4 Best Standing Bags For Home Muay Thai Training

LOW ON HANGING SPACE? TRY A STANDING BAG

By Matt Filart

There are a lot of Nak Muay's who have been looking to get their training fix ever since quarantine measures were put in place all around the world. While we all know that following the guidelines and staying inside to keep ourselves and others safe is smart, it becomes boring, especially for people like us. S

ince lockdown has been happening around the world, we've been posting about home Muay Thai workouts and we’ve even talked about some heavy bags to look out for if you’re in the market for one.

The problem with standard heavy bags is that you need to hang them up, meaning you’re probably going to need to install something to hang them off of. This is going to be hard for most people and impossible if you live in an apartment. If you can hang something, you have to consider how heavy the bag is compared to how strong your ceiling is and how much swinging the bag will do.

This is where freestanding bags come into the picture. While these do have their limitations, they are a good option for those who can’t hang up a heavy bag in their place. These bags are also a lot more mobile and you don’t have to worry about them swinging too much, so let’s go over a few.

#1: EVERLAST POWERCORE FREE STANDING HEAVY BAG

We might as well start this list off with the most known boxing brand in the world: Everlast.

Everlast is known for making fairy affordable stuff, even if it’s not the highest quality or the longest lasting (pretty ironic given their name.)

This bag can be filled up to 250 lbs. with water and about 370 lbs. with sand. The bag is adjustable, about 54” to about 65," though that is not including the base; even still, it’s a little short. The bag is a also thin compared to some others on this list. 

This bag is a bit thin on actual padding, so it's prone to wearing down, meaning eventually you might just end up hitting the pole that is holding the bag up. The bag itself moves around a bit, similar to a cobra bag so you can work on your timing and other aspects.

On the website, the company also states that the bags are not for outdoor use, so if you were thinking of having this in your backyard, you might want to look at some other options.

>>> More top heavy bags that Muay Thai Guy recommends. <<< 

#2: CENTURY WAVEMASTER

Century says that they are the creators of the original freestanding bag and while I’m not sure if this is true you do tend to see freestanding bags from them the most. They have a ton of freestanding bags and you can see them a lot in traditional martial arts schools.

This bag is their trademarked Wavemaster bag and it’s the most common one you’ll see. This bag comes in black blue and red - the colors you want to make your opponent!

The bag itself can be adjusted from 47 inches to 68 inches with a 24-inch diameter and a base at 24 inches. When filled with water completely, this bag weighs around 270 lbs.

This bag doesn’t move when hit, which can be a loss of a benefit depending on what you want. Once again, this bag can be a little short even at its tallest setting, so if you’re a taller fighter like myself, you might need to look at some other options.

 INTENSE 15 Minute Heavy Bag Conditioning Workout For Muay Thai

#3: TITLE HYDRO-FLEX H20 FREESTANDING HEAVY BAG

This is the biggest freestanding bag that we are going to be talking about on this list. Title is pretty well known for there traditional boxing products but in recent years they have been expanding their catalog.

The bag stands at 70 inches tall and 24 inches in diameter, making it the biggest bag on this list by far. It isn’t adjustable, but for the vast majority of people that won’t be an issue. When filled with water, the bag will weigh around 275 lbs.

The bag, similar to the first one on this list, also moves around when it, so you can work on your timing. This allows you to work on your timing better as well, as the size of the bag forces you to dodge it if you make it start swinging around a lot.

The bag is made out of what the website calls "Exclusive high-tech PVC rubber Flex-Neck," but when looking it to it, the bag company states that it is made with dense polyethylene foam.

This bag is a solid option for those of you who are taller fighters and fighters who like to switch up targets a lot, as the height allows for that. You can also work on your footwork and evasiveness more effectively due to the bag’s freedom of motion. The bag’s dense foam layering also ensures that it won't wear down to the point where you will be hitting the post holding it up.

>>> More top heavy bags that Muay Thai Guy recommends. <<<

#4: CENTURY BOB XL

If you’re talking about freestanding heavy bags, you have to mention Bob. It’s weird how so many people know to call this "Bob," even if they've never heard of him/it before.

This bag is simultaneously one of the most well-known and least-used pieces of equipment in gyms. For this list, we are going to be talking about the Bob XL model, as it will fit the size of most of us. Once again, this bag is made by Century, so that might be part of the reason it is so popular.

This bag can be adjusted from 60 inches to 82 inches tall and the mannequin/striking part of the bag’s dimensions are 40" x 15.5" x 10.5". When filled with water - you guessed it: it weighs 270 pounds.

The thing about this bag is that it’s a really good idea. It’s shaped like a person so you can visualize an opponent. This makes it easier to target specific areas of the body like the liver. This also helps work head kicks and you have to angle the kick to get over the shoulder, instead of just throwing it high like on a normal heavy bag.

In practice, this can be a little less than ideal though. The bag can be awkward to hit and you don’t feel that impact you want to get familiar with due to the material and the way its constructed.

This is a good one for a gym, but if you are a newcomer or a casual Nak Muay, maybe think about other possibilities for your home.

>>> More top heavy bags that Muay Thai Guy recommends. <<< 

"What Do I Put In My Heavy Bag?"

As mentioned previously, you can fill these bags with sand or water. If you fill them to the max with water, the bag will be around 270 lbs.; if you fill it with sand, it will be 370 lbs.

I don’t recommend filling these bags completely with either as it makes them really hard to move around, even when you try to roll them on their side.

People also use straps to tie them to walls. which is good if you don’t mind not being able to move around these bags in a full 360 degrees. People have also used straps to attach them to poles as well as weights, so you can keep the full circle of movement while not having to make it heavy.

Heavy Bag Drills for Muay Thai

With any these bags, you can do almost the same amount of drills you could with a standard heavy bag. Drills that involve swinging might be limited depending on which bag you get, and you might not be able to train low kicks depending on your height.

Thinking about it, depending on your height you might only be able to train low kicks with these bags! Something to consider before making a purchase for sure.

Another thing to consider: THE DRILLS! 

7 Beginner Heavy Bag Drills For MMA, Muay Thai & Kickboxing