Grappling dummies have always been associated with solo drilling. They are typically used from home when a BJJ student cannot train. Although some people are skeptical of their use, others claim that solo drills with a grappling dummy will significantly improve your technique. The likes of Cobrinha have gone on record to speak highly of solo drills, which means grappling dummies may not be so bad after all.
Table of Contents
Price/cost of a grappling dummy
Perhaps one issue with grappling dummies is the cost, as some are not cheap. In some cases, they can cost as much as $1000 which is quite extreme for a solo training partner. However, if money is not an issue, then this may be a better choice than no training altogether. In recent times though, more affordable grappling dummies have become available. For instance, there are some low budget grappling dummies that are priced around $100. If you’re after a really good deal, some can even be purchased for under $25.
If $100 is still too much then there are alternatives. For example, you can make a grappling dummy at home. To do this you can fill clothes with sand and then tie up the loose ends. Although this may take time, it is significantly cheaper than buying one. The issue with this method is the time it takes to build the dummy however. The middle ground may be to consider buying a used grappling dummy from eBay or Amazon. Alternatively an even cheaper option could be through Craigslist.
Grappling dummy solo drills
The main objective of a grappling dummy is to enhance your solo drills. The grappling dummy can be used for Judo, Wrestling and BJJ. A common BJJ drill is to practice knee on belly retention. Putting the dummy on the ground you can spin around its torso to increase speed. When more confident, you can then start hitting spinning Armbars from the position.
Although not as realistic as a real drilling partner, it cannot be denied that this method will enhance your speed and co-ordination.
Similarly other limb attacks can be used on a grappling dummy. For instance, spinning Kneebars are also suitable from the top position.
From the bottom position you can use a dummy to practice your guard. One option is playing the Closed guard. Here you can drill sit-up sweeps to improve repetition and speed, or even Triangle attacks. The idea is to keep repeating the entries to improve your muscle memory. This is because improved muscle memory will translate into live sparring as the techniques will become second nature.
What is a Grappling Dummy filled with?
Grappling dummies are usually solid without a filling. This is very common and is actually more likely than receiving a grappling dummy with stuffing. The reason for this is weight. If a grappling dummy weighs 15KG, it would be far more expensive than mailing a grappling dummy that weighs 5KG. Similarly, filling a grappling dummy would also be time consuming for manufacturers.
So, for those who use grappling dummies and fill them by themselves; there’s several ways to fill a dummy. Common materials include scrunched up paper, sand, clothes and foam. In brief, it’s best to be as creative as possible as well as keeping an eye on the budget. Often, whatever a dummy costs, you can add on around 10% in terms of filling the dummy with buying the stuffing.
How do you use a BJJ dummy?
As mentioned above, a common position that is often taught with dummies is Armbars and knee on belly. Obviously, there are certain limitations that dummies have, which humans don’t. For example, most attacks from the top position are fine, whereas attacks from the bottom are typically more complicated.
Let’s face it, it’s almost impossible to invert underneath a dummy as they literally won’t stay up and are often slumped. At the same time, most leg locks, mount attacks and stuff from closed guard is possible. If you really want to mix things up then try placing your gi on the dummy. This will allow you to do gi-specific moves. For example, an Omoplata entry from Spider guard would be possible. Just don’t expect much pressure or tightness whilst drilling side control escapes.
Criticisms of Grappling dummies
One issue with grappling dummies is their effectiveness. Whilst they can definitely improve speed and repetition, some people question this. For instance, Nick ‘Chewy’ Albin has gone on record several times to criticize grappling dummies.
His argument is that they aren’t the same as drilling on a real person which is somewhat true. This is because whilst sparring, people will react differently to a stiff dummy. Not only this, but Albin also claims strength training is a better way to improve as it enables moves to be hit easier whilst making injuries less likely to happen.
Summary
Overall grappling dummies are a consideration if you cannot train. It should be stressed that training with others is realistic and a dummy only offers so much. Because of this, the priority of a student should always be training with others as this is the best way to improve.
One issue with dummies can be the cost, but also their effectiveness is also questionable. Having said this, a dummy is a better option than doing nothing. If nothing else it will improve your speed to some degree which makes them a solid option if affordable when training with others is not an option.
