Steven Kuo posted on May 09, 2010 13:40
Why the need for a grappling dummy you ask? Picture this; how hard would it be for a martial artist like you to be sparring without a partner? There are some exercises and drills that you can do alone but when it comes to practicing techniques like throwing and grappling; you know it’s not possible.
Some people have doubts about the importance of using a grappling dummy for martial arts training especially in the world of MMA. Their primary concern is that the techniques you learn wouldn’t be that effective because the dummy doesn’t fight back. It is true that you can’t wrestle with a dummy but what they don’t realize is that’s how we learn. A good fighter knows that it takes a lot of skills to be a grappler in MMA and a grappling dummy is a great training tool that you could use for practicing your moves and conditioning. Alright, so now you ask “What skills can a grappling dummy help me develop?” It would be a great help in improving your striking skills, takedown skills and submissions which all add up to developing precision, speed, strength and confidence. Okay, so now you’re asking “How is that possible?” It’s quite simple really. A grappling dummy can take what a human partner can’t and that’s take a lot of punishment. Who would be able to take as much punches and locks in one practice session? No human can.
You can practice your arm bars, strikes and kimuras in as many repetitions as you want, get a good cardio workout, plus look confident and show improved precision when practicing with a live partner. That’s definitely one benefit that we would get from repetition regardless of the skill we are trying to learn or develop. There are several types of grappling dummies circulating in the market. One very popular example of this is the Heavy Bag. UFC has their own version of the heavy bag which is a combination of a striking, grappling and throwing dummy in one.
The great thing about this is that, it can stand on its own though you need to have partner hold it for you when practicing your strikes. It’s not that useful for practicing some jiu-jitsu moves like arm and leg locks for lack of one but it’s a cool tool for practicing your ground and pound as well as strength training since these dummies could be as heavy as 150 lbs.
There are also grappling dummies with arms and legs. It’s basically a heavy bag with arms and legs to make it look like a human opponent. It’s very solid and is great for practicing your strikes, throws, ground and pound, Thai clinches and only a few submission techniques. It’s so tough that it could even take knees and elbow strikes. There are however, grappling dummies with flexible arms and legs that you can maneuver which makes it an excellent jiu-jitsu training partner. It’s not as solid but I see no point in using a stiff dummy when practicing arm and leg locks. The Bubba II grappling dummy is the perfect example of this and I see why it’s gaining a bit of popularity these days.
Much of the credit I guess is due to the variety of submission techniques that you could perform with it. It’s very maneuverable that you could even bend and flex the wrist, ankles and the fingers. “How about strikes?” you ask. I’d say some ground and pound work and strikes wouldn’t be too bad on this grappling dummy since it’s made of tightly packed foam. It wouldn’t hold up to some serious punishments as strikes and ground and pound as much as the two grappling dummies that we previously mentioned. Durability is not one of the key traits of this dummy judging from the stitching and the material used for the cover. Its weight range is around 60-70 lbs. and it stands at 5’10” tall. This martial arts training tool would certainly be a very good addition to your equipment. We must admit that they could be a little bit on the expensive side but it’s very much worth what you paid for. Just make sure that you buy them at a reputable source and try to take a minute to check if the grappling dummy is durable enough to meet your demands. Enjoy your training!