Gallant Free Standing Punch Bag Review

The Gallant Free Standing Punch Bag is a series of free standing punch bags ideal for a variety of training styles, including kickboxing, boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA). Coming in at 5.25ft (160cm), this heavy duty punching bag was designed with intense training in mind, whether at home or in the dojo.

What are free standing punch bags?

There are essentially two kinds of punch bag on the market. The first is the traditional punch bag which hangs from a hook on the wall or from the ceiling. The other is a free standing punch bag which sits on a base.

Hanging punch bags are often problematic because of space restrictions and using them in small spaces can cause damage. Not to mention the fact that they can be difficult to install in the first place.

This is where free standing punch bags come in. Free standing punch bags do not have this problem. They are able to stand independently and with recent innovations in base designs they are far more stable than before, as demonstrated by this Gallant Punch Bag. As a result, free standing punch bags have undergone an explosion in popularity as evidenced by the fact that they are widely found in gyms and martial arts dojos.

In this review we will look at the Gallant Free Standing Punch Bag in detail and answer common questions about it that people often ask. We will consider its specification, functionality, durability and style.

Notes

1. Be warned that a punch bag is not a substitute for an opponent. This is because opponents move and fight back whereas punch bags do not. Punch bags should be used to complement your training.
2. As with all punch bags you should wear gloves as a bare minimum. I have seen lots of people not use gloves and end up skinning their knuckles. Ouch.

Detailed Specification

Measurements for the punch bag are as follows:

• Height. Measurements for the punch bag can be seen on the left hand diagram. The overall height of the punch bag is 160cm (5.25ft) which is comparable to other punch bags. The strikable area is 87cm tall, the stand is 24cm tall and the base is 49cm tall.
• Materials. The exterior cover of the punch bag is made out of heavy duty grain faux leather which gives it its shiny finish as well as providing durability and making it easy to clean. Under the exterior there is a layer of soft 5cm thick EPE (expanded polyethylene) foam. This shock absorbing foam will dissipate any hard strikes and will stop the bag from moving too much. The bag is filled with microfibre pieces. For extra strength the bag is double stitched.
• Easy Assembly. Assembling the punch bag is as easy as unpacking it, bolting it all together and filling the base with sand or water. Note that bolts are included. Further note that the padded cylinder part of the punch bag easily slides over rubber tube stand.
• Stand. There is a stand which connects to the base. It is essentially a light tube that allows the soft padded bag to slide over it.
• Base. The base has been designed with two things in mind, namely stability and narrowness. Both of these things are advantageous as you would clearly want a punch bag to move around as little as possible and you would also want the base to be slim so that it is easier for you to move around it. The narrow design also helps to reduce the possibility of tripping.

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You can fill the base with water or sand. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Water is cheaper than sand, but lighter. Sand is heavier than water, but it is harder to get hold of and makes the punch bag harder to transport. It is up to you which one you want to go for, but personally I prefer using sand.

Note: Sand is not included.

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Durability and Maintenance

As mentioned above, the faux leather is a particularly resilient material so the coating on the punch bag will not wear through easily, even if it is regularly used in a dojo.

Moving the punch bag around the room is easy. I prefer the shuffle and rotate method which is fairly self-explanatory. If you are moving it somewhere else, say downstairs or into the car, then you should really drain the water/empty the sand from the base or, if necessary, take the whole thing apart.

As with all martial arts equipment, it is important to keep it clean. Wiping it down with a damp cloth after each use should be more than enough.

Style

Update 2017: These punch bags were completely redesigned in late 2017. Their new designs are much better and have more variety.

The Gallant punch bag comes in four different designs, namely a design with black with red targets, a brown design with boxing related writing on, a yellow and black combination and a white coating with a dragon stencil on and the words "unleash the beast" written on it. You can see enlarged images of the punch bags here. While all the new designs are strong, I think the yellow and black one is by far the neatest, although the brown one comes in close second.

Conclusion

Overall the Gallant Free Standing Punch Bag is a well designed and functional piece of equipment. What makes it stand out from other free standing punch bags is the fact that its base is more narrow. I would recommend this punch bag for gym/dojo use and especially to anyone looking to do additional training outside their gym/dojo.

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