Water Heavy Bag Vs. Traditional Punching Bags

My friend Steve is a mixed martial arts coach, and he highlighted a few reasons why the aqua training bag is the preferred training tool for some of the fighting techniques.

1. Bag Design Options

This is the most important advantage of an aqua bag, as you don’t just have the large cylindrical bags available. A much more popular option is the teardrop shape water punching bag, which is ideal for use as uppercut bags.

And if you really want to get an authentic experience, then you can buy aquabags that have the shape of the human upper body.

And here’s why that’s important.

2. Enhanced Safety with Impact Absorption

They are highly effective in reducing the impact of the punch, making them safer than traditional heavy bags filled with foam or sand.

This is because the water absorbs the force of the punch, thereby reducing the risk of injury to the fighter.

3. More Training Methods

Whether you’re a beginner or advanced fighter, a normal heavy bag usually involves the same type of impact over and over.

With water bags, you can approach your training sessions to either work on strength and stamina through repetitive types of punches, or you can switch to high-precision training.

This ability to easily switch between different types of body shots is what allows folks to increase their skill levels.

4. Easy Storage

Another one of the benefits of aqua punching bags is that they are easier to store when not in use.

At a commercial gym, that’s not going to be an issue, but for home use in a garage gym, people will find it easier to empty out a water bag and then pack it away until your next training day.

5. Better Portability

The final benefit to highlight is that water bags allow you to set up for boxing training without having to transport a 100 lbs sand-based bag.

Once you empty out aqua bags, they only weigh a few pounds, and you can flatten them down to bring them to a different training location.

I know it’s not something people would often do, but I know some folks who like that kind of flexibility.

As indicated by my tests, aqua training bags have some limitations, including the risk of leaks and the need for regular refilling, which can impact their effectiveness in boxing and MMA training.

1. Risk Of Leaks

While aqua punching bags are generally made of very durable materials, it will inevitably happen that it wears down.

Imagine a traditional heavy bag with sand that has received thousands of punches over the years. Eventually, you’ll see that sand trickling out.

With a water bag, that result can become a bit messier, and you’d need to act quickly to avoid a few gallons of water spilling over your gym floor.

2. Regular Refilling

After initially filling a water punching bag, you will need to keep topping it up. The reason is that the water will gradually evaporate, and a deflated water bag will lose all of its benefits.

3. Suitability For A Professional Boxer

Water-filled punching bags are also not always the best option for pro boxers.

This is especially the case when it comes to speed bags for speed training [2]. Even though you can find water punching bags in that shape and size, they simply don’t work well for that purpose.

To add some balance to this post, I hooked up with a boxing coach to get his input on using heavy bags and why they might be a better option than the aqua punching bags.

He uses both sand and water punching bags but finds that the good old-fashioned boxing bag will remain one of the most common options.

1. Much Heavier Weight

A heavy puncher can create an awful lot of power in strength and cardio workouts on heavy bags.

If you ever get a chance, stand behind a bag and feel the indirect impact of a heavy-weight punch on your body, take it.

You’ll find heavy bags available in sizes that go all the way up to 150+ lbs in all boxing gyms because the heavier the punch, the heavier the bag needs to be.

That’s something you can’t match with a water bag.

2. Better Stability

A boxing bag with heavier weight will not swing around as much and provide more stability. The impact of every punch will transfer the energy and power to the bag, and the harder you punch, the more the bag will move.

What can happen then is that you need to stop your workout and stop the swinging bag so that you can start over again.

That’s not just annoying but also disruptive.

3. Longer Lasting

I’ve seen Everlast heavy bags and speed bags in gyms that are decades old. Yes, an Everlast bag will cost you more than most others.

But when you factor in durability, it becom`es clear that you’ll save in the long term.

Compared to a water-based one, you won’t get the same length of time, and it’s one of the benefits of a traditional bag that means they remain a favorite for boxing gyms.

4. Ideal For Boxing Footwork

Keeping your body moving in an offensive and a defensive way is something that heavy bags are best designed for.

The slower and rhythmic motion of a large, heavy bag is one of the benefits you cannot underestimate.

“Your footwork is paramount in not only making sure you're able to move around and dodge the blows of your opponent, but also to utilize your body when generating the power to hit your opponent back.”

- Gloveworx.com

A water-filled one tends to move a lot faster and more erratic, making it a less suitable one to learn how to move your feet correctly.

After putting it to the test, I found that traditional heavy bags can be difficult to refill and very heavy to move, posing challenges in home gym settings and limiting their suitability for precision training.

1. Difficult To Refill

You won’t need to fill sand punching bags as often water-filled ones, but when you do, it can be a royal pain in the butt.

I know coaches who use that job as punishment for turning up late.

The thing is that you need to unhook the bag and then slowly top it up through a usually pretty small hole at the top.

2. Very Heavy To Move

As the name suggests, heavy punching bags are big and heavy, and in most cases, there’s nowhere to grip your hands onto if you need to move it.

In a home gym setting, it’s best to get a frame with wheels to avoid that problem.

3. Less Suitable For Precision Training

Heavy punching bags usually come in one shape, and that’s a cylinder.

These don’t get you to focus on a small area for precision hits that mixed martial art fighters often need. It’s also not a great option to practice uppercuts, so keep that in mind as well.