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Ever wanted to be able to train/spar at home?
Wanted your own bag at home but got nowhere to hang it?
Or ever woken up in the morning and wished you could just throw a couple of 1-2’s or a wheel kick to get that oomph into your day?
We hear you! I now have a hanging heavy bag at home, but when I lived in a studio I purchased a free standing punch bag and it’s still one of my favourite things I’ve ever owned. Any time I walked past it to the bathroom I would stop and give it a three piece combo and it never got old. If you love boxing, you know why. I good three punch combo can never get old!
Punching bags have evolved somewhat of late with the emergence of MMA and also a few new tricks in the industry when it comes to boxing training. You no longer need to be nailing hooks and railings into your walls and ceilings to get a punch bag at home. In this guide, we’ll tell you all about free standing bags and what we think are the best free standing punch bags on the market.
What’s a free standing punch bag?
We love this versatile free standing bag by Century.
If you’ve got a spare corner in your house and would like a punching bag that doesn’t require any hooks or chains or drills or hanging stands, then a free standing punching bag is what you’re after.
You may have seen them in some gyms, especially MMA gyms, or at some better martial arts/boxing stores. They are basically a regular punching bag, but they are fixed on a weighted base, which is usually filled with sand to keep it grounded.
When filled with sand, most weigh around 100-140kg. This means they don’t move much with a simple jab or jab-cross, but with enough power you can definitely get them to budge or even hit the ground (which is fine, it’ll bounce back up, or just pop it back up if not).
What to look for in a good free standing punch bag
Weight
A freestanding punch bag will move when you hit it at full force, and while they can take a decent beating, but they certainly won’t absorb impact like a proper hanging heavy bag. The best free standing heavy punching bags will have a decent size base weight at least 100kg, and ideally up to 150kg. This means they will hold their ground when you’re really throwing those bombs and working it.
Materials
Everything should be made with at least PU or Maya hide leather and with stainless steel tubing. Look for high quality foam on the inside. Good quality stitching is essential for longtime durability (you’re going to be pummelling the thing, after all!)
Size and shape
They vary in height and surface area. Some bags are shorter and fatter, some are long and skinnier and some are shaped like combat dummies.
Delivery
Of course you don’t want to be pulling one of these things onto the tube or even hauling it in and out of your car. Make sure you order from a place that offers free or cheap delivery. We like Amazon for this purpose but some other stores like RDX will do it for you too.
The best free standing punch bags in UK right now
We’ve done the legwork for you and reviewed the top free standing punch bags available to UK buyers. Our top picks are as follows:
DripeX 175cm Free Standing Punch Bag
- Height: 175cm
- Height adjustable: No
- Weight: 182 lbs (83 Kg)
- Bag material: PU leather
- Bag filler: Layered EPE foam
- Base filler: Sand/Water
Really great product here from DripeX. Made with high quality tear-resistant materials, you should have no problem giving this one a good beating without it falling apart.
It stays secured to any even hard surface with suction cups which prevents the sliding that can disrupt your session. It also has dual TPU absorbers that achieve 360 degree shock absorption so you can get a stable bag workout in.
The tube stand is stainless steel and the bag is layered with a high density EPE foam so it absorbs contact and feels like a real punching bag rather than a block of concrete – exactly what you want!
For the price, we think it offers awesome value.
- Shock absorbing system.
- Floor suction cups on the base to prevent sliding.
- Stainless steel tube stand .
- PU leather with EPE foam and tear resistant fabric.
Everlast Powercore Freestanding Punch Bag
No products found.- Height: 132 cm (52”) to 165 cm (65”)
- Height adjustable: Yes
- Weight: 250 lbs (113 Kg)
- Bag material: Synthetic leather
- Bag filler: High Density Foam
- Base filler: Sand/Water
Everlast might not make the best boxing gear on the planet but most of the gear is still pretty darn good. This free standing bag is no exception.
One of the few bags with an adjustable height, the hitting surface on this one might be slightly smaller but it makes up for that with its versatility. The base is recommended to be filled with water and brings the weight to 113kg which makes it very solid.
Everylast uses their own Tri-disc Foam which disperses impact evenly through the bag. IT also has a Power Transfer Ring at the base which manages the recoil and absorption so the bag is flexible but still sturdy to give you an uninterrupted workout.
We also think it just looks smart and should be a nice addition to the corner of a workout room or apartment. Little more expensive than some of the others though, so keep your budget in mind.
No products found.
XN8 5.5ft Free Standing Punch Bag Stand
- Height: 5.5ft (168cm)
- Height adjustable: No
- Weight: NA
- Bag material: MOTI hide leather
- Bag filler: EPE Foam
- Base filler: Sand/Water
The cheapest stand alone punching bag on this list, which still manages to hold its own. Built with MOTI hide leather on the surface and quality EPE foam padding inside, it’s just as sturdy as the bigger and more expensive bags when taking hits. At 5.5ft (168cm) it’s also a decent size, with a decent base height ensuring the bag recoil isn’t too extreme when you’re getting your bag work in.
Underneath the base you have 10 suction cups that prevent sliding, plus a heavy duty connector between bag and base to support 360 movement of the bag. Overall a really great bag for a great price, and should suit the needs of any beginner-intermediate fighter, whether child or adult.
Note this also comes in a larger 6ft model which weighs over 150kg when filled. More expensive, but one of the best free standing heavy punching bags if you want something more sturdy.
- Very affordable!
- Good size for a cheaper bag at 168cm.
- Suction cups under base prevent sliding.
- Top quality PU leather
- Heavy duty connector with base reduces recoil and movement.
Century Versys VS1 Fight Simulator 100LB
- Height: 5.5ft (168cm)
- Height adjustable: No
- Weight: 110 lbs (50kg)
- Bag material: heavy duty vinyl
- Base filler: None required
The Century VerSys is a bit different to other free standing punching bags in that it’s supposed to go to ground rather than recoil. You can practice takedowns and ground and pound along with standup making it an ideal training bag for MMA.
The bag does rebound naturally when you hit it, but with enough force it will go to ground, you can also take it ground as a training “partner” for your takedowns and top/side control before standing it up to bring your workout back to the feet.
Not the ideal bag for boxers but for anyone doing MMA could be a more versatile choice that will help you round out your home training with a fuller workout.
- Able to train on ground or free standing.
- Suited for MMA fighters.
- Practice takedowns, standup and ground and pound all with the one bag.
- Durable heavy duty vinyl
- Pre filled base requires no additional sand or water filling.
Century BOB Freestanding Punch Bag
- Height: 152-200cm
- Height adjustable: Yes
- Weight: 122kg when filled
- Bag material: High performance plastisol
- Bag filler: High-density urethane foam
- Base filler: None required
The Century Bob is quite a well known training dummy and is heavy and sturdy enough to be used in place of a free standing punching bag. Adjustable in height up to 200cm, it’s suitable for people of all heights and the dummy itself is soft enough to use with or without gloves (obviously use gloves if you’re hitting hard).
What’s the Century Bob good for? It’s better suited for more advanced fighters looking to practice combos and accuracy. A good example would be a jab-cross-body shot, where you’re really focusing on connecting hard with the cross, and then nailing the body shot right in the liver. Most boxers will be familiar with this classic combo and how important it is to be pinpoint accurate with each shot, so a training dummy a Bob gives you the opportunity to really hone your technique and precision, with clear targets rather than just a generic bag.
If you’re just a beginner and this is your first home punching bag, it would be best to go with one of the other basic (and cheaper) bags on the list and focus on perfecting your basic techniques before playing around with a Century Bob. We admit it does look very cool though 😉
- Original free standing Bob dummy by Century.
- Heavy set so won’t slip or move.
- Plastisol covering absorbs contact well without hurting your hands.
- Realistic sizing for good accuracy training.
- Better suited for intermediate-advanced fighters.
Gallant Black-Target Free Standing Boxing Punch Bag
- Height: 160cm
- Height adjustable: No
- Weight: Not given
- Bag material: PU leather
- Bag filler: EPE foam
- Base filler: Sand or water
The Gallant 160cm is a pretty standard small-size free standing bag, with a narrow but high base. Packed with 5cm thick EPE foam and surfaced with PU grain leather it’s made from good quality materials for the price.
The tube stand is made of rubber which gives it some weight, though we would prefer to see suction on the bottom to prevent sliding, especially since it’s a lighter bag.
That said, it’s a very popular bag, one of the most popular on Amazon in fact. We think the XN8 above is a slightly better deal, but will admit the design of the Gallant is pretty slick and unless you’ve spent time in the ring you probably won’t be knocking this thing over too often anyway! We do like the narrow base as well which makes moving it and keeping it in a smaller home an easier affair.
- Padded with 5cm thick EPE foam all round.
- Great design.
- Narrow base for easy storage/moving.
- Covered in PU Grain leather.
Some tips for your free standing punch bag
Don’t fill it too early!
One of the most common mistakes people make is they get a little excited after it’s delivered and start filling the base with water and sand right away.
Free standing bags are very difficult to move after they’re filled, usually weighing over 100kg. Make sure you move it to the spot you want, then fill it after. Will make life much easier, trust us 😉
Wear gloves
As with all training, protect yourself. Whenever you’re doing bag work, wear gloves! In fact any time you do any kind of striking training, whether it’s on pads, bags or sparring, you should always be wearing gloves. The only exception would be shadow boxing. If you don’t have gloves, check out our guide on the best boxing gloves under £100.
Clean it
All the bags on this list are waterproof. After each session, give it a quick wipe down with disinfectant or alcohol wipes. They’re all made of high quality faux leather too, so as long as you’re not soaking it in alcohol it shouldn’t damage the material at all. Keeping it well cleaned between workouts will ensure it doesn’t smell and lasts for years!
Our top picks!
Here’s a summary of our picks. For classic free standing bags, we definitely like the DripeX Free Standing Boxing Bag, or the XN8 Free Standing bag as a budget option.
For a hybrid training tool for both MMA and boxing, we like the Century VerSys – not quite as sturdy for pure stand up, but the versatility makes up for it.
Questions? Leave them in the comments!
Last update on 2024-04-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
