punch bags and gloves help

[murphyg]

hi
ive been doing kickboxing for a while now and have just goten my orange belt. i have been wanting to purchase a bag for a while now but im completly stuck on which 1 to get. ive been looking at Tao punch bags, just the normal leather ones. i dont know whether i should get 4ft, 5ft or 6ft? i want to practise both my punches and kicks on it.
Also ive been reading about having to use gloves andi was wandering what gloves every1 else uses?
cheers

[Albert]

A 6 foot one would be cool, then you can practice some higher kicks. And as far as gloves, i dont use them.

[_Jay_]

congratulations on getting your orange belt.

I also would like to buy a bag to practice on, but unlucky for me I'm pushed for space so can't get one yet. :(

[rigsville]

I’ve just purchased an excellent leather punch bag from Icon Martial Arts (check the Google ad at the top of the page, if it’s not shown the address is www.iconmartialarts.com)

The bag I got was the Cowhide Leather Punch Bag 130 cm that came with a free pair of gloves and hanging chains. (I’ve always had excellent service from Icon)

The gloves are OK, but to be honest I’m going to pick up a new pair from this years Seni in Birmingham where I can try a pair on before purchase - www.senishow.com

P.S. sorry, I forgot to say congratulations on getting your orange belt.

[NaughtyKnight]

Dont bother with the gloves, it will make your wrists stonger without them.

As far as heavy bags go, make sure that it is the right weight for you. If you are going to be kicking it, then make sure that it is very heavy, hardly swings when you hit it. As you progress your bag will swing more and its time to weigh it down some more.

Check at your local sports shop and see what they recommend you. The best bet would be to ask your instructor what one he sudgests.

[_Jay_]

Dont bother with the gloves, it will make your wrists stonger without them.

How so?

[NaughtyKnight]

How so?

You have to stabalise your wrist or risk it getting broken.

Try it out. Whenever I make others punch without gloves, they always bitch at first of how it hurts there wrists. I tell them "well unless your going to use gloves when some burke is mugging you, then stop bitching".

[_Jay_]

You have to stabalise your wrist or risk it getting broken.

Try it out. Whenever I make others punch without gloves, they always bitch at first of how it hurts there wrists. I tell them "well unless your going to use gloves when some burke is mugging you, then stop bitching".

Yeah ok and can understand that but surely your putting yourself at risk of really damaging your wrist at least until there abit stronger?

[NaughtyKnight]

Yeah ok and can understand that but surely your putting yourself at risk of really damaging your wrist at least until there abit stronger?

Mate, I have never worn gloves in any fight, or any training session ever. I only wear them when I spar in JKD, so I dont injure my poor sparing partner.

Guess if you dont want to go full pelt, you could always gradually build up. :rolleyes:

[murphyg]

cheers for the advice
so u think that a 6 ft leather bag would be best and that i should ask my instructure. ill do that before i buy anything.

[NaughtyKnight]

cheers for the advice
so u think that a 6 ft leather bag would be best and that i should ask my instructure. ill do that before i buy anything.

Yep 6ft is definatly the best bet. You can practise your spinning hook kick on it, and also all your other high and fly kicks.

Ask your instructor for good brands and you should be set.

[b33p]

A four footer works just as well.. al you do is kick a little higher // ^_^

[Hidden_Dragon]

Buy gloves. I use gloves on my punchbag and though you can strenghten your wrist with them the first times you might not get a proper work out you can also work on punching technique and power and speed of punches with gloves on . You can always take gloves off at the end of your session to strengthen your wrists.

[NaughtyKnight]

Whats the fun in that. Its good to know that if you screw up, your going to be in some serious pain. Only way to perfect technique I feel.

[Haduken]

i found my punching technique and power went up a lot when i stopped using mitts... they get in the way - i find them really annoying - plus my knuckles would always be messed up when i sparred without them, because they were so unconditioned.

[NaughtyKnight]

i found my punching technique and power went up a lot when i stopped using mitts... they get in the way - i find them really annoying - plus my knuckles would always be messed up when i sparred without them, because they were so unconditioned.

Damn straight, screw gloves.

[Hidden_Dragon]

Injuries tend to hinder performance. I always do some conditioning at the end using no gloves but when on a bag i think its essential to wear gloves otherwise combinations can't be strung together properly , punching power is limited. Its good to practise without gloves for a little of the time but i think wearing gloves is quite fundamental. I think you will find wearing the proper punchbag gloves are extremly thin anyways and toughen your wrists up nearly as much as without wearing gloves at all.

Anyways for punch bags try Playwell (http://www.playwell.co.uk)

[NaughtyKnight]

I dont see how anything is hindered not wearing gloves. I hit just as hard and fast, I still can do my tabata interval training without gloves.

[murphyg]

cheers for more advice
i think that i will buy the tao fingerless bag gloves for £11.99
r these alright for bag work? cos they say for light bag work

[NaughtyKnight]

cheers for more advice
i think that i will buy the tao fingerless bag gloves for £11.99
r these alright for bag work? cos they say for light bag work

I still recommned to boycott gloves, but if your insistent get the lightest pair you can. Dont bother with the triple padded crap.

[murphyg]

will do
im gonna get the tao punch bag it costs £39.99
anyone knw if its worth gettin this one

[Haduken]

don't want to hijack the post - but jsut a quickie - KE: what do you do for your interval training?

[JTiedes]

on theglove note, dont bother if you want to have nasty looking cut up knuckles. i didnt use gloves for about a year cause i didnt own any. early one my knuckles were always disgusting looking, and would bleed when i hit the bag. i got hand wraps and everyday i wonder why i never got them before. they give jsut a bit of wrist support, and keep your knuckels from getting scraped, but u still take the brunt of the force, helping to condition your knuckles

[NaughtyKnight]

don't want to hijack the post - but jsut a quickie - KE: what do you do for your interval training?

For punching, I just punch non stop for 20 seconds, followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeat 8 times. It is the most murderous thing you will ever do.

For kicking, I do the same as above but kicking with alternate legs.

Do a search if you want some more info, there are heaps of threads about both Tabata interval training.

[Prophet]

I find gloves dont work well for me, they're just to unnatural feeling, so I go with the wrap option.

[NaughtyKnight]

I find gloves dont work well for me, they're just to unnatural feeling, so I go with the wrap option.

Yeh Wraps are good. They also stop your hands getting skinned by the bag, without the bulky feel of gloves.

[JTiedes]

then again, having a nice set of heavy gloves is great too. it makes you get used to having to move faster to hit hard, then when you take them off, theres less wieght so you move even faster and hit WAY harder than before

[Fightshop.Com]

Weather or not you use gloves really depends on two criteria. Personal preference and how you train. If you are going to work on a heavy bag like a boxer, then without gloves you will damage your hands and wrists over time. This applies to kicks too. But as many people on this thread have indicated you can mitigate this by building up slowly and conditioning your body. This takes time. Personally I like to beat the hell out of a heavy bag, working in three minute rounds boxing style. Hence I wear gloves and wraps. Bag gloves are designed to be light with minimal padding, their main function being to protect the knuckles and hands form abrasions, cuts etc resulting from hitting the bags surface. Don’t use Boxing gloves on a bag as the bag itself should provide much of the shock absorption. Boxing gloves are designed to protect the person you are hitting when sparring. Using Boxing Gloves on a bag just breaks down the padding and makes them useless more quickly and thus you have wasted your money, as Boxing gloves are far more expensive than basic bag gloves.

If you plan to hit heavy and if that is how you train then you should always use wrist wraps. They protect and support your wrist against long term damage from repetitive impact. You may not notice anything in the short term if you don’t use them but over time the impact on your wrist can cause or speed up instances of arthritis, repetitive strain injury or other injuries. In my case an ugly Ganglion which appeared on my wrist for a few years, harmless but ugly. If you get to the gym too late and cant be bothered wrapping your wrists you should look at buying an Inner Glove which you can slip on very quickly. Not as much support as wraps but far better than nothing. Get someone to show you how to put on wraps properly. As other contributors to this thread have noted, wrist wraps can also be used on a bag to provide some level of protection to the surface of the skin.

The purpose of a bag, apart form providing a target, is to absorb the shock of the impact thus giving a realistic "feel" to your punch. The shock absorbing properties also decrease the likelihood of injuries to your joints as you impact the bag repeatedly over time. A bag's shock absorbing properties are dependent on how it is filled and with what it is filled. The most common "standard" filling used by most decent bags in Boxing gyms is rags. To achieve different properties some people may mix the basic rag filling with a little sand or sawdust. The outer skin of a bag will either be leather, nylon or PU. Leather obviously lasts longer (and looks good) but costs more then Nylon or PU bags. For most home users leather is unnecessary as the bag wont get the severe punishment that one in a gym would. However people do still but leather bags for home use as they look and "feel" better then synthetic materials.

As for what bag to go for and weather or not to use gloves, well at the end of the day that is up to you. All I would say is there is a lot of rubbish on the market. As with any sports equipment you get what you pay for. Boxing and Martial arts equipment is designed to protect you and your sparring partner. If you buy cheap rubbish you may well end up injured and it wont last very long so you will have wasted your money. There is plenty of cheap stuff about and also expensive "fashion" stuff, stay clear. Stick to established and respected brands of Thai and Western Boxing equipment. I say these because they regularly take severe punishment and have to stand the test of time. Its your body you are protecting and your money you are investing. Remember you get what you pay for in the end.

If you wish I can out line some of the brands I have come across and what my experience of them is.

[murphyg]

wow cheers for the info
it would be great if you could outline some decent brands.
cheers

[JTiedes]

good brands ( in my experience)
everlast
TKO

[Fightshop.Com]

The information below on equipment is from personal experience and talking to others who fight, spar and also from instructors and gym owners/operators.

The main Thai brands are Windy, Twins and Fairtex. There are also Thaismai and Sandee and a few others. All are good quality as they are used in professional Gyms in Thailand.

Windy is the oldest Thai Boxing Equipment manufacturer, a family business producing kit for over 60 yrs and used throughout Thailand in most of the professional camps. Very good quality, lasts for ages.

Twins is one of Thailand’s major exporters and one of the most popular brands in Thailand. Similar quality to Windy but they have better marketing. It has also made some inroads into Western Boxing.

Fairtex is a relatively new Thai brand but use modern quality assured production methods and superior raw materials to produce very high quality kit. They are the official equipment suppliers of K1.

Title are a very old British Boxing equipment manufacturer, making kit since 1949. Used extensively in Western boxing gyms in the UK. Like Fairtex they use modern quality assured production methods and superior raw materials to produce very high quality kit.

Top Ten are one of only two equipment manufacturers in the world who have been licensed by AIBA the International Amateur Boxing Association to produce equipment for sanctioned amateur boxing bouts. Top Ten have been used in many Olympic games.

The other western boxing brands that you might come across are what I would refer to as “fashion” brands geared towards the home fitness market and boxercise type classes; Everlast, Lonsdale and Gold’s Gym. Everlast is a USA company with a very good reputation however Everlast in the UK is produced under licence and differs from the quality of its American parent. Whilst Everlast in the USA is one of the best brands of kit money can buy and is used extensively by professionals and gyms, its UK counterpart is geared up mainly for the home fitness market. Lonsdale is more of a fashion brand now, no real pedigree in boxing equipment any more, just fat people wearing hooded tops and punching each other when they have drunk too much on a Friday night. Gold’s Gym is a weight lifting company that sells a boxing kit range, again only really suitable for home fitness use.

If I were you I would stick to the tried and tested brands such as Windy, Twins, Fairtex, Title and Top Ten. Its your body you are protecting and you money you are investing. Remember you get what you pay for in the end.

[NaughtyKnight]

Great Post!

Serious that was excellent.

[rigsville]

Great Post!

Serious that was excellent.
^^^^^^^^^
What he said!

Fightshop.Com thankd for two excellent and inforative posts, loads of really useful information - thanks again.