Hi. New Member-Same Old Questions

[sean]

Hi all. 54 years old and completely new to all this. Haven't hit a bag a total of 15 minutes in my life, but recently health issues have necessitated that I get in shape and otherwise strong. I've always wanted to hit a bag, and so, here I am. Created a home gym with a treadmill, free weights and weight machine. Three months in, I am seeing some pretty amazing improvements.

Was thinking of purchasing this Everlast for US $99.99 (lower in store) and with $25 discount coupon, (have to use by tomorrow night) I will pick it up for what appears to be a pretty reasonable $75. Thought I would ask for your opinion before I buy it.

Also, if you have any suggestions for a a bag, and gloves, please fire away. I plan on using the swivel that comes with it, unless one of you have a better suggestion. Should I expect much vibration wuith a low end unit like this? Will I need an extra slab of pine or the something ... is it that bad?

Finally, I am thinking of hanging this into the studs of behind the drywall of a workout room I have recently built. Is this something that will hold, or will the unit come loose after a while? Is the unit sturdy enough to take 5-10 minutes five days a week? Who knows where I will go with this, just looking for a little variation in the daily workout.Thanks in advance! I'll go read the board now, just wanted to get something in as I am pressed for time. Sean

[Tim]

Was thinking of purchasing this Everlast for US $99.99 (lower in store) and with $25 discount coupon, (have to use by tomorrow night) I will pick it up for what appears to be a pretty reasonable $75. Thought I would ask for your opinion before I buy it.

Did you mean to put a link here to the actual unit?

[Speedbag]

Hi all. 54 years old and completely new to all this. Haven't hit a bag a total of 15 minutes in my life, but recently health issues have necessitated that I get in shape and otherwise strong. I've always wanted to hit a bag, and so, here I am. Created a home gym with a treadmill, free weights and weight machine. Three months in, I am seeing some pretty amazing improvements.

Was thinking of purchasing this Everlast for US $99.99 (lower in store) and with $25 discount coupon, (have to use by tomorrow night) I will pick it up for what appears to be a pretty reasonable $75. Thought I would ask for your opinion before I buy it.

Also, if you have any suggestions for a a bag, and gloves, please fire away. I plan on using the swivel that comes with it, unless one of you have a better suggestion. Should I expect much vibration wuith a low end unit like this? Will I need an extra slab of pine or the something ... is it that bad?

Finally, I am thinking of hanging this into the studs of behind the drywall of a workout room I have recently built. Is this something that will hold, or will the unit come loose after a while? Is the unit sturdy enough to take 5-10 minutes five days a week? Who knows where I will go with this, just looking for a little variation in the daily workout.Thanks in advance! I'll go read the board now, just wanted to get something in as I am pressed for time. Sean

HI Sean and Welcome to the forum.

If you are talking about the new everlast model, This should be a good platform for your purposes. Be sure and attach the main connection Bolts/Screws to the wall studs and it should hold fine. I suspect it will vibrate a bit but adding about 20 - 25lb sandbag overhead will stop a lot of it.

If this is a sporting good store purchase they probably only have everlast bags. I would suggest buying a midsize, for longer bags will go past the edge of the board.

If online bags are a consideration, I would suggest the Title boxing speed bags, which are great quality and shape for a decent price. Particularly for you, I suggest the 10x7 (dark blue) model or perhaps the 9x6 but that might be a bit fast for a beginner when totally inflated.

I don't know what swivel comes with that unit, but here are some choices.

Any of them will work OK, except I would not recommend the E-Z pro model because I think it is too big, heavy and slow. For the "U-Bar" style, I like this one because the bar is smaller and the bag can't slide along it, but that's just my opinion.

Good luck with your bag equipment, and let us know how you are doing.

[sean]

Hi Tim and Alan.

Yes, I did forget to include the link, Tim ... sorry for the confusion. Here it is:
http://www.sportsauthority.com/produ...entPage=family

And, good guess on the board I was speaking of, Alan. I can get the unit for $75.

I stayed up reading some of the threads last night and picked up some great info. If I understand correctly, this comes with the plastic ball swivel and I will use the loc-tite solution I read about.

Will try to get a leather bag over vinyl ... probably this one on sale for $30. (I don't see Title bags, but if they have them, I will get the blue one you suggested, Alan.)

http://www.sportsauthority.com/produ...id=body_rv_img

or maybe this one at $45 if you think it better:

http://www.sportsauthority.com/produ...entPage=family

I guess my biggest concern was hanging this to the studs behind the drywall in my house and not in the garage. Too much vibration, noise or some other reason I should stay in the garage? Truly not excited about the sand solution, but if I have to, I will. Perhaps I will get some response from someone who owns this unit and maybe even look into the Lowes pre-fab pine solution. Would use bolts and screws to join them properly.
Thanks again for you help. Sean

[Speedbag]

Hi Tim and Alan.

Yes, I did forget to include the link, Tim ... sorry for the confusion. Here it is:
http://www.sportsauthority.com/produ...entPage=family

And, good guess on the board I was speaking of, Alan. I can get the unit for $75.

I stayed up reading some of the threads last night and picked up some great info. If I understand correctly, this comes with the plastic ball swivel and I will use the loc-tite solution I read about.

Will try to get a leather bag over vinyl ... probably this one on sale for $30. (I don't see Title bags, but if they have them, I will get the blue one you suggested, Alan.)

http://www.sportsauthority.com/produ...id=body_rv_img

or maybe this one at $45 if you think it better:

http://www.sportsauthority.com/produ...entPage=family

I guess my biggest concern was hanging this to the studs behind the drywall in my house and not in the garage. Too much vibration, noise or some other reason I should stay in the garage? Truly not excited about the sand solution, but if I have to, I will. Perhaps I will get some response from someone who owns this unit and maybe even look into the Lowes pre-fab pine solution. Would use bolts and screws to join them properly.
Thanks again for you help. Sean

I think that is the unit that "Skunk" is hitting in this video. Looks to be a very solid unit. I think it will work fine in a bedroom.

[Tim]

I think that is the unit that "Skunk" is hitting in this video. Looks to be a very solid unit. I think it will work fine in a bedroom.

I haven't used that exact model, but I've looked at it up close in the store. It seems to me to be a really solid platform, especially considering the cost. Give it a try and you'll find out if it needs anything add'l...

[sean]

Yes, Alan, that appears to be the same unit in the video. Curious, what's with the mirror? Something for watching form closely? Do you guys use a mirror behind the bag?

It does appear to be a decent unit, Tim. I was unable to set it up as the two wood struts were delivered really warped. Big time. Amazingly, one is warped vertically and the other, over a 1" bow in the slat. Really junk wood. I didn't have any wood I could reasonably substitute, so I will replace tonight and get it up.

The metal frame is also poorly painted. Dripping paint runs, not powder covered as advertised in the promo at Everlast, and the the soldering is horrible ... just crappy looking. It appears that it will function however. The board looks great, and solid as Tim suggested.

My unit came with the Everlast Top Professional Swivel, US $19.99 retail, apparently a lower end component:

http://store.titleboxing.com/titleboxing-everlast-spdbagacc-proswiv-ets.html

I was anxious to get it set up when I arrived home, so I purchased the only bag in stock at the store for $32.99. I think it is 10 x 7:

Again, wanting to get up and running asap, I also purchased an inexpensive pair of gloves, Everlast #4208, for $7. They have a metal bar and appear to be leather:

http://store.titleboxing.com/gelespbaggl.html

Here is a picture of the exact setup I have, inclucing the bag and swivel:

http://store.titleboxing.com/everlast-adjustable-speed-bag-platform.html

I will report back after I am up and hitting. All in, I have spent $130. Sean

[Speedbag]

Yes, Alan, that appears to be the same unit in the video. Curious, what's with the mirror? Something for watching form closely? Do you guys use a mirror behind the bag?

I don't use one like that and have always found mirrors around the bag a distraction to punching, and a bit annoying to watch for very long. They could also break if the bag flys off and smacks it.

... I also purchased an inexpensive pair of gloves, Everlast #4208, for $7. They have a metal bar and appear to be leather:

[url=http://store.titleboxing.com/gelespbaggl.html[/url]

Sean, Those gloves are not recommended and will probably retard your progress. that slick leather will slip off the bag, and the crease of all that leather on the outer edge of your hands (by the pinky finger) will not let you really feel the bag. You will be better off with hand wraps or some other glove like the Harbinger classic wrist wrap, which I prefer because there is no "seam" over any of the main contact knuckles of hand area. you can see me wearing themin this video clip. They are the only gloves I use for speed bag, but if in reality I Hit bare handed most of the time.

[sean]

Thanks for the reply, Alan. Nice video, though your pants selection needs further consideration!

By the way, I play drums and look forward to the rythym aspect of this activity.

I'm almost there. Need help to get moving forward again.

Exactly how do I get that 10 x 7 on this swivel?

http://store.titleboxing.com/titleboxing-everlast-spdbagacc-proswiv-ets.html

Sitting here for an hour with a pliers, needle nose, and wrench, but can't figure the sucker out. Should I pull out a saw and some duct tape?

And yes, I realize that I've probably just asked the dumbest question ever posted on the forum, but I can't figure it out. I'm sure the beer isn't helping, but still, what a puzzle. Happy Turkey to all. Sean

[Tim]

Thanks for the reply, Alan. Nice video, though your pants selection needs further consideration!

When you can hit like Alan, you're allowed to wear whatever pants you like

Sitting here for an hour with a pliers, needle nose, and wrench, but can't figure the sucker out. Should I pull out a saw and some duct tape?

And yes, I realize that I've probably just asked the dumbest question ever posted on the forum, but I can't figure it out. I'm sure the beer isn't helping, but still, what a puzzle. Happy Turkey to all. Sean

Don't feel so bad, it's been asked many times before. See this amazingly useful page on Alan's site: http://www.speedbagcentral.com/ssp/speedbag_swivels (Scroll down to the chain link section). If you haven't already, you should read every page on http://www.speedbagcentral.com

[sean]

So that's what that pesky little guy is called ... a locking clip! Never came across one before. Will have a second go at it later tonight.

Thanks for all the great info. Fabulous forum. Sean

[Speedbag]

Thanks for the reply, Alan. Nice video, though your pants selection needs further consideration!

When you can hit like Alan, you're allowed to wear whatever pants you like

Thanks Tim. My greatest dream is to teach the speed bag and to look good while doing it. I figured if my bag punchin' didn't get their attention then my sense of high fashion would.

[sean]

Well, I'm up and running. Had a few bumps along the way, but finally managed to get the unit on the wall, bag and all. I want to thank all of you for the help and advice. I will go spend some time reading Alan's site and report back after a few sessions with the bag. Thanks again. Sean

[sean]

It's been a week and I'm having a blast. Spent a few hours in total. I decided to forget the gloves I bought and I'm hitting barehanded. My hands are toughening up, to say the least. Alan's website and the info here has provided me with amazing info and tips.

I am curious if a better swivel would enhance my control, even at this stage. I'm using this: http://store.titleboxing.com/titlebo...oswiv-ets.html
If so, please suggest one.

I think it safe to say that the one thing I know for sure is this ... the secret for me has been to go slow. Really slow. And no hard hitting. I was hitting it as slow as I possibly could until I wanted to shoot myself. Rep's of 10, counting back to 1, then back up to 10. Over and over again. Control has followed, though not like you guys. It is very much like learning to play the drums ... speed and control comes from playing slowly.


One final thing, this setup appears to be pretty solid. It isn't 1 3/4" thick as the ad reads, it is 1 1/2", but is it thick and sturdy. It is plywood with top and bottom veneer sheets. The wrap around the drum is a plastic, which seems to be fine. The unit was easy to get up on the wall. (Though it did take a few trips back to Sports Authority to trade a couple parts that needed the same. The quality inspector needs to be fired at Everlast China. lol Safe for any of you guys to buy this model, and it is pretty cheap, particularly if you use a coupon or get it on sale. (I put it into studs and probably screwed up by having it on a wall with a 32" LCD a few feet away. Hope the vibrations don't knock that baby off.)
Thanks again for all the help. Sean

[Tim]

Glad to hear you are enjoying it!

I am curious if a better swivel would enhance my control, even at this stage. I'm using this: http://store.titleboxing.com/titlebo...oswiv-ets.html
If so, please suggest one.

Which swivel are you using now? Is it chain link style as well? Personally I prefer the ball hook - metal or plastic , it's not as easy, but will make you a better speed bagger in the long run (my opinion).

I think it safe to say that the one thing I know for sure is this ... the secret for me has been to go slow. Really slow. And no hard hitting. I was hitting it as slow as I possibly could until I wanted to shoot myself. Rep's of 10, counting back to 1, then back up to 10. Over and over again. Control has followed, though not like you guys. It is very much like learning to play the drums ... speed and control comes from playing slowly.

Yep, the best way to get frustrated is to try and hit harder and faster than your abilities allow. Been there , done that

One final thing, this setup appears to be pretty solid. It isn't 1 3/4" thick as the ad reads, it is 1 1/2", but is it thick and sturdy. It is plywood with top and bottom veneer sheets. The wrap around the drum is a plastic, which seems to be fine. The unit was easy to get up on the wall. (Though it did take a few trips back to Sports Authority to trade a couple parts that needed the same. The quality inspector needs to be fired at Everlast China. lol Safe for any of you guys to buy this model, and it is pretty cheap, particularly if you use a coupon or get it on sale.

I have not hit with that model, but looked at it closely in the store. It looks like a good piece of equipment for the price and it's a plus that you can get it locally (avoid shipping fees), but also giving you an easy recourse for bad fit. (imagine having to send back misshapen parts to a mail order outfit). The everlast stuff I've had in the past had some pretty poor QA as well, holes not lining up , etc.

(I put it into studs and probably screwed up by having it on a wall with a 32" LCD a few feet away. Hope the vibrations don't knock that baby off.)
Thanks again for all the help. Sean

I'd be more concerned with the long term effects of vibration on the circuit boards, etc. inside the TV. I don't know if that will be a problem or not.