His name is "Body Opponent Bag" or BOB for short. Made by CENTURY, BOB is a lifelike mannequin that fits on sand or water filled base. BOB´s skin is made of plastisol and is filled with durable urethane foam. He stands from 5´6" to 6' tall. Batteries included, I mean base included.
Note: This article is tough to understand if you don't have a visual picture of the product. My Web site offers more photos and a free video clarify.
Now that you've been introduced to this rubbery guy, we can move on. Let's see if we can find the Fantastic Four reasons to own one. Also, to stay in balance, I will list four of Bob's shortcomings. At the end of each list, I will also mention a few additional thoughts concerning the positives and negatives of this new age opponent.
Not so good things about BOB:
1. Sandman or Water boy?
You will need to take some time to fill up BOB´s base. Without this low weight, BOB will just fall over. This may be good for your ego, but it will do little to assist in repetitive training. Water is the easiest choice. You simply shove a hose down his throat (the base stem that is) and fill it to the proper line. However, sand will take more work and I suggest you use some kind of funnel. If you don't plan on moving him around much, I suggest using sand (play sand) which is available at most home building stores. Sand is heavy and doesn't splash around. Moving BOB is very challenging when filled with sand and almost impossible to get into a vehicle without some assistance (hopefully a dolly too) and or emptying out the base. So if you plan to move BOB, then fill him with water.
2. No Legs
Since BOB only has an upper body, he doesn't allow for any low blows or kicks. You can't work on kicking low and targeting knees and thighs. You can simulate the maneuver by attacking the stem of the base, but you have to be sure as to not actually contact the plastic. This would damage BOB pretty good and make it hard to move him and or adjust his height. Century has also just come out with a new BOB that has legs - or at least the upper legs - cut just above where the knees would be. This one is called "Heavy BOB." The name is due to the fact that Heavy BOB is meant to replace your Heavy Bag. It even hangs off of a nice hook protruding out of BOB's head. Having something hanging in my workout that looks like a human being just isn't my idea of Feng Shui.
3. Marks Easy
Although this isn't really a big deal, BOB seems to scar pretty easy. One spinning kick to the face left him with a unique streak under his eye. Perhaps I shouldn't have been wearing shoes. So if you want a perfect skinned Opponent Bag, don't attack him while wearing rings, shoes or anything else that will damage a rubbery surface.
4. He Is Soft
Unlike a real heavy training bag, BOB isn't designed to toughen up your shins and knuckles. Sure, he can take the kick, but it won't offer the resistance you need when practicing for toughening blood hard kicks, like most kick boxers need. Then again, most Ninja practitioners (though they should) don't focus much on developing devastating and powerful kicks. Again, I am comparing BOB to a heavy bag. BOB´s skin and insides don't make for a very tough punching bag. He is a bit softer than I imagined him to be. You can pull his head down without too much force and his face crumples with the lightest punch. Now don't exaggerate and think that he is marshmallow soft - just realize he won't be anything like hitting a durable hanging bag. And also note that the torso is a bit tougher than the face so there is fun in blows to the midsection.
Notes: Now there really aren't too many negatives to BOB. You have to understand that like all training equipment - BOB needs to be seen as himself. These negatives are mainly derived because I am comparing him to other training equipment. This really isn't necessary since everything has its benefits. A car is a great tool for transportation, but if you start comparing it to an airplane, it will come up short in many areas. I train on both BOB and a heavy bag. They both are unique in their own respects.
Good things I like about BOB:
1. Features
Probably the most popular feature of BOB is, well... his FEATURES. BOB is life-like and offers what no other bag can, more than one target. BOB has a real face and torso so you can strike to the eyes, throat and solar plexus. Next to training with a real partner it is the best for actual targeting. I find BOB useful when practicing strikes. Martial Science has many strikes. With BOB you can practice targeting with each strike. You can determine whether to attack the nose, chin, throat, eyes, ears etc. You can even work on slipping around BOB and attacking from behind. Great for instructors who teach. Use BOB to demonstrate attacks to the students and really be able to strike. If an instructor was to demonstrate the different attacks of the hand on a heavy bag, the students wouldn't get the same result. On BOB, a tiger claw strike can demonstrate how the fingers come across the face and eyes. BOB can be used to show how to apply a rear choke etc. His features are great when working weapon drills.
Angles of attack are great to do on BOB using a wooden sword, stick or knife. You will be able to target specific areas and get a better understanding of your attack. You can add in some targeted kicks or strikes with the use of your weapons. You can even sneak up on him from behind with a chain to practice you stealth skills. I have to admit, BOB is pretty easy to sneak up on. When using weapons on BOB - use caution and test them out prior to playing Wacky Chan on him.
2. Adjustable
Since you can change BOB´s height, it offers a person the ability to work with different sized opponents. Punches such as uppercuts change according to height. You use different attacks according to how tall your opponent is. Also, if you are working on stretching your legs for higher kicks, BOB comes in very handy as you can make him very tall.
3. Portable Versatility
Unlike the heavy bag, BOB is easy to move around. He sits upon that "weeble wobble base, there are no chains to hassle with. First you twist and lift to remove BOB from the base then you simply tilt and roll the base to the new location and slide BOB back on. I have bases in different location so I often just take the light weighted BOB and throw him in the back of my Jeep without the base. It may get some odd looks from others on the road, but it makes for quick transportation - and you support the Buddy System. I also often have two filled bases set up in the school in different locations and with different tops - one might be the BOB and the other a Wavemaster. So instead of rolling base around to new locations I can just switch the tops.
4. Hello Dolly
BOB can also be like a big Barbie. You can dress him up. Put on different colored T-shirts, hats, or even your uniform. BOB can double as a hat and coat rack at home or promote your school logo in the dojo. I put T-shirts on BOB to protect the skin while I work weapons and hard targeting. BOB can even be taken off the base and used in classes with kids. He can be laid down on the ground and basic grappling techniques can be taught. A creative practitioner can also mark the vital points and primary striking areas. Or you can make an even meaner looking BOB by giving him scars and or tattoos.
Summary
If you love to train, you will love BOB. He is just another tool for adding excitement to our training program. If you are creative, you will find many ways for BOB to improve your skills. For people who don't have a training partner or for those on our HSP program, BOB really comes in handy. For all those little Ninja out there that can't wait to grow up and kick BOB in the head - there is a New training bag just their size. It is called the BOBBY BULLY. It looks a bit like BOB only smaller. He used to be green but that must have freaked out a lot of people so he is now the same color BOB.
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