Century Sparring BOB XL Body Opponent Frestanding Bag
Bobby Bully by Century
Bobs Video by Century
WHAT ABOUT BOB...
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
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.
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.
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
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
This is why it is so good to incorporate BOB into a training environment.
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.
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
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.
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?
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
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.
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.