If you don’t have access to your own punching bag or if you’re mixing up your boxing routine, check out these punching bag alternatives!
Punching Bag Alternatives
These are the best alternatives to hitting heavy punching bags:
- Shadowboxing
- Sparring
- Padwork
- Spar Bar
These punching bag substitutes also have the benefit of improving your defense, coordination, and accuracy at the same time.
To maximize your boxing training, don’t give up the heavy bag entirely, but instead mix up your training regimen with these other options!
Shadowboxing
First, you can shadowbox instead of hitting the punching bag.
More than just a good alternative, this should be the foundation of your boxing training.
You won’t be able to train your upper body and arms with heavy impact, but you will gain a better understanding of how your body moves, as well as your strengths and weaknesses.
For shadowboxing to be effective, you have to visualize and use good form.
Sparring
Next, you can do sparring instead of hitting the punching bag.
With sparring, you can put all of your skills to the test.
Unlike hitting the heavy bag, sparring will teach you how to stay light and pace your breathing while boxing.
If you go in the ring with full power and speed, you’ll gas out and make mistakes while sparring.
Padwork
Next, you can do padwork instead of hitting the punching bag.
Unlike hitting the heavy bag, using focus mitts sharpens the timing and range of your combinations.
To be effective, you don’t have to hit hard, you just have to be sharp and accurate with your punches.
Mitt work is the perfect time to work on your counters.
When your coach hits your glove or elbow as you block a shot, you’ll learn how to instantly throw a counter as soon as you feel the impact.
Spar Bar
Lastly, instead of hitting the punching bag, you can hit the Spar Bar, which is a newer version of the free-standing floor bag.
It has the same heavy base as a free-standing bag, but instead of a vertical bag, you have targets for the head and a bar that rotates on a center swivel.
As you hit the bar, it swings around for you to block or dodge, similar to training on a wooden dummy in Wing Chun or other martial arts.
The harder you hit the bar, the faster it swings, so make sure your defense is on point, not just your punches!
Read this article to learn how to hit the Spar Bar!
Benefits to Using Punching Bag Alternatives
The benefits to using punching bag alternatives include:
- Better Defense
- Increased Coordination
- Increased Accuracy
- Reduced Stress on Hands and Wrists
- It Teaches You That It’s Okay To Miss Punches
You can still build upper body strength with these alternatives, as long as you keep consistent with them.
Most importantly, by not hitting the punching bag every session, you’ll keep your boxing workouts fun!
Better Defense
First, you’ll gain better defense from using a punching bag alternative.
The heavy bag can’t hit you back, but your sparring partner or your coach can.
You’ll have to keep your hands up, move your head, and cut off the ring before you can land your straight punches.
Punching mitts will give you a unique opportunity to train your counters and create offensive opportunities off your solid defense.
Increased Coordination
Next, you’ll gain increased coordination after using a punching bag alternative.
Exercises like sparring and pad work train your eye and instinct in the ring.
Unlike the heavy bag which moves at a steady rate no matter how hard you hit it, your opponent’s head and your coach’s mitts are always changing direction and speed.
This forces you to look for opportunities and weak spots to attack.
Increased Accuracy
Next, you’ll gain increased accuracy after using a punching bag alternative.
Tools like the SparBar and padwork train you to place your shots exactly where your eye aims.
On the other hand, compare this with the heavy bag which will move the same way even if you throw inaccurate shots.
Reduced Stress on Hands and Wrists
Next, you’ll reduce stress on your hands and wrists by using a punching bag alternative.
Punching only heavy bags can injure your hands and wrists with the repeated impact, even if you are wearing good boxing gloves.
More so than other injuries, hand injuries tend to be feared by boxers because it makes your hands fragile and increases the risk of reinjuring them.
Hand injuries was one of the main reasons why Floyd Mayweather transitioned into a defensive fighter over the length of his career.
If you want to preserve your hands for as long as possible, you can prevent some of the most common boxing injuries by mixing up your boxing workout with these other options.
It Teaches You That It’s Okay To Miss Punches
Lastly, using a punching bag alternative will teach you that it’s okay to miss punches.
We think this is an important thing for beginners to learn.
When boxers hit the heavy bag, they assume that every single one of their punches will land.
But if you’ve ever sparred, you know this isn’t reality.
Conclusion
With these alternatives, you can still improve even if you don’t have a boxing bag.
You don’t always have to do rounds on the heavy bag to get better at boxing. Training boxing in any way is great if you want to get fit and increase self-esteem.
Keep in mind if you want to throw with full power and strengthen your wrists, there is no substitute for a real punching bag.
Because of this, we recommend that you use the punching bag to train your power shots, but not rely on it entirely.
We’ve seen too many beginners rely too heavily on the punching bag and ignore all the other aspects of boxing.
If you’re having trouble deciding what boxing equipment to get, check out these articles: