If you want to choose the more essential tools in combat sports, heavy bags have to be among your first set of choices. One of the ways to significantly improve your fighting skills is to train with heavy bags. In Muay Thai especially, heavy bags are very significant to how fast or how well a fighter can improve.
I want to examine how you can fill a Muay Thai bag, the materials to use, and the benefits of filling your Muay Thai bag yourself. You have to continue reading to get all I have for you. Generally, understand that the purpose is to aid your personal development.
Heavy bags develop your kicking and punching strength, as well as the flow of your combinations. Training on heavy bags also helps you not to feel pains on your shin while taking those powerful kicks.
Muay Thai students usually run from heavy bags because it requires intentionality and discipline, considering they most times have to do it alone.
Let’s assume you’ve decided to start training with heavy bags at home or your personal gym, but you don’t know how to fill it, then this blog is perfect for you.
Table of Contents
What Do You Fill a Muay Thai Heavy Bag With?
The first thing to know about filling a Muay Thai heavy bag is what you should fill it with. Is it sand? Sawdust? Water? Or pieces of clothes? People usually get confused at this point, but I am here to help you out.
Muay Thai heavy bags are usually different from other bags. For example, while other bags could be designed to focus on improving your punching skills solely, Muay Thai bags also help your kicking skills.
It means they are skinnier and longer, while the other types of bags, like boxing bags, could be shorter. Because they are longer and thinner, a Muay Thai bag tends to be filled with harder materials because you will use it to work on your knees, elbows, kicks, and not only punches.
You will ideally need to find your old pieces of clothing that are no longer useful as materials to fill your bags. Also, ensure you buy a non-tear nylon bag made with leathers such as Syntek to ensure durability.
The irony is that when you go to Muay Thai gyms, you will find more regular 4ft long bags than the longer ones. However, this has started to change in American gyms. People are now beginning to understand the versatility of longer bags.
For someone who wants to have your heavy bag at your home gym, use the longer and skinnier bags to aid your low kicks. You should, however, not overfill it because it tends to be heavier and will not allow for swings. But, on the other hand, when you fill it lighter, it will swing more.
In general, fill your Muay Thai bags with ripped clothes you are no longer using. But ensure you remove all the zippers, buttons, and metals on the clothes to stop them from tearing up the bag, which could eventually result in injuries.
You will need the clothes in large quantities because Muay Thai bags, especially the longer ones, take a lot of textile materials to become full.
How Best To Fill Muay Thai Heavy Bags?
The most important part of this blog is to find out the best way you can easily and quickly fill a Muay Thai bag. This stage is where it gets technical. However, it is pretty simple if you understand the rules behind it.
You must’ve understood why I decided to use fabrics to fill my bag by now. The primary purpose is to ensure that the materials are kept easily distributed within the bag.
Fabrics will also settle more within the bag. It means instead of using a larger chunk of sweaters or Jeans, the ideal thing to do is to use scissors to cut it down into smaller parts to ensure you can distribute them efficiently within the bag. Using larger chunks will leave spaces or gaps within the bag.
If you are filling a larger Muay Thai bag, it’s always brilliant to open the bag and roll it down to see the base for better filling. Fill one foot at a time with fabrics for easy distribution. Then you should stand on it to ensure it is compact and well pressed.
Another method you can use to do this is to use a long-standing broomstick to press it down to ensure no gaps or space is left in between. It works when the opening does not allow you to stand on it.
Continue this way foot by foot until you completely fill it. Then, zip it and begin using it. As you use it with time, the fabrics will settle more, and you can top up the filling after some weeks.
If you want something heavier, then you may need small bags of sand. What you should do is to fill Ziploc bags with sand and tape it appropriately to make sure it does not burst into your Muay Thai bags. Then put the bags of sand after every foot of fabrics. It will ensure a heavier weight without allowing you to have contact directly with the sand.
Another thing you can do is to place some bags of sand at the top to make sure the fabrics do not swell up. But, again, there is no limit to what you can do as long as you don’t do what will cause detriments to your training.
How Heavy Should a Muay Thai Bag Be?
There is no stated standard to how heavy a Muay Thai bag should be, but it depends on the type of bag. Ideally, find out the weight suggestion placed on the bag by the manufacturer.
Generally, if you are using a standard heavy bag that is about 4-feet long, you are free to fill it to the brim. However, when working with a more prolonged and skinnier heavy bag of about 5 or 6 feet long, it is better to avoid filling it to the brim to avoid being too heavy.
Heavier bags will not swing back when hit, and it is likely to make your training ineffective. Overfilling your bag could also allow it to tear as you use it.
Why Should You Fill Your Muay Thai Bag?
The benefits you will derive when you fill a Muay Thai bag yourself are enormous. However, the most important of them is that you will have a feel of the swing.
Generally, lighter bags swing more while heavier bags resist swings. Filling your bag will allow you to have control over how you want the swing to be. Once you begin using the bag to train, you can continually top it to make it heavier, depending on how strong you become.
Also, it will help you save some shipping costs. Won’t you like to save some money, especially if you are low on budget?
Why You Shouldn’t Use Sand Filling Only?
While sand is an excellent filling, it could be detrimental to your training. Filling your Muay Thai bag only with sand might help you to have harder and tighter punches. However, it’s better to combine it with other fillings.
Sand generally tends to find its way to the bottom, and it provides some imbalance because the bottom will become thick while the top will be softer. So if you throw a wrong punch, it could damage your knuckles, shins, and wrists.
Filling with sawdust is relatively better than sand because it will offer more consistency without allowing the bag to be too heavy.
Consequences Of Poor Filling of Muay Thai Bag
While it’s good to have an overview of how you fill your Muay Thai bag, filling it poorly has some consequences. You must beware.
A poor filling can lead to the following;
- Harmful shins, wrists, and knuckles.
- Poor resistance.
- It could lead to imbalance from sinking of filling, resulting in the softer top and more concrete bottom.
- It could lead to hindrance to rhythmic training as a result of improper swinging.
Where Do You Hang Your Muay Thai Bag?
Hanging Muay Thai bags can be pretty interesting. It’s another stage to pay attention to. You can suspend your Muay Thai bags in any of the following ways;
- Wall mount
- Ceiling mount
- On a support beam
Conclusion
You can’t go wrong with filling your Muay Thai bag alone as long as you can follow a few instructions. The best material to fill your bag is to fill it with fabrics. If you want something heavier, you may add small bags of sand or sawdust.
Avoid using only sand because it will result in imbalance. In addition, it may eventually hurt you when you begin using it. Also, filling with sand will cause fewer swings because it will be heavier.
When filling your Muay Thai bag, the vital thing is to ensure balance and make sure there is no space or gap in between. As a Muay Thai trainee, it’s pretty good if you begin lightly and then continue to top up as you get stronger.
Everything you need is already contained in the blog. So check it out if you are yet to, and you will be good to go.
Last Updated on May 21, 2022 by Deni
