Johnny Sockitomee

Yea it’s a funny name. But I would be remiss if I based my whole review just on that, right?

I have been plagued for awhile by not having a proper location for a heavy bag, and came to the conclusion that the hanging variety was just not an option for me. Luckily, the good people at Boxing Depot had a solution. Johnny Sockitomee is a freestanding striking bag made by Everlast. Johnny is mobile, accessible, and can take a hit. Here’s a look –

(You’ll also notice that Everlast decided to use a picture of me from my male modeling days here. I’ll be expecting royalties, Everlast).

I would also like to show you the compact way Johnny arrived. I was expecting a bulky, unwieldy mess, but this was well organized.

I hated to take it out of the box and ruin all of Everlast’s planning and effort, but I unpacked it anyway. Assembly occurred in two different stages – the base and the bag. The base assembly was no big deal and went pretty smoothly. The bag was a little more complicated. I was surprised to see that inside the red casing went three separate layers of foam and a plastic insert. I needed a little bit of patience and persistence while trying to build Johnny from the inside out.

After my construction efforts, I put the two pieces together and stepped back to admire my finished product.

The striking surface is adjustable and ranges from 3′ to 6′. The base is large and can take a substantial hit without moving around. This is especially true if you can place it on a rougher surface, like carpet (and be sure to fill it up all the way with water or sand). The bag itself is much easier on the hands than others I have used in the past, which is important if you intend to have children beating on it.

One thing that I really like is the spring-back action Johnny delivers. A lot of heavy bags just hang there and sway a bit when you hit them. This bag flexes slightly with your punches and comes back immediately. Such flexing allows you to establish a rhythm with the bag and work on speed striking, as well as power.

Johnny requires some TLC to get up and running, but after construction he proves ready, willing, and able. He is mobile and can fit into confined areas. The adjustability and material makes him ideal for strikers young and old.