What are The Water Punch Bag Benefits?

When training to become a boxer, one of the most important elements of your training regime comes from variety. No boxer improves simply by punching the same training tool over and over; you need to have variety, options. These options play a massive role in making sure you can become a more adept boxer, and improve your skills overall. One of the best choices for anyone trying to become a better boxer, though, is the water punch bag.

Today, water punch bags have become very popular for those who are looking for something softer to hit into. They can replicate the kind of size and girth of a heavier opponent, too, which is ideal for situational training. Given the different types of boxing bags out there, you might not be sure where to begin. Well, invest in a water bag, and you can enjoy the numerous water punch bag benefits that come from using this training aide.

Not sure what those benefits are? Then read on to find out what might be the best choice for you. Of course, be sure to also look into our punch bag buying guide to help you better understand the key considerations to take into account. Buying a punch bag seems easy, but there is a little more to it than one might expect!

Is a Water Boxing Bag Right for You?

As you look into the various choices out there in terms of punch bag styles, you might not be sure if a water punch bag is right for you. For example, you might be looking for something stronger and sturdier. If that is the case, you should read into the various heavy bag benefits that comes from a more power-driven punch bag style.

However, at the same time, you might want to look into something that is more all-purpose, such as a standard punch bag. With that in mind, be sure to look into the punch bag benefits that come from a more general, all-purpose option on the market.

There are, of course, many benefits of training with a water filled boxing bag. The secret is to work out what kind of option(s) would be right for you. Look through our various guides and educate yourself on the different punching bag types that you could choose from today.

If you feel like something like a water bag might be suited to you, though, then we will break down the best benefits below. However, in the interest of fairness, we will also look into some of the negatives that come training with this particular kind of punch bag in future.

Water Punch Bag Pros

There are, of course, some obvious benefits to working with a water punch bag. Otherwise, we would not recommend one to you!

What, though, are the main pros that come from using this kind of training aide to further your boxing skills?

1- Protect your bones and joints

Since your aqua bag is filled with water, it feels much easier to hit. This means that it absorbs the shock of your hit and avoids it reverberating into your arms. Compared to punching something filled with, say, sand this feels much better on your hands and your arms over a period of time.

This means that your bones and joints are less likely to become painful, minimising the stress placed on your body during sessions.

2- Ideal for beginners

If you are new to boxing, then training with a water bag is a no-brainer. They feel much better to hit purely because your hands and arms do not get the same repetitive strain impact. Punch a heavy bag, or a person, and you will often be more likely to sprain something due to poor punching form.

With a bag like this, you can get to build up your skills whilst hitting something that feels much softer than many of the relative alternatives out there. Definitely a good choice for those who are just starting out in boxing.

3- Excellent punch feedback

A great benefit of using a water bag, too, is that you get much more feedback with your punches. These bags do not feel as hard as other bags so your punches feel like they are reverberating and having a proper impact. This is good as it means the bag will move around, forcing you to chase the opponent and thus improve your footwork and balance.

Heavier bags can make you stand almost stationary due to how hard they are to move, which is not good for all-around boxing training and improvement.

4- Good for improving power

Throw a big haymaker at a sand-filled heavy bag and you could walk away with a damaged wrist or hand. Land your killer blow on a water bag, though, and it should bounce around the place and never really hurt your hand(s).

This is very important as you need to learn to trust your hit and thus go full force. Remember, you want to act like you are punching through the object, not stopping as soon as you land the blow. Aqua bags are tremendous at teaching you these fundamentals.

5- Open up your variety of punches

A big benefit of using such a bag, too, is that you tend to find that you can try out more punching styles. Heavier bags are usually solid at the bottom; uppercut a heavy bag and you’ll likely end up in A&E. However, with water bags, you can land body hits, head hits, uppercuts, and much more.

You can thus improve your punching variety and practice how to get the right knack for throwing different types of punches you might need to master long-term.

6- Easy to fill up

Lastly, the other primary benefit of such a boxing bag is the fill-up process. Other bags need you to shovel in sand or things like old materials to fill them up. With this, you simply just put water in using a hose or something similar. This can be loaded up quickly and easily, and it can give you the perfect starting point for progression.

Also, they tend to keep their shape for a long time after being filled-up unless you manage to get a puncture.

7- Simple to move around

The last benefit of such a bag is they tend to be very easy to move around. This means that you can take it out of the usual boxing gym and train in different spots, even outside. This is very useful for all-around improvement of your game when you need to train outside your usual habitat.

Water Punch Bag Cons

1- Body punches are harder

The only real downside with using a water bag, though, is that body punches tend to feel a bit harder to land. You can find that your head shots with ease, but body shots are harder to adapt to and master. This means that you can find it harder to work on a critical aspect of improvement for any boxer.

2- Look out for leaks

While good quality aqua bags should not be splitting, it is important that you take into account that many of these bags can suffer from leaks if you allow them. Look out for that, as leaks and splits either need to be repaired or you need to think about going for a replacement bag soon than you would have expected.

3- Requires a hanging spot

Though you can use a water bag in various places, it still needs a wall or ceiling hook to hang from. Unless you buy a free standing aqua bag, you still need to find a place to hang that bag from so that you can keep on using it. They are portable and versatile, yes, but you still need to find a place to hang it from.

4- Typically quite expensive

Lastly, you might find that buying a water bag for sale is more expensive than buying a standard punch bag. If you are looking to really be tight with your budget, then buying a water bag that isa worth the money can be surprisingly tough.

Frequently Asked Questions