Using The Right Materials In A Boxing Punch Bag

By Carlos Hernandez

The Internet contains a veritable library of information about what to do with your boxing punch bag, and it's all available to you by performing a Google search. The main question puzzling people in the real world is how you can fill your own bag.

There are several ways of thinking on this topic. Sand -- arguably the most common filler -- and water are the most popular, and some even claim to use grass.

The first two work decently, though the quality varies depending on what you're using your bag for and what materials make up your shell. Filling a standard size boxing punch bag with water, for example, is a mistake unless you feel like mopping.

Grass is the one choice here we can rule out entirely. It doesn't matter what kind of bag you're filling -- using grass will create an overly soft bag that won't build strength or endurance at all, but will start to smell shortly.

Do consider that when it comes time to fill your boxing punch bag, you'd be best served by purchasing an empty shell from the store rather than letting your aunt sew some kind of material for you.

Even if you're trying to be budget savvy, the consistency of your bag will be wrong and it simply won't last long enough to warrant spending any money at all -- unless you don't mind throwing away your money.

So what's the alternative? Well, you can't just buy a sack and call it a day. A sack is not designed to take a brutal beating, day in and day out. This kind of pressure is going to wear on it very quickly, so again buying a sack is going to drain your time and wallet.

The best thing to do is to simply bite the bullet and buy an unfilled boxing punch bag to custom fill yourself. The upside to this decision is that unfilled boxing punch bags are cheap -- it's the stuff on the inside that differentiates an Aries or TKO from an Everlast.

Many materials exist that can be used in a boxing punch bag. Don't just pick one, pick several and mix them together to create a quality filler for your boxing punch bag that will continue to perform years after the fact.

Some ingredients you can use to fill your boxing punch bag include:

* Cotton, or anything made from cotton

* Cloth or yarn made from wool

* Normal air

* The foam of an old mattress

* Liquid -- most often, water

* Unwanted or used clothing

* Saw dust or shreddings

* Thick feathers, such as the ones in pillows

* Dry rice

* Any kind of sand

* Material used for packing, such as styrofoam

* Garbage bags that have been rolled tightly

* Tires that have been shredded, or rubber of any type

So what is your boxing club really using? Well, it's something of a secret, so don't tell anyone I told you. The following is the formula.

Be sure to pack your boxing punch bag tight with cloth until there is no looseness remaining. Be careful here because if any looseness remains, your bag will be too soft and it will become deformed by punches.

What can you do to stop your bag from becoming misshapen?

Pour fine sand into your bag and let it fall to the bottom to weight it and keep the right shape. Line the walls with cloth torn from sleeping bags, or even army sacks if you have them available.

Next, pack the core with feathers and any rubber you have at your disposal, like shredded tires. - 31520

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