft material (which is actually a pro for beginners)
Best for: boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai
Verdict: It is surely one of the best free-standing punching bags out there for boxing and kickboxing for beginners or lighter punchers. For heavy punchers it may be too soft and move too much.
Century Versys VS1 Fight Simulator
The Century Versys VS1 is a free standing bag for combat sports that is more portable than the original and has pre-filled base 50kg (110 LBS). The bag has synthetic leather and a high-density foam inner. It can take abuse and is great for storage but will require some space when training. It has top handles that can be used for clinch knees and takedowns. The base has a handle too, so you can use it for weight lifting exercises.
Pros:
- Portable
- Requires no filling (pre-filled)
- Great for takedowns, knee strikes, or clinch.
Cons:
- Easy to punch or kick over
- 66 inches tall, so not suitable for tall fighters
- Weak recoil
Best for: MMA – takedowns and grappling; Muay Thai – clinch and knees.
Verdict: It’s a great bag for MMA fighters, but not very suitable for boxing or kickboxing as it moves too much.
RDX F6
It is rather suitable for beginners training boxing. The base is weak though and won’t take kicks or hard punches. The punch bag stands at 181cm (71 inches) and has 35cm (14 inches) in diameter. The eight extendable legs provide great stability on a smooth surface – there are 17 suction cups fitted to stabilize it. Or it can be filled with 120kg of sand or 80kg of water. The product comes with free punching bag gloves that are suitable for this bag, but sadly not for heavy hanging bags.
Pros:
- 17 suction cups keep it stable (if you have a smooth floor)
- Quite tall - gives you as much space to throw punches and kicks
- Great price
Cons:
- Weak base
- Suitable for lighter punchers only
Best for: boxing
Verdict: If you are a lighter puncher and you have a smooth floor, it’s a good choice, as the suction cups keep it stable. Otherwise, we’d rather suggest a heavier product like Wavemaster XL or Ringside Elite.
Ringside Elite
193 cm (6’4”) in height, this will suit almost any fighter. The base tank can hold up to 270 pounds of sand (180 pounds of water) and can be used for boxing and kickboxing. You can hit or kick it as hard as you like without it falling over. Definitely one of the best choices out there.
Pros:
- Big and stable
- Almost impossible to knock over
Cons:
- Wide base, so you won’t be able to step very close
- Water may start leaking after heavily using it for a few years
Best for: Boxing, Kickboxing, Muay Thai
Verdict: Great freestanding bag for boxing and kickboxing even if you are a tall, strong, and experienced fighter
Everlast Powercore
The Powercore free standing punching bag from Everlast is an affordable option for easy and casual punching bag workouts. The height is adjustable from 132cm to 165cm. Sadly, the low price tag comes with low quality as well. Many users have said that the product starts to break down very easily, even if you are a lighter puncher.
Pros:
- Cheap
Cons:
- Unstable
- Low-quality materials
- Small hole for pouring and the lip to prevent it from going straight in
Best for: light boxing
Verdict: Definitely not suitable for grown-ups, maybe for kids only
Free-Standing Heavy Bag Comparison
Let’s compare the height, weight and size of the punching bags reviewed.
Product | Base capacity with water | Height | Diameter | Style | Rating | View on Amazon |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ringside Elite | 270 LBS / 122 liters | 76 inches / 193 cm | 17 inches / 43 cm | Boxing, kickboxing | https://amzn.to/3DSKAXl | |
Century BOB XL | 270 LBS / 122 liters | up to 82 inches / 208 cm | na | Takwondo, self defense | https://amzn.to/3hidV5O | |
Century Wavemaster XXL | 270 LBS / 122 liters | 69 inches / 175 cm | 18 inches / 46 cm | Boxing, kickboxing | https://amzn.to/3TqeU18 | |
Century Versys VS1 | 110 LBS / 50 liters | 66 inches / 168 cm | 13.75 inches / 35 cm | MMA | https://amzn.to/3A0rdui | |
RDX F6 | 176 LBS / 80 liters | 71 inches / 181 cm | 13.75 inches / 35 cm | Boxing | https://amzn.to/3EhXmQv | |
Everlast Powercore | 250 LBS / 110 liters | 65 inches / 165 cm | 13.5 inches / 34 cm | Boxing | https://amzn.to/3UJMkc2 |
Conclusion
Hanging bags are usually cheaper, whilst providing a much better overall experience than free-standing bags. If you do opt for a free-standing bag, due to it being more convenient to move or not having a suitable wall or ceiling to put a hook into, keep an eye on the base. The capacity has to be large for the bag not to move. Also, the base is the weakest part, and when breaking, your purchase will be useless.
For boxers and kickboxers, we can suggest Ringside Elite, for taekwondo fighters the Century Bob and for MMA practitioners the Century Versys VS1.