Rival Speed Bag

[BillyMack]

Chris M.'s review of Balazs reminded me that I should throw up a quick review of my Rival 6 x 4 I bought a couple months ago. I thing Speedbag said he had never hit one before, and when I saw them online I liked the look and had to have one. Since the 6 x 4 size is not too common, that's what I went for.

In one word, this thing is TINY!! It's barely bigger than my fist. Here is the picture from Rival's website:

http://www.rivalboxing.com/e/rspdenglish.html

Here's a pic before inflation next to a CD for comparison:

http://billymack.us/gallery/Garage01/IMG_1617

Here's a pic hanging from my board:

http://billymack.us/gallery/Garage01/IMG_1619

And here it is next to my 10 x 7 Everlast 4214:

http://billymack.us/gallery/Garage01/IMG_1621


Despite the size, it is made very well. You can tell by looking at it that it is a high quality bag. The leather is soft and supple, the seams are strong and made from a suede-like material so they are easy on the hands, and the bag has no lumps or lop-sides.

As you can imagine it takes a lot of precision to keep this size bag going, and it is quite the challenge. It is fun at the end of workout to try fist rolling and watching my hands ram into each other.

Rival is a Canadian company so:

1. My dollars were converted into canadian currency on my credit card bill.
2. Delivery took 8 days and was impossible to track.

All-in-all I would highly recommend this brand, although with shipping it ended up being a $50 bag. Definitely cool to have a 6 x 4 in your arsenal but for the price you could probably find one less expensive. If you live in Canada, Rival might be the brand for you.

[Tim]

I noticed Title Boxing carries some of Rival's equipment now. (http://search.store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/nsearch?catalog=titleboxing&query=rival)

Hopefully they'll start carrying the speed bags too - that would make it a more economical choice for those of us in the US. 6x4 is a rare size. The only other bag I know of in that size is the Everlast Professional Speed Bag (http://store.titleboxing.com/titleboxing-everlast-speed-bags.html).

Rinside's Top Contender brand (http://www.ringside.com/DETAIL.ASPX?ID=25131) has a 4x7 size that is pretty darn small too.

Do you know how much the Rival bag weighs? I'd be curious to find out how it compares to some of these bags (http://www.speedbagforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1217#post1217)

[BillyMack]

Here's a short vid of me taking a whack at the Rival 6 x 4...man, it's hard to keep going...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_sVL8kETxk

[Kyle]

Ive been hitting this Rival 6x4 for a couple months now and it a great bag. When i first got it i thought rival had actully sent me a keychain by accident but nope it was the bag. Anyways when i first starting hitting it it was like learning how to hit the bag all over again because it is very light, small, and fast. Like billy has said its a well built bag and it takes some getting used to. Its been over 2 months and ive just started to work elbows into the workout. If you want a small challenging bag i would sugest this bag just be prepared to be frustrated.

[Speedbag]

.... If you want a small challenging bag i would sugest this bag ....just be prepared to be frustrated.

Great phrase!

One of the hidden benefits of speed bag training, (any size) is "preparing people to be frustasted", and also allowing them to use it to vent that frustration.

[Kyle]

absolutly one of the best things is finally getting that one technique you just couldnt seem get.

[Kyle]

Been hitting the Rival 6x4 again recently on my outdoor setup anf forgot how fun it was...u really have to make ur hits count on this little bag because it is really easy to mis hit...also getting some elbows down on it which is also very tough....i dont find it to be a very fast bag but its really light and VERY small!