Training with BOB the "Body Opponent Bag” has really caught my attention lately. When I first saw this rubber half man with a scowling face it just seemed like the next karate-training gimmick to me, until I was given one by a friend.
It turned out to be a pretty cool tool and BOB has helped all of my students relate to body bag workouts much better ever since. He is a permanent fixture in the studio and has taken on a personality all his own.I now use him for several different types of training.
Training on a body bag or any other piece of inanimate equipment requires a great deal of imagination. For this reason, most people have a tough time pretending the body bag is a real opponent. Regular hanging body bag workouts are great but soon become very boring, that’s why you see one in every gym and only a few people using it. Most of this is due to the fact that the bag does not resemble or react like an opponent. With no way to relate to a bag it is increasingly difficult to get into training with one especially if you aren’t even sure how to kick, punch or tackle in the first place.
BOB’s realistic head and torso shape give a real sense of targeting and feel to him. It’s like you are hitting a solid and well-muscled person. The rubber allows you to hit as hard as you want without risking injury. This helps you tremendously when you are trying to get a feel for working out on a body bag. With proper training understanding I find that whether it’s a beginner or an advanced fighter they can really benefit from what they are doing when they are working with BOB. You can practice your weight transfer and body mechanics, learn to change position with reference to the centerline of BOB, land and square your strikes with head and body reference, etc. He adds a definite sense of realism to your impact and targeting ability and this is crucial if you want to eventually transfer this to actual application.
So many times the first thing I am asked at the beginning of class is, “Are we going to hit BOB today?” People can’t wait to hit BOB! He is the greatest piece of equipment for a sweat-breaking workout that anyone can get into too. Beating up BOB puts back fun and stress relief right into every workout. Everyone enjoys hitting BOB because he can take a licking and he never complains.
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