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Beating on the BOB Punching Bag

Century Sparring *BOB Body Opponent Bag*	Century Sparring BOB XL *Body Opponent Frestanding Bag*
*Bobby Bully* by Century	*Bobs* Video by Century

WHAT ABOUT BOB...

The Beginning...

The BOB punching bag was the brainstorm of Century over a decade ago. Having seen the need for an authentic sparring partner, they set out to create a lifelike mannequin and did an excellent job.

With skin constructed of high-strength plastisol and an inner cavity filled with high-density urethane foam, the BOB punching bag has seven height adjustments so it goes from 60 inches to 78 inches.

The freestanding bag sits on a base which can be filled with sand or water which is really convenient when you want to take it along on vacation or to go spar with a friend. It weighs in at approximately 270 pounds when filled.

The base is very sturdy so it doesn't move about on the floor or scoot and is also interchangeable with the Wavemaster and Wavemaster XL.

BOB'S HISTORY

Although BOB has both its fans and its critics, the concept of a non-human sparring partner is not a new one. Similar apparatus in Asian martial arts include the Okinawan makiwara which is a padded striking post used as a training tool in various styles of Karate. In the days of old, the makiwara was made from rice straw bound with rope.

The Muk Yan Jong served the same purpose as a wooden dummy used in Chinese Martial Arts training. It is along the same lines as the Wing Chun that is alsomade from wood. The more modern forms are made from materials such as steel and plastic.

Dummys used in Choy Lee Fut were made of sand bags, with one main heavy sand bag connected to two others by a pulley system.

Through the years the human mimicking targets have indeed improved but none are as lifelike and effective as the line of BOB punching bags.

BOB'S VALUES

While ancient lifelike opponent bags had their place in the Martial Arts, modern BOB is state-of-the-art and has many benefits that the old ones did not.

SPARRING You will be able to practice your sparring techniques with precision since you can pinpoint your target. While other bags might even be within scale, the Body Opponent Bag is designed to resemble the human body so you can aim for actual body parts like the kidney, ribs or head.

WORKOUTS Workouts lose a lot of benefit when they become the same old, same old. You need to vary your workouts and you also need to vary the equipment that you train on.

This is why it is so good to incorporate BOB into a training environment.

The BOB punching bag is a lot different to workout on than it is to perform on a heavy bag. That's why it has benefits that the heavy bag doesn't have.

REALISTIC

The most obvious benefit of working out on BOB is that it is anatomically correct. While BOB stands for Body Opponent Bag it is not really a bag but rather a is a reproduction of the human torso mounted on a stand. That is the way you would strike the Bob punching bag would be a lot different than how you would hit a heavy bag.

With a heavy bag, it does not really matter where your punches land. With BOB, you want to be very mindful that you are actually hitting the right targets that need to be hit.
Certain areas of the head and the torso are not proper targets when hitting. Simply put, they do not do any damage.

When boxing, kickboxing, or taking part in MMA, you have to hit specific targets or you won't do any damage.

Also, you would not get any points with judges hitting surfaces that are not viable. The BOB punching bag opens the door towards developing accuracy which is a must when learning how to strike.

How sturdy is this BOB device?

Can you hit it as hard as you would hit a traditional heavy bag?

You could but it really would not be the right purpose the BOB punching bag is intended. When you hit as hard as you can, you are looking to develop power, strength, and endurance.

Such goals are not what you are seeking from a BOB workout. To hit in just the right spot is more effective when you are training for accuracy.

Again, you will seek different goals from your BOB workout than you would with a traditional heavy bag. BOB is designed to complement a heavy bag workout.

It is not intended to replace the heavy bag and it most definitely can effectively complement a striking workout.

Yes, you can get a lot of benefit using BOB as part of your striking training. Don't pay much mind to the naysayers. As long as you understand the basics of what is intended, you will get the ultimate workout from BOB.

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