Heavy Bag Etiquette

by Mike

Most, if not all of these guidelines (which really should be laws) are predicated on the idea that the person dropping bombs on the heavy bag is someone engaged in Serious Work and should not be disturbed. I'm slightly disappointed when I see people at the gym walking past/through/bothering people working the bags.

Do not walk past someone working the bags. Wait for the round to end. They have the "right" to the space around the bag, so long as they are not being foolish or taking up too much space. As such, do not expect them to move for you.

Under no circumstances are you to walk in between someone working the bags and the bag. You will get hurt and people will laugh at you.

Do not reset the timer. As long as there is someone working, there is someone who is relying on that timer. Resetting without permission is a good way to get invited to a "nice, friendly" sparring session.

You may not use more than one bag at a time. Unless you have a good reason. However, I'm at a loss to figure out what a good reason might be.

Do not bring your girlfriend in to steady the bag while you push it around. You're not impressing anyone when you do this, least of all her.

If you knock the bag down, take a split second to ask yourself 1) Did this fall on someone or break something? 2) Will leaving the bag here be in anyone's way? 3) Am I training for MMA or another event where you are allowed to attack a downed opponent? If the first two are no and the last one is yes, then jump on that bad boy and keep punching - round ain't over yet!

With all of the above in mind, if you are working the bags, be aware of where other people are. The possibility of someone running past you is still pretty high.

CC licensed photo from hmmlargeart