A standing boxing bag is a training tool used by boxers and others who practice contact sports or martial arts. There are many different kinds of standing boxing bags that serve to replace more traditional bag training tools that hang from the ceiling. For example, there are standing bags designed to replace the heavy punching bag and others that replace the so-called speed bag. Standing bags usually have some kind of heavy base that keeps them in place.
The heavy bag is one of the most common tools used by boxers to improve their punching strength and endurance. These bags are large and usually hung from a sturdy ceiling using a large chain. There are also speed bags, aimed at building coordination; these are normally positioned on a hanging spring. The standing boxing bags meant to mimic these traditional tools are often preferred for use in someone's home, partly because they don't require people to damage their ceiling during installation, and partly because they don't require sturdy wood beams in the ceiling.
Unlike traditional heavy bags, a standing boxing bag is usually only filled with a soft foam material that isn't usually very heavy. In fact, they would generally slide all over a person's floor if there wasn't a heavy base. On the other hand, if the base was too heavy, the shipping costs would generally be enormous. One way companies have found to get around this is to design standing boxing bag devices with hollow bases. Once the item arrives, the owner can add water or sand to the interior of the base, and this will make it heavy enough for use.
Other standing boxing bag designs exist. Some of the more popular items are shaped exactly like a person's torso and head. These are often used by people practicing various martial arts for self-defense. Martial artists will learn to focus on certain areas and practice striking vital points using these items. Certain martial arts training schools even keep them in their dojos and use them as part of their basic training methodology.
When using any kind of boxing bag, it is usually important for an individual to wear hand protections. Even though the bags are generally soft to the touch, the repeated abuse of striking can damage the hands and wrists in a number of ways. For example, it is very possible to get contact burns on the hands due to friction with the bag during strikes, and the wrist can be particularly vulnerable to sprains unless it is very well-conditioned.