Thoughts on freestanding platforms

[RONIN]

I've been googling for a speed bag stand, because my land lord wont let me drill holes or anything on my wall. So I'm looking for a nice stand to put my speed bag on. What do you guys recommend?


THanks a bunch!

[Tim]

How much space do you have available?

How serious are you about speed bag?


I started with an Everlast free standing unit. It was good enough for a beginner, but I outgrew it fairly quickly. The achille's heel of most free standing setups is the single vertical pole. You will get flexion that will cause the board to rock back and forth along with alot of vibration. The bigger and heavier the speed bag, the worse it is.

See this unit in action here (Notice how much the platform is moving)




However, Alan has used straps to secure units such as this, with very good results

Go to this page: http://www.speedbagcentral.com/ssp/speed_bag_setups and scroll down

I didn't go that route with mine because I was determined to get a more flexible setup - but I'm really serious about the speed bag.




If I had to do a free standing unit again, I'd love to give this model a try
http://www.newyorkbarbells.com/8050.html


It's got two vertical poles - which would help minimize sway (at least in the "back and forth" direction, not side to side), can adjust to many different levels and has lots of places it can be secured with free weights - or my preferred method - cheap 50 lb sand bags from Home Depot. That being said, I don't know of anyone who has ever used this unit, so I can't comment on how well it works.



Lastly, I too am not able to attach a platform to the wall... I built a "speed bag cage" out of 8' rough cedar 4x4s and 5' cedar boards . It allowed me to mount a high quality platform and weight it down such that it works very well. It also gave me a lot more flexibility in mounting add'l platforms. Hard to tell in this picture, but there is a Ringside HD platform with 80 Lbs of weight inside, Golds adjustable (for the kids) on the outside. (Shortly there will be a 3rd platform on the outside, next to the kids unit). It also gave me a cool place to hang my speed bags when they aren't in use. Lastly, this setup is "Alan Kahn Approved"

See "the cage" in action in this video clip



I will say this route isn't cheap... the cage cost close to $300 *BEFORE* I even hung the platform. There's $50 worth of 1/2 inch hardware (6" bolts, washers and nuts) holding it together... then the wood, then finally the tools (auger bit, a new drill) I had to buy to put it together. I probably could have done it cheaper if I had gone to a lumber yard - rather than Lowes, but Lowes was much more convenient.

[RONIN]

Originally Posted by Tim

How much space do you have available?

How serious are you about speed bag?


.

well space is kinda limited. I've been going to the gym practicing 3-4hrs a day about 3 times a week. I got a lot of the steps down but I'm not that fast yet. I figured if I practice everynight 3-4hrs I'd get really good.

thanks for the info by the way...good stuff