My reasoning for building a grappling dummy is simple;  I need more time to practice techniques on a partner that is only available for practicing techniques.

I train at a great place with a bunch of  technically minded people.  But more often than not, even on open mat days, most everyone wants to roll in order to practice their technique and my opportunities for mat time are limited. I am learning of course, but it feels at times that I’m only developing scattered bits of techniques.  I don’t expect a rock solid understanding of a technique from using a grappling dummy, human feedback is critical, but I do expect a much stronger foundation I’ll be able to tweak when I do get mat/class time.

My goal is to drill 1 to 3 techniques a week, 3 to 5 times a week, for 30 min or more.

To simplify things, I could just purchase a Submission Master or some other grappling dummy online.  My buddy Jason over at Jiu Jitsu Map got a Submission Master and really digs it.  But for me the price is a limiting factor.  I also want to be able to vary the weight and modify it’s height and width in the torso.

Here are the sites/links that I’ve used for reference -

http://www.thelivingexample.com/eljefe.html

http://mattwilsonmd.blogspot.com/2008/11/lamont-you-big-dummy.html

http://wtfe.net/dummy/

http://justinsrefuge.com/2009/09/28/how-to-build-a-grappling-dumm/

http://www.medfordtools.com/dummy/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxFNPNiGK40

And here is a picture of the beginning of my dummy -

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My building materials so far have been simple -

  • 2 10′ length of 3/4″ PVC pipe I’ve cut down based on my own body measurements. Yup, I got long legs.  If you’ve got a hack saw or even better a mechanical cutting device you’ll save a lot of money buying the long PVC lengths and cutting them down vs. precut lengths.  I like the way PVC holds the shape and feels more like actual bone.
  • One PVC T section for the pelvis area and one 4 way intersection for the arm, neck, upper body connection.
  • 2 lengths of 1/4″ electrical cable; one 7′ for the arms, one 9′ for the legs.
  • Foam insulation thingys for covering the arms and legs
  • 3 rolls cheap duct tape for finishing, and one roll packaging tape to get everything started
  • I’ve spent $50 and some change so far. I don’t have a head yet.
Already I’ve found things I’m modifying or not quite sure about -
  • The cable I got was the cheapest I could find ($1.61 a foot) that seemed to be stiff enough to  hold a position.  I’m somewhat doubting this right now.
  • The pelvis width matches my own, but unless I put whole paper towel rolls on the legs I’ve got too much room here for working from guard, etc.  I’ve cut this down down, more pics to follow.
  • To keep the elbows and knees more realistic I’m going to buy some hinges like what this guy did http://mattwilsonmd.blogspot.com/2008/11/lamont-you-big-dummy.html
  • I still haven’t decided how I want the hands and feet to look/function.  Do I want Kung Fu grip?
  • A rigid spine might not be the best option.  I haven’t seen anyone else using one though, so this is what motivated me to try something different.
If you’re curious about the mats in the picture: I purchased these at Walmart for $20 a set (a set being what you see here).  I’ve used these for working out and are cushy enough for solo drills, I hope.  I’m definitely going to use my knee pads though.