If you’re looking to add a kickboxing bag to your home gym, congratulations! Your investment will result in major dividends over time if you stick to your routine.
But if it is going to end up as yet another accessory in your basement well then you’d be defeating your health goals yourself. To be honest, though, I cannot imagine a better and more enjoyable form of exercise. I’ve been kickboxing for about six years now and look forward to letting out my aggression in a productive, yet safe manner.
Speaking of safety, it is necessary to remember a few things when kickboxing. If you take a few precautions, you will keep injuries at bay.
Protect Your Hands
The first thing you need to ensure is to protect your hands. This is very important. In the beginning, I not only used the wrong gloves but I also skipped wrapping my hands. Two major No-No’s because, well, I didn’t know any better.
Instead of purchasing good quality leather gloves, I picked up a pair that is generally used in MMA style boxing. I also didn’t know I had to cover my hands with cotton wraps. As a result, my knuckles bled. Ouch!
I thought my form was incorrect. I look back and cannot help but feel sorry for myself. The punches and jabs left deep bruises on my hands especially in the areas where the top of the gloves meet the fragile skin on the fingers. I was forced to lay off the gym for about a week lest I’d keep re-injuring myself.
I approached my personal trainer who really helped me buy the appropriate pair of gloves along with much-needed wraps. He taught me the right way to cover my entire hand from knuckles to wrist with good quality cotton wraps. I could feel the difference right away. My wrists felt more stabilized and my hands could sustain the abuse a lot better. When you are boxing, you must make sure your wrists remain tight so your hands don’t flip flop around. Otherwise, you’d be seriously injuring your muscles, bones, and tendons in your hands.
Avoid Slipping
The last thing you need is to slip and fall while workout. This is particularly true with boxing bags. Now, a freestanding bag is pretty heavy if the base is filled properly with either water, sand, or kitty litter. You can read about the bag I have in this post. My previous gym kept their bases filled with water. But it isn’t unusual to find people filling the base with sand. Both options are great for adding more weight to the bags and stabilizing them more.
That said, gyms generally have special shock-absorbing flooring that keeps pedestal bags from shifting around, amongst other things.
If you’re planning to work out at home, you will find it useful to place a thin foam mat under the base of your pedestal bag. This will keep the bag in place no matter how hard you kick. Also, you will protect your floor.
I indulge in kickboxing at least once a week. The mat I have keeps my bag from moving much which has prevented damage to my carpet. It is durable as well as affordable.
Protect Your Bag
You want to preserve your investment. A quality boxing bag, whether free-standing or otherwise, will cost upwards of $100. Used on a regular basis, your bag will sustain all sorts of jabs, hooks, and uppercuts. Make sure you protect the stitching on the bag from stress by using gorilla tape over them. You should particularly do this if you own a hanging bag because it already is subject to stress due to gravity.
By following a few simple tips, you can prolong the life of your heavy boxing bag and also protect yourself in the process from injuries so you can enjoy your workout for years to come!
Do you have more safety tips to share with us? Comment below!
Share us on social media
Leave a Reply