How to Make a Punching Bag

A punching bag is something sports persons use, to keep fit and increase their stamina. It is also considered to be helpful in relieving stress; it can be used for venting out frustration and anger. Thus, it's not unnatural for many to want to have a punching bag at home. Well, you can prepare a punching bag at home which can be efficient and cost-effective.

As you are preparing a homemade punching bag you need not go for expensive things. Try to buy all the things at a reasonable price and ensure that they are of good quality.

 Following is the list of the products required.

• Canvas duffel bag / army ruck sack
• Polythene sheet
• Upholstery foam (at least 2 inches thick)
• Sand or sawdust for filling
• Old and unwanted clothes for filling
• Strong Chain which can hold the weight of the punching bag
• Ceiling hook

Following are the steps to make a punching bag at home. These steps are easy to implement but you may require a helper.

The foremost step in making a punching bag is to gather all the above mentioned materials. Canvas duffel bag or army ruck sack can easily be purchased from an army surplus store at quite a reasonable price. These bags are best for punching bags as they are strong and are in the shape of ready-made punching bags. These bags are available in different sizes which will help you select the sack appropriate for your use.

The next step is to line the plastic inside the duffel bag. This will protect the fillings from moisture. The plastic should be placed inside the bag, aligned to all the sides. Make it thick with 2 to 3 plastic layers. Now it's time to place foam inside the plastic lining. Place the foam properly and cover the bag completely.

Cut two circular pieces of foam and place one of them at the bottom of the bag and keep the other one to cover the bag later. The foam will save you from getting injured. Do not fill the bag with foam completely, leave hollow space at the center for sand.

Now the bag is ready to house the weight inside it. Take some plastic bags and fill them with sand. Now place the sand bag inside the duffel bag on top of the foam. You can prepare different bags with 10, 20 and 30 pounds of sand in it and arrange them according to the capacity of the duffel bag.

Sand is necessary for the bag as it gives weight to the duffel bag and maintains stability when you do your punching bag workout. Make sure the sand settles properly inside the bag and tie the sand bags so that the sand does not falls out of the punching bag.

After filling the bag with sand, stuff the bag with the old clothes. The bag should be filled completely without any space or gap in between. Now cover it with the rest of the foam left and lastly cover it with the circular piece of foam which you have cut in step 2.

Now again use plastic to protect it from moisture and then zip up or tie up the bag from the top. Now apply stain repellent on the external surface of the bag as this will prevent your bag from getting sweat stains.

Now hang the bag from the ceiling with the help of a ceiling hook. Attach the chain to the metal rings of the punching bag. Now hang the punching bag to the ceiling with the help of a chain. Adjust the height of the bag according to your requirement.

You are ready for a boxing or stress busting session, with your punching bag! If a ceiling hook is not available then you can also use a punching bag stand to support the bag.

It can be a good idea to prepare a punching bag for your sibling or for your kids if they are interested in sports like kickboxing or martial art.