There’s no denying that a well timed, powerful uppercut can put your opponent flat on their back.
Given that uppercuts are such an effective strike, it’s important that a fighter work on their uppercut on a regular basis.
Having said that, traditional bags such as the heavy bag aren’t particularly suited to uppercut training. As such, an uppercut bag can provide a fighter with the necessary practice to refine their technique and instil muscle memory.
With that in mind, we’ve put together this list of the best uppercut bags currently available. We’ve tried to cover different types, shapes and size bags into our review, so you're sure to find one suitable for your needs.
Before we get to the reviews, let's’ take a look at some inspiration. Check out the video below of Anthony Joshua landing a clean uppercut in his fight against Wladimir Klitschko back in 2017.
Top Uppercut Bag Comparison
Benefits of Using an Uppercut Bag
Designed Specifically to Train Uppercuts
Unless you have a heavy bag that has an angled design, working on your uppercuts can be a bit tricky. Uppercut bags are designed specifically for this, allowing you to get plenty of practice throwing an uppercut and working on your technique.
Practice Throwing Strikes From Different Angles
This is only really applicable if you’ve got a hanging uppercut bag. These types of uppercut bags allow you to move around them, throwing strikes from the side and incorporating different combinations into your work out. While a hanging heavy bag will allow you to do this, you won’t be able to effectively throw any uppercuts due to their design.
I’ll go over the different types of uppercut bags in a second, so stick around.
Work on Your Foot Work
This kind of ties in with my last point, and again, is only applicable if you’ve got a hanging uppercut bag. As the bag is hanging down in front of you, you’re able to circle the bag and work on your footwork.
Types of Uppercut Bag
There are two different types of uppercut bags - free swinging/ hanging and wall mounted. I'll quickly go over the benefits and drawbacks of each type below.
Free Swinging/ Hanging Uppercut Bag
Free swinging, or hanging uppercut bags tend to be the most popular. This is where the uppercut bag is attached via a chain to a beam or to a stand. The bag then hangs down in front of you, very much like a traditional heavy bag.
Ok, now lets check out some of the pros and cons of using a swinging uppercut bag.
The main benefits of a free swinging uppercut bag are:
- Allow you to employ you footwork: When sparring or competing, you’re obviously able to circle and move around your opponent. With a wall mounted heavy bag, this isn’t really possible as there’s a wall in the way. With a swinging uppercut bag, you have a 360 degree circumference in which you can use to move around the bag, throwing combinations and working on your footwork.
- More accurately simulates an opponents movement: Due to the fact that the bag is hanging down, it will swing back and forth when it’s been hit. The amount it swings will depend on the weight of the bag and the force used to throw the punch. This swinging motion somewhat mimics and opponents movement. This is far more authentic than using a wall mounted uppercut bag that stays in a fixed position.
The Main Drawbacks of a Free Swinging Uppercut Bags Are:
- Difficult to set up: To be honest, both types of uppercut bags are somewhat hard to get set up. A swinging bag will require a suitable beam or stand to hang from and also require more space due to the fact that it swings back and forth.
- Louder: Most uppercut bags use a chain to connect the bag to the bracket, this can be pretty loud, especially if you’re putting a lot of power behind your punches.
Wall Mounted Uppercut Bag
As the name suggests, these types of uppercut bags are attached to a wall.
They often come with targets dotted around the bag and tend to be padded at the sides , allowing for different strikes to be thrown from multiple angles.
Lets' take a look at their pros and cons:
The Main Benefits of a Wall Mounted Uppercut Bag Are:
- Require less space: Wall mounted uppercut bags are more ideal for those of you who are working with a limited amount of space. This makes them far better suited than swinging bags, as they’ll require much more room, both to set up and to use.
- Often feature targets: The vast majority of uppercut bags will feature targets dotted around the bag itself. Often, there will be either one or two on the front and two at the sides. This allows you to develop your accuracy when throwing both uppercuts and hooks. Targets aren’t really used on swinging bags, meaning that your imagination must be used to envision where on the body your punches would be landing.
The Main Drawbacks of a Wall Mounted Uppercut Bag Are:
- Limited range of motion: You can’t fully circle the bag, meaning that it limits the amount of footwork you can use. Of course, you can practice sidestepping and creating angles, however that’s about as far as you can go.
- Doesn’t simulate an opponent's motion: Due to the fact that the bag is mounted to the wall, the bag will be staying stationary for the entirety of the work out. This doesn’t replicate an opponents movement, which is unfortunately a pretty major drawback of a wall mounted bag.
Best Uppercut Bags Reviews
Ok, lets start looking at some of the top uppercut bags.
Bad Boy Aqua Punching Bag – Best Hanging Uppercut Bag
Noteworthy features:
First up on our list is the Bad Boy Aqua Bag, which is a fairly unique and different kind of bag compared to the rest we’re going to discuss. However, don’t be fooled by this bags strange appearance, it’s easily one of, if not, the best uppercut bag currently around.
This is due to the fact that this bag is filled using water. I used to be very sceptical about water filled bags, however have since turned into one of their biggest fans.
Regular bags, whether a heavy bag or an uppercut bag can often form hard sports and indentations. This is an absolute pain to sort out and can massively reduce the quality of the bag. Fortunately, this will literally never happen with the Aqua bag is it’s filled with water, which obviously won’t form gaps.
What’s more, if space is an issue for you, you can simply empty the bag, put it away and fill it up when you next want to use it. This means if you’re on the road, you can bring the Aqua bag along with you and continue to get in daily work out sessions.
It’s even durable enough for both indoor and outdoor use. In the summer months, hang this bad boy outside and enjoy an intense work out whilst also working on your tan. Two birds one stone eye?
Due to the fact that the bag can swing, it can even double as a slip/ maize bag. However, the smaller 18” model would probably be better suited, as the 21” is fairly large and you don’t want that smacking you in the face.
In terms of how the bag feels to hit, it’s actually a lot nicer than regular bags. The water makes it fairly impact free and you could probably get away with not wearing any gloves (although I would recommend wearing wraps).
To top it all off, the Aqua Uppercut bag is pretty affordable and offers great value for money, especially when you consider the bags versatility.
Oh, and it comes with a 2-year warranty, which is pretty unusual for an item that’s designed to get punched… a lot. I guess that just shows Bad Boy’s belief in the quality of their Aqua bag.
Pros
Cons
Check out the Aqua bag in action down below:
Noteworthy features:
Ringside offer a few different style uppercut bags, most of which feature on our list. First up is their hanging option, which tends to be the most popular.
You have the choice of both filled and unfilled options, with unfilled being a bit cheaper. However, I would recommend getting the filled version as it’s a lot easier and the quality of filling is likely to be better.
I bought a couple of bags unfilled a year or so ago and regretted it massively after about a month of use. The filling ended up sinking to the bottom of the bag, with the top of it just being empty. Anyway, I learnt my lesson and would suggest getting the unfilled version only if you’re confident you’ll get the filling right.
In terms of the bags shape, whether or not it’s for you is really down to personal preference. Some people prefer tear shaped uppercut bags, where as some prefer theirs shaped horizontally like this.
The Ringside Uppercut Bag doesn’t really swing, so it’s not ideal for timing your punches. However, it does feature a swivel so it does turn/ spin when you punch it. This is good for practicing footwork, movement and allows you to cut angles and side step whilst you throw combinations.
When assessing the quality of the upper cut bag, nothing massively stands out in the bag itself. Ringside have done a great job of ensuring the bags durability and I’ve even heard of guys having their ringside bag for a number of years.
One design floor that I’ve noticed with the Ringside bag is the use of S shaped hooks that attach the bag to the chains. If you’ve got some power behind your uppercuts and don’t hit the bag directly in the middle, the bag can come off the S hook. While this isn’t a major issue, it’s something worth noting as I’ve heard a couple of people mention this now.
Considering this is a top notch bag from a reputable company like Ringside, it’s surprises me that it has such a cheap price tag - especially the unfilled version. Nothing to complain about though, great for us!
Pros
Cons
Check out the Ringside bag in action down below:
Noteworthy features:
Up next we’ve got the Body Snatcher Bag from Contender, a well built, durable bag that’s incredibly popular amongst gym owners thanks to its’ reasonable price tag.
Although it makes use of synthetic leather, the overall quality feels great and this thing can take one hell of a punishment - which is ideal for you hard hitters out there.
What’s great about this style of bag is that it can be hung from any height, so you can hang it higher in order to get it an ideal level for uppercuts to the chin. Similarly, you can hang it lower down and practice working the body.
The filling can be fairly tough at first and definitely requires a bit of a break in period. As such, make sure you’ve got some hand wraps and bag gloves handy as you’ll definitely be needing them.
One thing to be aware of when looking to getting a circular shaped punching bag is that the filling can get pushed towards the middle over time. To stop this from happening, you can roll the bag around the floor to re-distribute the filling.
Pros
Cons
Ringside Headshot Punching Bag
Noteworthy features:
Yet another Ringside bag to feature on our list, and while not technically an uppercut bag, it definitely can be used to work your uppercuts. Similarly to the last bag we discussed, you can adjust the height of the Headshot Bag to match your preference and change up the height levels of your shots.
The circular shape of the bag allows you to throw uppercuts, jabs and hooks comfortably. Similarly, the bag will both swing and spin (thanks to the swivel), which somewhat realistically simulates the movement of an opponent.
This in turn allows you to work on your timing, practice slipping the bag as it comes towards you and develop your side step. Basically, it opens up a lot of possibilities to work on both your hand technique and your footwork.
Ringside have made use of powerhide material, which is essentially a fancy name for synthetic leather, without having to say the word ‘synthetic’. Despite this, the bag is incredibly durable both inside and out.
Again, you may need to roll the bag on the floor every now and again to keep the filling equally distributed, but that’s part and parcel of having a bag this shape.
Overall, the Ringside Headshot Bag offers a great bang for your buck considering it’s relatively modest price tag.
Pros
Cons
Check out the Ringside bag in action down below:
Ringside Uppercut Bag - Best Wall Mounted Uppercut Bag
Noteworthy features:
Ok, this is the last Ringside uppercut bag we’re going to be taking a look at - I promise!
This time, we’ve got a wall mounted uppercut bag that’s constructed using genuine leather material. The use of genuine leather means that the bag is much more durable than others that use synthetic leather, however is a bit more expensive.
Whether you’re willing to spend a bit more on a durable bag is up to you. I’ve found genuine leather bags hold up much better under extensive use and are a lot harder to rip of tear.
The shape of the uppercut bag means that you can also incorporate jabs and hooks into your combination. For accuracy training, three targets are placed around the bag, which is particularly ideal for beginners who aren’t quite sure where to land their punches.
A concern I have with this type of uppercut bag is in the padding. As the bag itself has a hard frame inside in order to maintain its’ shape, it’s incredibly important that sufficient padding is used in order for it not to hurt. Fortunately, Ringside have used high impact shock absorbing foam to line their uppercut bag, which feels almost like hitting a regular heavy bag.
I would still recommend using gloves and wraps with this bag, as it’s not going to have as much ‘give’ in it when you land a punch.
Finally, the bag comes with the mount and bolts needed to attach it to the wall. This saves you having to head down to a DIY store and get them yourself, which to be fair, you’d expect from a bag at this sort of price.
Pros
Cons
Noteworthy features:
There’s very little separating the Windy Uppercut Bag from the Ringside bag we just discussed above, both of which are some of the best uppercut bags around. As such, which ever you can get for the cheapest, I would recommend going for that.
Anyway, I’ll keep this review section nice and short as there’s no point repeating myself too much.
The major difference between this and the Ringside uppercut bag is the size. The Windy bag is about 9” taller and about 2” thicker. This can be seen as both a good and bad thing depending on your situation. This is good as it provide more surface area for you to throw your strikes, however can also be a negative if you’ve got limited wall space.
I also much prefer the design of the Windy Uppercut Bag, it’s got a nice look, a nice logo and the colors are much easier on the eyes. The Windy bag also features three targets located pretty much in the same location as the Ringside, which again, is great for beginners as they can see where to land their punches.
The Windy bag is also handmade in Thailand, home of Muay Thai and where some of the best combat sports gear comes from. They’ve also made use of genuine leather, which as I’ve mentioned before is going to be a lot more durable than bags made using synthetic leather.
Considering the overall quality, design and durability of the bag, I think it’s safe to say that the high price tag is definitely justified as this is definitely one of the best wall mounted uppercut bags going.
Pros
Cons
Noteworthy features:
The last bag on our list of the best uppercut bags comes from Revgear.
This is an affordable, durable hanging uppercut bag with a horizontal design. I particularly like how Revgear have reinforced all the seems using triple stitching to make sure that bag is able to stay together under intense use.
A tell tale sign of a poor piece of equipment is when the seems start to come undone, meaning the bag starts to fall apart. Unless you’re a dab hand at sewing (I’m definitely not), this can cause some issues. Fortunately though, you won't have this problem with the Revgear Uppercut bag thanks to it’s reinforced seams.
Despite not using genuine leather, the bag itself is made with a vinyl coating, which helps to prevent tears and rips from forming. It’s clear that Revgear have wanted to offer their uppercut bag for an affordable price, but not wanted to sacrifice quality in order to do so.
The result?
A pretty damn durable bag that can definitely endure intense workouts, even from the hard hitters out there.
The biggest disappointment for me though is that it doesn’t come with a chain. I guess that’s in order to keep a low price tag. Plus, heavy bag chains are easy to come by online and don’t cost very much, so not a massive deal.
Pros
Cons
How to Choose the Right Bag
Type & Shape
As you’ve probably noticed by now, uppercut bags tend to come in a ton of different size and shapes. When deciding on the best uppercut bag for you, this is definitely something that needs to be taken into consideration.
If space is an issue, then going for a wall mounted option is going to be your best bet. Whereas if you’ve got plenty of room, a swinging uppercut bag would be best as it provides a better work out as you have more scope to circle the bag.
Size & Weight
The overall size and weight of the bag is going to be another key determining factor as to which uppercut bag you should go for. As a rule of thumb, the heavier the better seems to be the approach for many boxers and fight enthusiasts.
This is of course going to depend on the amount of room that you have, but I must admit, I do also conform to using that rule of thumb. Heavier bags just tend to be more rigid, stable and more lifelike to hit.
Materials & Quality
At the end of the day, you don’t want to buy an uppercut bag, for it then to fall apart of break after a few uses. The materials used to construct the bag are going to directly correlate to its’ overall quality.
Genuine leather bags tend to hold up better over a long time period, however also cost a fair bit more. Having said that, these days even synthetic leather is getting more and more durable, and it won’t be too long until they're indistinguishable in terms of quality.
Uppercut Bag FAQ’s
I want to get my first punching bag, should I get an uppercut bag or a heavy bag?
If you’re looking to get your first type of punching bag, I would generally suggest going for a heavy bag - either a free standing model (like these) or a hanging bag. This is solely because uppercut bags are so specific, so it’s a good idea to get a more well-rounded bag to begin with. Plus, if you can get someone to hold the heavy bag at an angle for you, you can still throw uppercuts.
Also, some heavy bags are designed with a slope so that uppercuts can also be thrown, so that’s something to bear in mind.
Do I need to wear gloves with an uppercut bag?
Yes, I would definitely recommend wearing gloves, especially when the bag is fresh. Water filled bags tend to be a bit more forgiving on your hands, but even so, better safe than sorry. Check out our list of the best boxing gloves for beginners if you need to find a pair.
What’s the best shape uppercut bag?
The answer to this one's really down to personal preference. I personally prefer hanging, circular or tear-drop shaped heavy bag as I find they offer the best work out. You can circle them, throw in some hooks and work from different angles. That being said, I know guys who would rather just bang it out on a wall-mounted uppercut bag.
The Verdict
So, we’ve made it to the end of our article! Which uppercut bag do we recommend the most?
Best swinging uppercut bag - Bad Boy Aqua Bag: I honestly can’t believe I used to have a problem with water filled bags. The Aqua bag is so easy to set up, can be taken with you anywhere, is incredibly durable and is comfortable to hit. Plus, you don’t have to worry about it becoming misshapen!
Best wall mounted uppercut bag - Windy Uppercut Bag: Despite being expensive, it provides a large surface area, looks great and is made using genuine leather. If it’s in your budget, go for it.
Thanks for taking the time to read our article on the best uppercut bags, if you’ve got any questions, ask away in the comment section below!
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