We sat down with Duane Ludwig to get his advice on Heavy Bags. Duane's gym in Colorado, Ludwig Martial Arts, is currently outfitted with FUJI Mats & Bags. Duane is a former professional MMA fighter and recipient of the UFC Coach of the Year Award in 2013 & 2014. He has worked with top MMA fighters such as TJ Dillashaw and more. There are a lot of different options and while it cane seem overwhelming, Duane breaks it down to help those find the the best fit for their gym or personal needs.

FM: For a professional striking gym, what is the best mix of bags you would recommend and why?

DL: I primarily recommend the 6 foot long thai bags. Teardrop bags are good for clinch work mushroom bag for uppercuts and over hands. So for overall well roundedness I would like to have a mixture of at least two teardrops and two mushrooms and 16 thai bags so that there are minimum of 20 bags total. 

FM: What is your favorite style of bag(s) and why?

DL: You can't go wrong with the thai bags - they give you a lot of different training options and overall you can't pass up the amount of drills you can do on them.

FM: What are the most underutilized techniques in striking for MMA and how would you recommend working on developing those skills? 

DL: I feel some of the most underutilized techniques are front kicks and sidekicks linear kicks in general. I would recommend getting in more linear kicks off the coaches command. 

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