Grappling Dummy

[Dannicus]

Hey guys,

First off, I'm not trying to solicit anything. I just wanted your opinions, and maybe comments as well. Since I am beginning my formal training this month. I was looking around online for anything I could find that would help me absorb what I will be taught faster, and with better understanding. I came across this site.http://www.grapplingdummy.net/ I was curious is any of you have used this guy, or heard of anyone else who has. I told myself, if I can dilligently go to class for 2 months,I will splurge on it. Comments? Concerns?

Dan

[Ari Bolden]

Hey Dan:
I've got a few concerns about something like that though. However, I don't want to rain on your parade. My 2 cents.

1) Jiu jitsu is a live partner training art. That's why this isn't tai chi, karate, or other 'solo' based art. Jiu Jitsu requires live partners to understand resistance and body mechanics.

2) Training on a dummy will give you a mild amount of learning but it will become obsolete within 3 months of your training. The thing will just sit there because you'll be going to class more and more anyways. I've used a dummy in the past and it just doesn't cut it. The only thing a dummy is great for is Ground and Pound and to throw around (wrestling throws). Other than that.....

3) If you get the thing before you start, you'll be wondering why nothing is working like it did on the dummy. The dummy itself may have limbs,but how it bends and feels won't do the training any justice when it comes to the real thing.

4) Its almost 500 bucks.

5) What's it made out of? What will it be like when its sweat soaked? How will it smell? You can't really throw the thing in the wash.

6) I read the site over and I see how they are appealing to the repetition tactic. "how will you be when you've done 100's or armbars?" There is a valid point they are trying to make about repetition and they aren't saying that the dummy is replacing 'real people." I just think that when you start your training, you'll be so into it that the dummy won't really get used as much as you think it will now.

7) The one line I took exception too: "Avoid the injuries that every martial artist gets when training with a partner!" Why not go swimming then. Yes there are injuries but this isn't freaking basket weaving. Its a real martial art with real resistance and which has proven to have real results (unlike some other arts out there.)

Now I am sure the guys that came up with this are good fellas and I admire what they are trying to do (business wise). Jiu Jitsu is one of things where you just need to 'do it' and "study it" in order for you to "GET IT".

Books are great to understand and study in bed (or where ever)
Videos are great for seeing the whole picture and getting subtleties.
Live training is where it’s at.

Again, just my opinion, for what its worth.
cheers
Ari

[Tom Gavrilos]

damn Ari! You have some kind of gift for breaking things down. I dont think there is anything left for me to add but Ill try.

You will be bored of that dummy so fast and miss your $500 even faster! :D
Also that dummy is just that...it cannot change angles or buck so hitting submissions on it will be doable even while talking to a friend on the phone.

Throws, bulding "real" muscle, and stinking up the place are the best attributes. But a sledge hammer and a heavy bag will accomplish those things minus the stink and without blowing your money.

Get a good gym and if money is no object spring for some private lessons with the the instructor.

my .2 cents

[Ryan]

I agree with those guys.... repetitions are about the only thing this will be good for.

[Dannicus]

Thanks guys for your thoughts, I wasn't trying to side step actual training. I completely understand that you can't beat actual mat time. The thought was that it possibly would have been good for me to "go through the motions" in my head with a physical object there. But now that I think about it, I can do that anyway. I just thought it was interesting as I hadn't seen anything like that before. And thought I would ship it along to you guys for your expert opinions!


Dan

[Hadaka Jime]

i see negatives and positives but the negatives really out do any good you can get out of this dummy

Negative
-500$ is pretty expensive
-it isn't living, it can not tell you if your doing a technique right or wrong, you could drill a technique 1,000 times but if your doing it wrong when you pull the technique it may not even make your partner tap
-It's going to stink, bad... and other then giving it a shower maybe, i think theres no way to wash it
-storage, it's gonna be pretty heavy and it's big.. so unless you want to lug it out and in every day from were you'll train you have to dedicate a room or area for it

Positive
-Repetition
-Throws/Slams/Take-downs
-Ground and Pound

but for the ground and pound, i have an 80 pound punching bag i use for cardio/some muy thai... but when i was in MMA i would un-hitch it from it'd hooks and drop it long ways on the ground, and it's kinda fun to supplex (sp?)

so i would not buy it, but it's a decent though... Nice thread!

[prodigypenn]

if not for the fact that it cost alomst 500 dollars it would b a good investment in my opinion, but its not worth 500 dolars. I have a "grappling dummy" 2 of them but only 1 is rlly a dummy, the other 1 just acts like 1 lol. I paid nothing for it, me and my friends took an old striking dummy, and modified it, we gave it sum arms made out of wood blocks we found, and tied together to form joints and then harnessed to the torso with more rope, and lots and lots of duct tape. Only thing is he doesnt have any legs, we call him submission bob cuz thats what hes rlly good for, practicing submissions from mount and guard or side control

[Tom Gavrilos]

Problem Solved !
make your own ghetto style!:D Hey it works

http://www.geocities.com/fightraining/grappled2.html

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i130/brazilianjiujitsugear/dummy.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i130/brazilianjiujitsugear/dummy2.jpg

[Hadaka Jime]

Im gonna go ahead and guess, that submission bob isn't very good for practising heel hooks?

EDIT: wow tom that is funny... i love that they gave him a GI lol and he's sweat proof with all that tape:) ... also WHERE, how, tryhwewjjwhk did you find this?!... too much time on your hands:p

[Tom Gavrilos]

Im gonna go ahead and guess, that submission bob isn't very good for practising heel hooks?


:p You gotta crank till the tape comes loose then you know you got it!

[Hadaka Jime]

:p You gotta crank till the tape comes loose then you know you got it!
i was referring to prodigy penns "submission bob" he doesn't have legs lol so the heel hook thing was a joke

but i like the idea of heel hooking him untill the tap comes of LOL:p you hear the ductape screaming

[prodigypenn]

sure u can practice heel hooks just close ur eyes and imagiune that bobs got a pair of legs and then grab hold of said imaginary legs and start heel hooking away.
But for practical purposes nothing brelow the waist works, im guessing thats y he has such an angry expression, id b pissed too if my junk didnt work either or was totally missing as is the case with bob

[Hadaka Jime]

he has a "below the belt area" you just have to imagine it like his imaginairy legs, then while your thinking of it he'll grow real human legs walk over to you choke you with his rope waste and hit you over the head with his wooden block arms:D

[Spidaman]

:eek: I think you guys are getting a bit too crazy now.

[KunoichiLaura]

I just got Rodney the ultimate grappling partner yesterday

http://file037b.bebo.com/14/large/2007/11/22/10/4051359968a6174894829l.jpg

http://file037b.bebo.com/14/large/2007/11/22/10/4051359968a6174895081l.jpg

The arms don't even move up and down so arm locks are impossible, and he is rather fat lol:eek: i would not recommend this dummy to anyone!
I think i'll just hang him up beat him up! :D Yeh i gave him a white belt because he sucks. lol

[l8njames]

Just bringing this old thread up as am gonna use my last week off work to make one, got the go ahead to trash the house making it and the misses will help if she can name it (she is great at making stuff i am crap)

just wondered if anyone from the orig thread made one and how did it turn out.

[stormshadow]

:p You gotta crank till the tape comes loose then you know you got it!


HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! I'm seriously in tears after that.

[JayC]

i gave him a white belt because he sucks. lol

Haaaahahaha!

[forrestang]

I never knew grappling dummies existed till maybe a month ago, and I gotta say, those things are creepy:eek:

[Malice]

Haaaahahaha!

He may suck but YOU can't even armbar him :p

[Haunted]

For those with money burning holes in their pocket, there's always the RealDoll!

[frank_shic]

i built one several months ago and finally hauled it over to my office since i can never bring it into my house without my wife going crazy over the fact that it sits in the garage with all that wood dust that's generated by my power tools. it just took a couple of pvc pipes, some pool noodles, thick electrical cable, a couple of key rings and a LOT of duct tape. my big piece of advice is to make the limbs independent of one another so that when you move one arm the other doesn't follow. also duct tape half of a tennis ball on the ends of the limbs if you're not going to be using gloves or shoes to prevent getting hit by the hard edges of the pvc limbs when you're underneath the dummy. it's worked much better than i thought it would although i wish i could have kept the submission master dummy - much heavier and sturdier although it was pricey at almost $500.

[Dave Bryan]

A training dummy works well when training Judo throws, before and after class starts I go over throws with the dummy in our Dojo, it helps with form and execution.