Water Heavy Bag VS Traditional: Which Option Is The Best Pick for you?

With punch bags coming in so many different styles, it can be hard to choose a punch bag you are happy with. A common starting place when looking at bags, though, is the filling. Some bags tend to use something simple such as a basic material filling, or perhaps they will simply be filled with air. However, today many boxers like to use a water heavy bag.

Sometimes known as an ‘aqua bag’, these boxing bags are becoming increasingly popular. What, though, are the main comparisons between a water heavy bag vs traditional punch bag options?

Let’s take a look and work out what might be the right choice for you moving forward in the future.

Water Heavy Bags VS Traditional

So, the most common choices for most people when it comes to looking at an aqua bag vs heavy bag is the filling. What a punch bag is filled with has a huge impact on how good it feels to hit. If your bag feels like it is strong and sturdy, then it can be great fun to stand and punch. If it feels like it is increasingly light, it can be enjoyable for boxers with lesser punching power.

There are many options to think about when looking at the different types of punching bags out there. The main thing to look at, we believe, is the filling. How a bag is filled has a huge impact on how it feels to actually punch the bag in the first place.

For example, many users will fill their punch bag with sand. When comparing a water punch bag vs sand the immediate difference is the feel of the punch. When you punch something with sand inside, it is naturally going to be filled almost right to the brim. This means that it will have little sag, and thus your punches should feel more like hitting a solid object.

For those who are looking to try and get used to moving something sturdy and solid, sand can be a great solution for filling up a punch bag with. For most users of a heavy bag, sand can work best as it helps to emulate that feel of punching a rigid, solid body. As you might imagine, making a bag filled to the brim with sand recoil and rebound is much harder than making a bag filled with water do the same thing!

Should I Use a Water Punch Bag Or Sand?

The main reason that some choose to go down the route of using a punch bag water vs sand is the feel. If you are still trying to improve your general punching style, hitting something extremely dense like sand can be sore on the hands. If your punching technique needs work, this can easily lead to injuries and other physical damage. You want to avoid that as much as you can, obviously!

A water punch bag, though, can feel great to punch because it reacts more like a ‘flabby’ body. It moves much easier, and punches feel like they fold into the material better. The bag is also much more likely to swing around the place, which gives you a greater feeling of power and physical strength.

If you feel like your punches are lacking in real hitting power, then you should consider using a water heavy bag vs traditional. Sand can be a great choice for sure, but it is not a good choice for boxers who are still building up confidence in their ability to really hurt the opponent.

Should I Use Water in a Free Standing Punch Bag?

Of course, you might also think about using a free standing punch bag. Unlike a heavy bag, these bags stand up on their own and use a base to keep them on the floor. Usually with some form of spring coiling, the cylinder-shaped punch bag will bounce around as you land punches on it. Much lighter in weight than a heavy bag, you can easily knock around a punch bag without much issue.

They make a great choice, but many cannot device between using a free standing punch bag water vs sand filling. Again, the main factor comes down to what we spoke about above: if you want to get used to really landing strong blows and seeing the bag stay in place, use sand. Sand works better as it is denser, harder to move, and is a solid object meaning that it does not bend and fold quite like water.

If you want to improve your punching ability to follow-in on an opponent rebounding from a punch, though, you should absolutely use water. Water feels better to hit into, gives a more ‘jiggly’ feeling when struck, and usually is a good choice as it can be so light on the hands. If you are looking to buy the best free standing punch bag, then, you should always consider what material you are going to put within.

Water Bag vs Heavy Bag

Most of the time, you can find that a ‘water bag’ can also be a heavy bag. Heavy bags are defined by a punch bag that is hung up on a hook, chain, or strapping system onto the wall and/or the ceiling. Heavy bags can come filled with anything from old cloth materials to sand to water to just about anything you could realistically punch without hurting your hands to excess.

So, the main reason to go for a water filling for your heavy bag is the feeling of the punch. Heavy bags tend to be less likely to swing around the place, but a heavy bag filled with water will feel easier to hit. The punches will see the actual material fold and shift. The bag will swing around easier, though it will not swing around quite like a free standing punch bag.

The best water punch bag is one that you can easily use from various positions. This might mean having to get a free standing punch bag where you can land punches from all angles and/or you can move the bag around. The heavy bag is more suited to boxers who are building up a lot of power and want to really add some knockout strength to their hits.

When else Could I Use a Water Bag?

Water bags are also useful for those who are looking for a smaller punch bag. For example, you might want to look at getting a reflex bag, or even a double end bag. These can easily be filled with water to give them an extra ‘dough’ feeling as you land punches. Both of these alternatives are smaller than a free standing punch bag or a heavy bag. They are typically around the size of a head, either hanging from a small strap from the wall/ceiling or on a large spring that can recoil back and forth as you land punches.

A water bag is a great choice, though, for those looking at smaller bags. You should therefore also compare a reflex bag vs double end bag to see if this would be right for your training regime. Whether you are a new boxer building up your agility or you are trying to improve your reaction times, these can be very useful. Filling them with water adds that extra resistance to wear and tear on your hands, and feels better in general to punch.

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