How to use a wallbag for punch training

No matter what martial art you study, it's important to train your striking power and accuracy. One of the best ways to do this is with a Wing Chun bag. There are several different styles that are in common use, but the exact style isn't as important as is the diligence with which it is used. No one style of punching bag is better than the other, but styles of training are certainly different and they vary in effectiveness.

Since this article is specifically about wallbags, that's what we'll focus on. But don't let that fool you; the other types of bags -- heavybags, focus bags, slip bags, etc. -- are equally as important if you want to learn how to hit fast and powerfully.

Here are some workout tips that will get you going with your wall bag almost overnight!

How to fill the wallbag

Traditional fillings for wallbags vary depending on whether you are being taught by a Wing chun traditionalist, or by a more contemporary instructor.

If you prefer a hard material to fill your bag, you could use ball bearings. But most old time martial artists prefer something with a little bit more "give", like beans, rice, or aquarium gravel.

However, in today's climate of long-term health, it's important not to do damage to the hand just to toughen it up. Everything else being equal, it's probably best to use some cloth to fill the bag. You can mix cloth and beans or rice if you want it to be harder, but not hard enough to cripple your fragile hand bones.

If you are really in good shape and have been training with a wall bag for years, you can graduate to filling it with sand. Sand is too hard for beginners, but it's not as difficult to use as beans or something equally as hard.

Conditioning with the wallbag

This is not the reason you use a wallbag. The heavybag is the tool to use when you want to get into fighting shape. But, as you can imagine, the wallbag will serve for conditioning to a degree.

Always make sure you take care of your hands. This means avoiding cuts, bruises, or scrapes that might stop you from training with the proper degree of intensity.

Also, instead of merely punching the wallbag, make sure to work on open-hand strikes and knife-hand chops too. These varied striking surfaces will help your conditioning in ways you might not realize at first.

Mounting the wallbag

Make sure you have a good, convenient place to mount your wallbag.

Although this style of punching bag saves a lot of space when compared with a heavybag, it still takes some room. And, more importantly, it can result in the destruction of your wall as you pound it day after day.

Therefore, the wall you use should be tough and sturdy. A masonry wall is perfect. Drywall isn't.

Although hardcore Wing Chun addicts like to put their wallbag not on a wall, but on a tree trunk, this is probably unnecessary for the vast majority of us.

Finally, mount it indoors. If you allow it to get soaked with rain, it'll be of little use to you.

Sections of your wallbag

Normally, a Wing Chun wallbag is constructed with several sections or partitions. The three-sectioned wallbag is meant to allow you to practice striking at three different levels.

But more than that, you can also fill the different sections with a different material, giving your conditioning a whole new dimension.