Hitting a punching bag has been a mainstay of boxing and martial arts training for centuries. This simple exercise teaches the proper mechanics of striking and builds the type of cardiovascular endurance necessary to prevail in a fight. The one skill most punching bags don't build may be the most important of all: aim.
That's where the BOB punching bag comes in. The BOB (Body Opponent Bag) is hitting gear shaped like a man, with a detailed face and torso. The BOB, also referred to as a Manikin in some circles, is made of an inner cavity of urethane foam coated with a plastisol "skin". The torso sits on top of a base similar to the kind used on a Wave-master bag. The base can be filled with sand or water to keep the base secure while BOB is taking his beating. The base weighs about 270 pounds when full so the muscles get worked just as much as the aim. BOB's height can be adjusted incrementally from just over five feet to over six and a half feet to simulate short or tall opponents.
The benefits of using BOB gear are accuracy and efficiency. A striker can simulate a body shot on the heavy bag by aiming for the middle of the bag and a head shot by aiming higher. These distinctions are vague and get blurred during an intense workout. A workout on BOB demands precise targeting, the type that's necessary to make strikes work on a real person. Strikes aren't limited to the head or body but can go to specific targets: eyes, nose, ears, jaw and throat or the ribs, liver, stomach or solar plexus. All of the key targets are vividly represented. It is the next best thing to punching a live person and the sort of realistic training that pays-off in a real fight. Heavy bags require a good imagination, BOB bags require good aim.
Century makes the leading model of BOB gear, available with or without a base. Older models were just a torso, starting at the belly button but new models now include a groin for even more target options. Prices for BOB range from 0-0 for a new model, plus a substantial shipping cost due to the bulky packaging required. Many used models are available on eBay and Craigslist for a fraction of a new model's cost.
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