We’ve been over the virtues of training with a double end bag in other articles. If you’ve decided to buy one, it’ll become quickly obvious that setting up a double end bag isn’t as straightforward as setting up almost any other type of boxing bag. It’s especially troublesome if you’re renting and aren’t really able to drill holes in your walls.
In this article we’re going to go through how to set up a double end bag in almost any situation - whether you’ve got your own home gym, or whether you want to set up a bag in your spare room or garage. We’ll go through all the common pitfalls and issues encountered by boxers, and make sure you’ve got the best possible setup to begin your workouts.
Don’t forget, if you’re interested in having a look at some of our other content on double end bags after you’ve installed yours, check out our double end bags page.
Important information before you start
A double end bag is hugely important for boxing training as it’s the only bag that really gives you any kind of feedback on your punches, and allows you to train footwork, body and head movement, timing, accuracy, hand speed and rhythm all in one go - in fact, I’d say it’s second only to sparring or pad work in terms of how beneficial it actually is to your training regime. Of course - it’s not just limited to boxing - the double end bag is also a key piece of training equipment in jiu-jitsu, martial arts, muay thai and other combat sports.
The way a double end bag is different from other punching bags, such as speed bags or heavy bags, is that it needs to be anchored from two locations. This is what gives the double end bag its unique characteristic and it’s unpredictable movement when punching or hitting it.
Let’s go through a list of the tools you’ll likely need to install a double ended bag. At a minimum, you’re going to need the following:
- Screwdriver
- Drill
- Pencil
- Plumb line
Everything else should be included in your double end bag set, including the bungee cords and any other material required to suspend the bag.
Anchoring to both the ceiling and the floor
This is the ideal way to mount a double end bag, and I should preface this section by saying that if you are able to hang your bag in this way, you should. This way will give you the greatest benefit from using the double end bag as the anchors have no chance of moving around or giving way, which could compromise your training.
What we will be doing in this section is permanently affixing the double end bag to both the ceiling and the floor. As such, it’s better to do this in a place where you can leave the bag permanently installed, such as a garage or a home gym. If you’re going to need to move the bag at any point, I would suggest moving onto the next option which, while not ideal from a training perspective, is less permanent and may be more convenient for you.
1. Marking the anchor points
Tools needed: Pencil/marker, plumb line
Once you’re happy with the location, you need to mark up the points where the holes will go. The easiest way to do this is to mark up the point on the ceiling and hang a plumb line which will help you mark the exact spot where the floor anchor should go.
Mark up the ceiling point in your desired location. Ensure there’s going to be enough room for you to move around the bag, and for it to move in a variety of directions.
Hang your plumb line (you can do this with a nail - just make sure it’s smaller than the screws you intend to use). Wait for it to stop swinging and mark the point indicated on the floor.
If for whatever reason you can’t drill into your ceiling, but you can drill into a wall, then you can buy one of these wall mounts - this effectively sticks out of your wall and allows you to fix the top end of the bungee cord to it without drilling into your ceiling.
2. Drilling holes and installing mountings
Tools needed: Drill, drill bits, screws, screwdriver
You now have your anchor points marked. Now you need to drill holes. Take a drill bit and drill holes in each anchor point. You need to make sure the drill bit you use is big enough so that the wall anchor (sometimes called a rawlplug) will fit snugly - if it’s too tight you’ll need to widen the hole and if it’s too loose then you won’t be able to fix the mounts properly.
The best way to do this is to start with a smaller drill bit and gradually work your way up until the rawlplug is snug in the hole. Do this for both ends, and fix the mountings in place with the screws and screwdriver.
3. Installing the bag
Tools needed: Double end bag, bungee cords
This is the final step. Make sure you inflate the double end ball according to the instructions that came with the bag. Attach one bungee cord to the ceiling - one end in the ceiling anchor and the other to the bag. You should let the bag hang freely.
Now attach one end of the other bungee cord to the floor anchor and the other end to the bag. Your bag is now suspended in mid air. Your bungee cords should be adjustable, so you can change the height of the bag as you so wish.
And that’s all there is to it - now you’re ready to train!
Anchoring to just the ceiling and using a stand
This is slightly less ideal, but makes a lot of sense for those living in homes with enough space but perhaps where it’s not feasible to affix things to the floor. For example, if you’ve got solid wood floors, or even carpeted floors, you won’t want to drill into them.
This is easily solved with a double end bag floor weighted base - such as the one pictured here.
You would need to follow all the instructions above - but instead you won’t need a plumb line, and you won’t need to mark anything on the floor - just mark your ceiling anchor, fix it to the ceiling, hang the bag and then attach the other bungee cord to the weighted base.
You’ll probably need to fill the base with water or sand or something to stop it moving, but as long as you’ve bought a decent quality one, it shouldn’t move. If you don’t want to pay out for one of these, and you’ve got some kettle bells or dumbbells, you could alternatively use these and hook the bungee cord around them to keep the bag still as long as the weights are heavy enough.
There are any number of bag stands on the market, some good and some not so good. I’d recommend you check out reviews and take advantage of generous return policies so you can make sure the stand doesn’t move when you’re punching your double end bag.
Installing a double end bag without drilling
I’ll preface this section by saying that it’s not ideal, and if you are in a situation to drill into your ceiling (at least) then you should do that. However, not everybody is going to be able to do this for a variety of reasons, and those people shouldn’t be excluded from some of the amazing boxing training benefits you can get from working the double end bag.
What I would suggest here is setting your double end bag up in a doorframe. This will limit you in terms of training your footwork and movement, but if there’s really no other option for you then it’s better than nothing. The way you’re going to do this is with a pull up bar, like this one you can get cheaply on Amazon:
Hook this over your doorframe and tie one end of the bungee cords to it. You can then hook the other end to a double end bag floor weight and the bag should stay where it is, suspended in the middle of the door frame. If you can’t get hold of a double end bag floor weight, use a dumbbell or a kettle bell.
Alternatively if you’re in a garage or a loft with some exposed joists, you might be able to wrap a cord around a joist or a beam instead of installing your bag in a doorway. This won’t help if you’re in an apartment, but could be a viable solution if you’ve got the space but still don’t want to be drilling holes in your house. Ultimately none of this is right or wrong - you’ll need to experiment with what works and what doesn’t for your own space, and compromise where necessary.
Now what?
So now you’ve got your double end bag properly installed. How do you use it? Well, we’ve got a pretty extensive set of other articles, tips and guides on the double end bag which may give you a bit of inspiration and guidance when it comes to how to train.
5 Double End Bag Boxing Drills
The Best Double End Bag Gloves
Do you need hand wraps for the double end bag?
Boxing Double End Bags - What are they for?
Did you find this article useful? Have you got any questions about how to install your bag that I haven’t answered here? Make sure to post down in the comments below and we’ll try to answer your queries!
0 comments