Post innovative training devices here!

Crayola

Crayola

Joined
Sep 23, 1999
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Let's start a thread on training devices to practice with.

This one is a great one because everybody has the supplies on hand to make it. Take a piece of paper, punch a hole at the top, tape the hole and punch the hole through the tape. Put string through the hole and secure the other end of the string to your ceiling. I have a stucco(sp?) ceiling so I use a push pin. Draw a couple of eyes on your paper target and voila! You now have a GREAT target for practicing snap thrusts on, or eye gouges. I LOVE eye attacks. What an equalizer. A 450 pound sumo masta jacked up on drugs can be stunned by a 13 year old with a good eye poke. The paper device allows you to train the finger jab well. The paper will flop around after you hit it, so you can move and wait and then when that eye comes in range again... BAM! Try the same drills with a blade.
 
Here's an old school idea that I never used but apparently was de riguer in New York city training halls back in the 50's: draw an outline of a head and torso on the wall. Mask off your targets: eyes, throat, temple. Everywhere else, glue thumbtacks pointed out. Now start throwing finger strikes ....... I understand it sharpened up the student's aim very quickly.
I've also seen mannequin heads used for the same purpose; rapid targeting. If it's put on a short stick one man can wave it around while the other takes shots at it.
 
Crayola - another fun hanging target is the humble tennis ball. Work the stop-hit on the moving ball. Hang several around you to add more movement and footwork.

Here's photos and descriptions to build a multi-purpose training device we call "Fred the Head". It can be used as a speedbag with human features or attached to a heavy bag, mook jong, etc. You can wail it with hands and elbows, sticks, etc. Not much will hurt it.

http://alliancemartialarts.com/dummy.htm

Also be sure to check out the Karate Connection's plans for a FANTASTIC training dummy you can build for $50 or less.

http://www.karateconnection.com/dummy.htm

All the best,

Pete Kautz
 
Rattan Hoop, without a doubt, especially for reverse grip knife and pocket stick training...isometric exercise...the ability to maintain centerline and blast through limbs in front of you.
 
Don,
Could you explain a little bit more about the use hoops for blade training? Thanks.
Best regards,
Argyll
 
Sorry, I missed your response.

These rattan hoops used to be available from James Keating at Comtech. I don't know if James still has them or where you can get them if he does not.

They are pretty cool on a couple of different levels. One of the Comtech Bits & Pieces Tapes had some good movements on it but it was not even 6 minutes. I forget if it was Volume I or II.

If the hoop is on a vertical plane, meaning in the air in front of you as if it were a bicycle tire standing upright...you can put your live hand in the hoop and that hand is facing back and the hoop is against your fingers, your hand is open. Inside of fingers...

In the other hand is a knife in reverse grip.

Put the knife hand in the hoop and the hoop itself rests on the outside of the wrist. Pull back a little bit on the hoop as you push forward with the knife hand.

Now, rotate the hoop to where the hoop itself is moving with your hands, the hoop on the fingers of your live hand will move over the inside of the fingers and transition to the tops [outsides] of the fingers as the knife hand comes up to the chest and chambers.

The knife's POINT should be oriented DOWN or you WILL cut yourself.

Which is why you are using a Training Knife anyway, right?

The palm of the knife hand will be directed at your chest, point of knife oriented down, pointed between your feet. The live hand will be palm facing the imaginary attacker, thumb directed at the ground.

Now both hands move, the live hand goes palm down to the ground to simulate clearing an attacker's limb that is threatening or incoming and the knife hand continues up, being extremely careful that you do not cut the inside of the live hand or the forearm of that limb!

Then, the thumb of the live hand is directed at about the solar plexus, the palm is down, the hoop is on the insides of the fingers or the palm or the live hand at this time and the knife hand is chambered, having cleared the inside of the forearm of the live hand.

The palm of the knife hand is down, nails down [fingernails down] and the thrust is made outward with the point.

You can reverse this motion now, being careful to reorient the knife DOWN so you do not cut the forearm of the other hand and you can thrust the lowline, etc.

You can thrust and slash on many different angles.

Please do not think you are going to be OK using a live blade doing this. Use a Trainer. Don't need no good people going to the hospital trying to learn how to send bad people to the hospital. Please use a trainer.

This tempers the wrist and provides a nice, isometric workout as well as instilling a familiar task to the practitioner.
 
You can get thicker and smaller hoops from http://www.iisportsonline.com

DR, it was Bits and Pieces II. Trapping 3/Rattan and Iron Hoop is dedicated to the hoop, my only objection is that a lot of Wing Chun in it. Anyone who's learned WC knows it's hard to really explain and really get good at tan and bong sau without some hands on instruction. My hoop (16") is getting some dust though and I need to get a smaller one, so I'll probably give it to another formite.

Innovative training devices? Well I've made "Turkey Legs", take some dowels or broken rattan sticks and wrap liberally with old clothes and duct tape. Used for knife target practice, inspired by FMA hitting drills and Gunsite's knife course.

There's also the "Hanging Target" (5 or so AOL offer CDs and tape together) and use for target practice, be warned it can cut and sting you.
 
Here's a book you can browse through...

Martial Arts Home Training: The Complete Guide to the Construction & Use of Home Training Equipment
by Mike Young

Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
ISBN: 080483170X
 
I'm not sure I can describe this, but:

At one time I made an "attacking tree" for use with hands, feet and blunted blades. It was a 5 gallon bucket with 2" PVC extending 4' up from it's center, the bucket filled in concrete.
At the 4' height, another piece of 2" PVC was horizontally placed, so the whole thing was a big 'T', 4' high by about 3' across.
On one arm of the T was a free hanging, big naturaly sponge, suspended by some nylon line. On the other arm was another sponge, but this was shock-corded to the base at the bottom.
Portable, free-hanging target with a relatively stationary target on the other side, take ANY abuse and cost about 6-7 bucks, if you have as much junk in your garage as I do.

Larry
 
An old tire hung on a rope is pretty good, ( like a tire swing ) you can use all sorts of weapons against it, and they're virtually indestructible.

A stack of old tires fastened together makes a pretty good striking dummy, if you can hide it somewhere your wife won't complain about.
 
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