Expert: Alan Kahn - 8/19/2003

Question
Dear Alan,

I hope you wont consider this question beneath your expertise. I want to start doing some boxing traing but can't afford any equipement right now. I want to make a punch bag. What kind of stuffing goes into them? Any other ideas you could give me would also be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Tony

Answer
Hi Tony,

Great to hear that you want to start boxing!  There are a few things you can do without equipment or with some very inexpensive equipment.  First, you can shadowbox, which is basically fighting against an imaginary opponent. You practice your punching and footwork as if you were boxing someone. Some people like to do this looking into a large mirror, so they can use their reflection as an opponent and also to check out their own form ( punching and body movements)

when you say A "Punching Bag", which is a name for lots of bags, I assume you are meaning a large "heavy bag" which hangs on a chain or rope and can be hit pretty hard. There are many types of Heavy Bags, and their are two main things to be concerned with.  First, is the inside filling and second is the outside punching surface, from canvas to leather. Here are a link to a few heavybag listings;

Ringside Boxing

http://www.ringsideboxing.com/store/products_punchingbags.asp?dept=27

title Boxing

http://store.titleboxing.com/heavy-bags.html

Many leather bags have a Soft 2" foam liner on the inside, which protects the hands.

you CAN make one of your own by stuffing some old clothes into a large laundry bag. Another good home made job is to get some carpet lining, roll it up until it is a long tube at least four or five feet tall, and tape it real tight. But you have to fashion a way to hang it. There are a few problem with home made bags. First, getting them heavy enough to withstand your pounding punches, and second, figuring out a way to hang them. But one easy way we got around that when I was a kid was to wrap and old thick carpet around a skinny tree in the back yard.  The tree's stability, ( or a pole in the ground ) provides the resistance and the covering ( carpet  or carpet foam pad ) providing the soft surface to punch.  

Don't forget hand protection.  Get some old ankle wraps if you don't have wrist wraps. Hand wraps protect the hand bones. And use some type of gloves, even cheap cotton ones, to protect the skin over your knuckles.

You can also make a very cheap JUMP ROPE by cutting a strand of thick rope, such as clothes line.  the optimum length is to hold one rope end up to your shoulder, step on the rope, pulling snugly under your feet, and up to the other shoulder. Make it a little longer if you are going to hold the rope ends by wraping around your hands a couple of turns.  Jumping rope is a key boxing exercise, but jumping one that is too short is dangerous.  

Thanks for your question, Tony. No question is ever beneath anyone. Your concerns for home made equipment are just as important and worthy as anyone else.  There are many of us that started out on "zero budget for equipment" and had to learn to improvise. I hope some of my suggestions helps you and don't hesitate to ask again, or email me at

speedbag@hot.rr.com

if you have any other questions.  Training safely and avoid injury.   

Alan Kahn
author, The Speed Bag Bible