Full Aqua Punching Bag Review
Overview:
The Aqua Training bag is a non-traditional punching bag developed and manufactured here in the United States. They offer 5 sizes of training bags, as small as the 9” 15 lb ‘Head Hunter’ and as large as the 21” 190 lb training bag. These unique and fun training bags are made with serious marine grade materials and carry a 2 year warranty and a 60 day money back guarantee if you don’t absolutely love the product.
If you watch any UFC Countdown shows or any YouTube gym videos, it’s likely that you’ve seen an Aqua Training Bag, I first noticed these tear-shaped, water-filled bags at the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio years ago.
They have been a staple at the festival and when I spoke with the Aqua Bag folks at the 2016 Arnold Sports Festival, I found out they weren’t just reps. These were the guys who owned and ran the company. They were fitting people with gloves and letting folks have a few shots at the 190 lb Aqua Training Bag on display, shouting over the 100+ decibel music from the ‘WWE Experience’ right beside their location at this year’s festival.
Trying the Aqua Punching Bag
I slipped on one of their test gloves and threw a couple jabs, a couple hooks, and then I snapped off a pretty powerful kick, the Aqua Training Bag just hung there and jiggled. I was amazed at how much the bag gave when struck, but kept its hanging position with little or no sway. It was pretty wild, and my mind was made up; I had to put this thing in my gym.
Installing the Aqua Training Bag
One of the great things about these bags is that the filling is 100% water from your hose, so you don’t have to pay extra in shipping to have a filled training bag delivered. My 18” 120 lb bag came in a nice blue marbled color. A heavy duty chain, garden hose fitting, and detailed instructions were also inside the box. If the included instructions aren’t enough, the Aqua Training bag website is very helpful for hanging height or if you need to purchase a ceiling or I-beam mounting kit.
Extended Use
After hanging the bag and putting a few rounds in, I got a rhythm for a bag that doesn’t sway as much and absorbs strikes the way the Aqua Training Bag does. The jab and cross distance is great, but the real highlight of the Aqua Training Bag is the close up training, the way you can rip body punches and uppercuts is unrivaled with any other punching bags I’ve ever used. The thick marine rubber with 120 pounds of water in a round bag just makes the perfect surface for a lot of full power punches, elbows, high-knees, and front kicks.
Kicking the Aqua Punching Bag
My kickboxing style is pretty close to Dutch Muay Thai, and I had trouble throwing round kicks on the Aqua Training bag. I train bare foot for the most part, and no matter how perfectly I threw a power kick, the wide slick surface always met the top of my foot with a painful smack.
I trained with shoes on a couple times and it was much better, I hung the bag lower to practice low kicks, and with shoes on, it wasn’t so uncomfortable. Although if hung for low kicks, that is the only strike you can practice due to the short stature of the Aqua Training Bag.
The Muay Thai style round kick is the only strike I felt uncomfortable throwing on the Aqua Training Bag, and if you have another bag to practice your kicks then you are set. I honestly have never felt like a training bag helped me develop better technique until this one. I can’t tell you how much I enjoy this bag; if you are predominately a boxer I don’t believe there is a better option than the Aqua Training Bag.
Cost & Price Comparison
Pros & Cons
We thank the nice people from Aqua Training Bag for sending us this 18” 120 lbs. bag. This did not influence the outcome of the review, which was written after several months and well over 100 rounds of training.
