Question about martial arts dummy (BOB)

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SkinnyJoe

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Where does the wear and tear occur on these? How long do they typically last? What is one advised to look for in a used one? Let's say one is in good condition with no visbile defects, what percentage of the original price is reasonable? They're little over 300 new, I seem to remember.

Can a person improvise and build something that mimics the head and neck, with reasonable materials, skills, and time?

Thanks
 
As for how long Bo b lasts, we bought one for our studio about 10 yars ago, and it's still in perfect working condition. The only problem that we ever had was with the base, which is hollow plastic, supposed to be filled with water to added required weight. We went through about half a doxen of those, all replaced by Century, no charge, no questions asked. We finally got the idea of fillong the reservoir with sand, and no more leaks.

I have no idea what a used one would sell for, probably not very my much. I wouldn't pay more than $50 for one, base and all. (You HAVE to have the base, otherwise Bob's useless. It's too light to use suspended, even if there was a practical way to hang it.

With enough time, ingenuity, and materials, I suppose that you could build something that would fit your purpose, but there are plenty of sparring targets already manufactured, much better than anything you're likely to be able to build. nless you just want to build one for a project, I would say spend the money and buy one from a dealer.
 
Yeah, it does. I'd look into the Body Action System. No water, comes with sandbags that hold it down, and it's built very well.

That said, if it were me I'd put the money into some Boxing/Kickboxing or Judo lessons. In either, you'll start sparring right away, and a resisting opponent is always better than a non-resisting bag. All styles listed are simple, straight forward styles as well, so if you're looking for basic self defense application like you mentioned it's a great way to work on it. In my experience 20 minutes of sparring between different partners is better than hours of training on a BOB by far.

Just my personal recommendation, though.
 
Thanks for the candid advice.

I was looking at the other punching system you mentioned, and realized that as a compromise (before enrolling in an actual program somewhere) I can use one of those pads that a person straps to their arm and have someone move that around while I try to hit it. Found one of those in nice condition for 1.99 at a Goodwill.

The only thing I liked about "BOB" is the ability to practice chokes.
 
Not a problem, friend! :) If you do decide to check out some martial arts gyms around your area, lemme know and send me some links and I'll let you know what I think looks promising. I've been at it for about 7 years now overall so I'd be happy to help you out.
 
The one at our Gym tore loose in the back. Someone was pulling on the head like Muay Thai knees and he tore loose.

The base's have split several times over the years. The Gym has ~10 upright bags all on bases.

The one at work is still in perfect order. He's been shot with sims hit with baton's and drawn on :rolleyes:....

Badge54
 
SkinnyJoe said:
The only thing I liked about "BOB" is the ability to practice chokes.
Click to expand...

It's not really going to help you with chokes - the only way you're going to know if you're doing it right is feedback from a real person. See above suggestion about a judo dojo.
 
There is some kind of "stuffing" in the BOB that falls out of the one we have in our dojo, but I dont know how long it has been there. It has to be at least 7 years old.
A very hard strike or kick sends stuff flying everywhere.
 
Ive had one for about 3 years and have used it every day. They're decently tough. I kicked it one day and the bolts in the back shot out so i had to tape it to stay in place. It starts to bleed foam after a while and mine had almost no foam left in it. Its a pretty good system but I think a banana bag is better. The rubber will also tear up your skin really easily so its not that great for knees or elbows.

Im glad I have mine. Ive probably hit it with close to a million strikes and it is still alive.
 
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