A heavy bag is a tall, cylindrical padded bag used for practising punches, kicks, knees and elbows without a training partner. It is a mainstay of boxing, kickboxing and Muay Thai gyms, and is also common in home training spaces since a single bag supports a wide range of solo drills.
Bags are typically filled with a combination of fabric, foam or sand and are sold by weight in kilograms, with heavier bags moving less on impact and generally suiting harder, more experienced strikers, while lighter bags move more and can suit beginners or speed focused drilling. Bags can be ceiling or wall mounted, or set into a free standing base filled with water or sand, depending on the space available.
Mounting hardware and the surface it attaches to both need to handle repeated, heavy impact safely, which matters more for a home setup than in a purpose built gym. A wall pad is a useful addition where a bag is mounted close to a wall. See our home dojo setup guide for practical installation advice.
