Some controversy surrounds the use of a dummy for MMA and I am
a little perplexed by it. Why should there be any controversy
surrounding such an effective training aid?
Well, part of the reason is people will say "You
can't learn to wrestle with a grappling dummy." Folks,
you are not supposed to learn how to grapple with a dummy. You
use it as a supplementary exercise tool to aid in movement and
conditioning. And in this regard it can be quite effective.
Skills
There is a great deal of work that goes into developing the
skills needed to be an effective grappler. While our bodies are
designed naturally for grappling as opposed to striking which
takes a bit more work to articulate, we do need to develop the
natural movement skills to be effective on the mat.
This is where I find the dummy to be useful for anyone that
wishes to develop the articulation of their body's movements
for competitive grappling. Personally, I think performing a few
solo drills with the grappling dummy can aid in performing
supplementary exercises that can prove helpful.
There are a number of skills that the dummy can help develop.
Precision, enhanced cardio, and even a never "give up or
quit" attitude can be developed. How is this achieved?
All you need to do is look at a common and traditional arm bar
drill for the answer.
Repetitions
Imagine performing 100 reps of a spinning arm bar on a
grappling dummy or 100 take downs. If you pay attention to the
proper mechanics when you perform the exercises, you will
probably see your skills in this regard improve.
If you are able to perform 100 reps without breathing (too)
heavy, you will have developed a significant amount of cardio
skill and conditioning.
What if you have a hard time finishing 100 reps? Well, you
could consider the process of finishing such a high amount of
reps to be the development of a "never quit or never say
die" attitude.
Really, there is a tremendous amount of benefit to be gained
from using a dummy...provided you are consistent with training it
in your spare time.
Supplements
Again, the use of a dummy is intended to deliver a
supplementary means of training basic grappling movements. It is
not intended as a substitute to a training partner nor will it
deliver the development of magical skills.
However, effectively and consistently working with a dummy
will most definitely boost your ability to succeed with grappling
immensely at least from a conditioning aspect.
Good Brands
Of course, in order to access these amazing benefits, you will
need to purchase the proper grappling dummy.
Thankfully, most of the grappling dummies for sale on the
market have much value.
In order to make sure you definitely purchase a reliable
grappling dummy, here are some things to look for in a
purchase.
From my own experience, it is probably best to stick with
those grappling dummies that were originally produced by small
manufacturers. Those that innovated the development of the
grappling dummy did so while making sure to put careful attention
on the design of the product.
Many of these original dummies were painstakingly produced and
designed in such a way that they deliver maximum effectiveness.
Some of the mass produced grappling dummies are decidedly lacking
in their design and quality.
The UFC and Revgear have produced quality dummies.
The quality of the material that the dummy is made from is
most definitely not something you would ever want to overlook
when weighing a purchasing decision.
Types of Dummies
The dummies from the UFC above are great for throwing for
strength training and for ground and pound. The dummies who look
like a person, are good for arm bar locks.
Generally, there are two types of material that are used to
make grappling dummies: vinyl and leather.
Leather is clearly the more durable and will last a lot longer
and handle more use than vinyl. However, vinyl dummies are much
cheaper and will certainly handle tough workouts as well.
So, there really is no need to outright discount vinyl dummies
even though they do somewhat fall below the quality scale of a
leather one. Ultimately, your budget may dictate the type of
dummy that you select.
Some pros will use grappling dummies and some will not. This
is a personal choice based on their training methods. Honestly,
it is best to use the dummy if you feel you would gain benefit
from such use. Whether certain pros use it or not is generally
not relevant to your own ability to get something out of a
grappling dummy.
If you need some help with new arm bar, ankle, knee locks
andmore, Damage control has come up with some grappling
techniques that you can learn on-line, prior to getting to class.
Just by going to their site you can learn a leg lock.
Jon Jones is one of the hottest UFC fighters. He is the youngest fighter to ever hold a UFC title. Though he has other family members that play pro sports, Jon worked hard to get were he is.
Read more about Jon, his beginnings and were he is going....
Brian and Brandon teach a plethora of grappling skills. They are very good and have a long list of UFC and MMA fighters who have used their program.Below is a list of a few of the techniques you can learn.
This is a technique program. You are going to be learning actual MMA and jiujitsu techniques.
I like this program becuase it is skills based. Any time you improve your skills you'll up your game.
Though fitness is so important, skills training should take up most of your training time.
To see some free videos and learn the anaconda choke, just check out their site. We will do a full review soon.
We just did a new review on the program TapouT XT. CJ our staff writer was so impressed he is buying one. Check out what he found out.