Speed Bag vs Heavy Bag

You would often see boxing amateurs arguing about heavy bags and speed bags. Although the two have major noticeable differences at the peripheral level, the question is, do they help in accomplishing the best possible results?

On one hand, for a fitness devotee enhanced training comes with ready and efficient punching. While the flip side of it talks of the average individuals who master the blow of punches for self-defense mechanisms. Either of the categories makes you plump for speed bags, commonly found in the boxing or martial art training institutions.

An Overview of the Speed Bag:

A small ball-like shaped bag, also known as speedballs holds a significant spot for building a foundation in combat sports. Instead of rags, sand grains, or cotton, they are filled with air. These have been preferably chosen over other pieces of equipment for building a controlled and speedy power display. It allows you to use a combination of fists and elbows to attack from all directions. It cannot be used solely or relied upon for the entire professional-level training.

Although it is favored by many trainees, a round of it calls for the maximum level of focus and intensity. With all this in mind, it is vital to examine the pros and cons of a speed bag and fathom the conclusion.

Assets of Having a Speed Bag

Suitable Workout from Home

The speed bag is one of the most recommended and favored workout drills since it can be effortlessly set up at home. All you need is a swivel, speed bag platform, a speed bag, and a mount-shaped platform for a stable setup.

With all the components rendered up to and contended at your home, it becomes easy and suitable to workout at the preferable timing. It can be slightly critical to set up the unit at home. But once you set it up, you can access the speed bag whenever you want. It cuts down on the struggle of taking time off your busy schedule and walking to the gym.

Getting Habitual to Keeping Your Hands Up

Boxing trains you to combat by keeping your hands up. This can be challenging for a beginner, as it is not conditioned in their muscle memory. Daily workout on a Speed Bag keeps the hands up as an impulse. It makes the individual have the hand raised to strike the bag and repeat the same, even if it’s a rebound.

This rule of having the hands up allows the boxer to maintain a solid guard position without the risk of getting pinned down by the opponent.

Build Up the Muscular Endurance

Speed Bag workout revamps the muscular strength of the arms and shoulder. This is possibly done with the raised hands bearing the weight of the gloves. This might be tiring, but it forms a safeguard position in the fight and throws the strike to the opponent without passing out.

Besides the speed bag being used by the boxer as basic equipment for the professional build-up. It can also be used by the average fitness freaks who can have it as a part of improving their breathlessness in the gym.

This drill requires maximum focus and intensity to qualify the targeted pathway.

Ameliorate the Reaction Time and Coordination

With no denial, the speed bag shoves up the reflexes and coordination spot for the individuals. It fastens your reflexes by making you strike the bag with the punches at the right spot and right time.

This fixes the real-time fighting situation, where only seconds are given for having an efficient utilization of the situation at the ring. Placing the right strike at the right time to the opponent can bring you to master the ring.

Liabilities of a Speed Bag

Doesn’t Revitalize the Real-Time Fight

As claimed by many, speed bags are a thrash for bracing a real fight. On one hand, it is significant to fuse speed bag drills with other equipment and exercises, but on the flip side; it is demanding to restore the bodily experience of a fight.

If you are completely relying on speed bag training over other drills, you are surely missing out on a chance to experience the live session of boxing and become an all-rounder boxing professional.

An Overview of a Heavy Bag:

People have been moving away from basic training methods to polish up their health and fitness.

The heavy bag has been proven beneficial for the professionals in mastering the ring by accomplishing appreciable fitness results.

Unlike the speed bag filled with air, this heavy bag is a leather fabricated weighing between 40 to 100 pounds. This is one of the utmost preferable boxing equipment to shape up the strength and stamina.

A heavy bag is considered as a valuable add-on to the home workout or commercial setting for a defined or sharpened full-body workout. It is recommended to have a look at the benefits and trade-offs before jumping to a final verdict.

Assets of a Heavy Bag

A Boost to the Aerobic Proficiency

Heavy bag drill with sufficient intensity enhances the respiratory system. The workout involves in and out movement all around. With changing positions throughout, oxygen gets held for a longer span, reducing breathlessness.

Enhances the Punching Power

Heavy bag increases the focus to make sure of the perfect technique used. The substantial force is applied through the shoulders and chest to ensure the best viable force while punching.

The drill embraces the shoulders, arms, back, chest, and waist. Alongside these, legs are also used during the task to bring about power through the upper body.

Polished Body Coordination

Heavy bag drill includes the combination of punches along with keeping an individual on foot the entire session. Transferring the weight from one foot to another to throw specific punches improves overall body coordination.

Besides coordination, the training session also enhances the core stability exhibiting a magnificent posture to move around gracefully.

Enhanced Boxing Technique

Hitting the heavy bag allows pressure on the boxing technique, bringing improvement in the punches and body movements. Elbows and hands move with perfection, being all relaxed yet steady.

Brings down the stress level

Besides all the physical benefits, it is proven helpful towards mental strength as well. Hitting a heavy bag cuts down on the negative stress as the physical activity leads to exhaustion, aggression, demanding ultimate level coordination to hit the target.

The strikeout aspect of the phase of aggression benefits the mind and body. It vents out the build-up toxins inherited from stressful situations.

Liabilities of a Heavy Bag

Unaware of the distance control

The individuals are kept so busy hitting the bag hard that they forget about their distance with the bag. This can be problematic with the opponent in the real-time fight.

Causing Injuries

Hand injuries can be one of the leading factors of hitting the heavy bag daily. Striking your hands against the hard object can wear them down with bruises and bone aches all over.

Speed Bag vs Heavy Bag:

After having a look through the virtues and shortcomings of the speed bag and heavy bag, it has become a complicated decision to choose the right one. The choice would depend on several factors, mainly the kind of workout an individual is putting forth.

One of the major differences falls over the intensity of the punch. If you are proposing to hit the bag hard, the heavy bag seems like a perfect choice of workout equipment. While on the other side, if the preference falls over the speedy workout, then speed bag comes like an undefeatable answer.

The only similarity comes with the leather framework of the bag. But the shape of the two tells a contrasting story where the speed bag appears to be pear-shaped, while the heavy bag is all cylindrical.

The fundamental purpose might give you a glaze through the effects of the two. Heavy bags make the punches have a steady and powerful impact. This will be commanding in getting hold of the advanced skillset to dominate the ring. Whereas on the flip side, speed bags are all about speed and reflexes. It will give a push to the fastened reflexes along with absolute hand-to-eye coordination.

Heavy bags might make the boxers lose their focus because of heavy-hitting on the bags. They become too habituated to ultimately dropping their focus at most of the steps. Speed bags, on the other hand, are all about hand-to-eye coordination. There is no chance of missing out on the focus, as it is expected to have the eyes on it at all times.

Also Read: Best Punching Bags.

Conclusion:

People have been skeptical to choose the perfect equipment for training. The confusion lies with whether a speed bag or heavy bag will fulfil the aspects to clinch the boost to act dominant in the field.

There are a few areas covered perfectly by the one while the other acts the exact opposite. Therefore, having an in-depth comprehension of the two will lead you to an ultimate solution in which one should be invested in. 

In case of prompt reflexes and unscathed hand-eye coordination, a speed bag works as the best way out to thrive. While a heavy bag serves the prime purpose of resisting the strike, giving you muscular strength and robustness. 

Whichever fills up the space of confidence and accuracy in terms of the chosen target should be the preferable way out.