came up with, and hopefully this will help others come up with their own variations, as the links above gave me the majority of the ideas. Mine is a semi-hybrid of the two and I added a few ideas of my own that I wound up liking a lot. The way he came out in the end, he is awesome for all of the joint locks I like, and I really like the way the ankle locks feel on him. He weighs in at a whopping 32lbs! I didn't think about weight too much since the cable was very heavy, and for what I am using him for, he weighs just plenty. If you want him to weigh more, you can use your imagination and some of the other suggestions from the links above. This design is solid enough for throwing if you wanted to. Plan to make a day out of this, shopping/building/eating/etc.

**Please look at and read everything first before going out to buy anything because I bought a bunch of things with an idea of what I was going to make, and made changes along the way. I will only list the parts/lenghts/quantities that I actually wound up using to make the final version of El Jefe.

 

Supplies:

17' Linear feet of : 4/0-4/0-2/0 200 AMP Service Entrance Cable (This was described and used in the first link above, but what they had at Lowes under the same name is about 2" thick. The cable I got has TWO wires running through it and took me about a minute to cut through it with a hacksaw, that's how strong it is.) $3.26/Linear foot. I got lucky and got the remainder of the spool, so I got 20' for the price of 14'. TOTAL COST FOR 17' WOULD BE = $55.42 - LOWES

6 Rolls of Industrial Strength Electrical Duct Tape by 3M from @ $5.48ea - TOTAL = $32.88 - LOWES

1 Ten Foot Section of 2" PVC Pipe @ 4.97ea - TOTAL = $4.97 - LOWES

3 Pool Noodles @ $1ea - TOTAL = $3.00 - DOLLAR TREE

1 Stringy Mop(the handle is still in the neck, read on) @ $1ea - TOTAL = $1.00 - DOLLAR TREE

1 Bundle of Poly Rope @ $1ea - TOTAL = $1.00 - DOLLAR TREE

1 Old Down Comforter @ FREE cause I had it already(I would have used 2 foam pillows from @ $5 ea at Target, read on)

1 Old Down Pillow @ FREE cause my original head had the three old tshirts duct taped inside of it(read on)

1 CLUTCH tshirt @ PRICELESS cause I lost so much weight from working out, I don't wear large anymore ;-)

1 Pair Of Sweatpants Used For Painting @ FREE

1 Pair Of Gray Socks @ FREE cause no one should be wearing gray socks with anything, I don't know why I had them

1 Hacksaw @ FREE - you NEED a hacksaw

TOTAL ACTUAL COST WITHOUT TAX = $98.27 (I paid $88.49 cause I was only charged for 14' of cable)

STILL BEATS THE HELL OUT OF PAYING $500 FOR A BUBBA DUMMY, AND I KNOW HOW TO FIX THIS ONE IF THE NEED SHOULD ARISE!

-EnD oF liNe?!-

 

How to Make Your Own Grappling Dummy:

I just started taking this Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) class and it's hard enough just to remember people's names let alone all the techniques. In Kung Fu, we learned by repetition, but in this BJJ class, it's a different technique each time I go in. Often when I come home I want to practice the moves a few more times to fully ingrain them in my mind, or even to just to try the moves from the left instead of the right. Kathleen has proven to be an extremely unwilling practice partner and Mojo is somewhat willing - he knows it's some kind of game and he purrs - but he just does not have the right dimensions, plus he only weighs 12 lbs.

So I looked around online and found that there are a number of options for grappling dummies, but they're all pretty expensive. One of the popular ones is the Submission Master for $565, but it has no joints or bones, it's just a big Gumby. There is also the Bubba Dummy for $560, which has bones and joints, and I would probably go with this one if I were going to buy one. But being a cheap-ass and an avid handy man, I decided to make my own.

Here's a couple articles/posts that I found useful to give me some ideas of how to build my dummy.

How To Make A Grappling Dummy 2 by Aptdwler

PVC Grappling Dummy with PVC by Callisto77

El Jefe by -EnD oF liNe?!-

Now here's how I built mine:

SUPPLIES LIST

3 rolls duct tape 4 hinges 24 nuts & 24 bolts (for the hinges) 2 nuts & 2 bolts (for the elbow joints) 12 feet of electric wire 1 2" x 10' white PVC 1 1.5" x 10' grey electrical PVC (I used this because it was

thicker and cheaper) some scraps of wood (2x4 & 1x4) some nails and wood screws rope pool noodle old sheets & clothes

First I made the legs, since they are the most basic - 2 pieces of PVC with a simple hing. I put some foam pipe insulation inside initially because I was concerned about the padding getting bunched up when the leg extended. (I later found some knee/elbow pads at the Dollar Store that worked brilliantly). Then I attached the wooden foot with a zip tie and some electric wire, then taped it. I later smoothed the edges off the foot. Also, I used bolts to attach the hinges, but I think that the screws that came with them would work just as well.

The arms have a very realistic elbow joint. I cut a slot on the upper forearm and attached it loosely with a bolt to the lower forearm (which is a separate piece) to allow for a 180˚ twist and then attached the hing at the elbow. Sorry I didn't get a close up of the elbow joint - it was the most innovative thing I did and I forgot to take a photo! I tried stapling the fingers on, but that was no good - I ended up using roofing nails and doubled up on the wire on the wrists to avoid the hands from twisting too far.

Next I made the spine. I cut the 2" PVC into 4" pieces with a 30˚ angle on every other end to simulate a more realistic spine shape and to allow it to flex. The pool noodle fit perfectly inside and I tied small lengths of rope in between the vertebrae and ran some wire thru the center of the noodle.

For the hips and shoulders, I used a dremmel to carve out some of the PVC so I could inset the adjoining pipe/bone, then screwed and taped them. I doubled up the wires connecting the hips and shoulders and made sure to put them on the front since I don't want them to bend backward too much.

For the head, I used a router to cut a groove into a piece of 2x4 and fastened the wire from the spine to this. (I should have doubled up on the wire for the neck - it's too floppy right now). Then I just nailed and taped more pieces of scrap wood to form the rest of the head and taped on some pieces of foam.

The skeleton is complete - YES!

Now to put some meat on his bones...

First I finished taping everything up and cut off the tops of some of the bolts and then put on the knee and elbow pads, then proceeded to use old sheets and clothing to tape to the frame. I prepared separate bundles for each lung, the stomach and for each glute. I think it's a good idea to make the chest and abdominal areas separately to he can fold a little in the middle when bending forward.

Then I just put some clothes on him and used an old bath robe as his gi. Evidently Lamont (the dummy) is a blue belt... I guess it's always good to train with someone more advanced, right?

The dummy ended up weighing about 45-50 lbs and the joints, movement and dimensions are very realistic. He has been very useful for drilling so far. One thing that I may add is a bungee cord on the inside of the arms and legs (like the Submission Master has)... other than that, I'm very happy with what I've got and it didn't cost very much and was really fun to build (maybe 15-20 hours all together).

I think Mojo is happy to have someone to take a nap on the couch with and is probably relieved to not be my grappling partner :)

If you're building your own dummy and have questions, just post a comment and I'll get back to you.

*****************************************

UPDATE 4/24/09

*****************************************The dummy was working OK... but I pulled the spine out of the pelvis, so I had to redo that connection. While I was at it, I heavily re-enforced the shoulders, spine, and hip joints by adding more electic conduits and extra duct tape. The problem with the spine was that the dummy would just flop around too easily, and was too hard to keep upright. I think you want to make the dummy so that it is able to sit up on its own, so you can practice guard attacks.

Posted by MattWilsonMD at 9:57 AM

How To Build A Grappling DummySeptember 28, 2009 justinsrefuge Leave a comment Go to comments

In Search of the Ultimate Training/Grappling Dummy.

About 4 months ago I decided I wanted to purchase a grappling dummy that I could train with when I had no partners around.  I didn’t just want any grappling dummy, I wanted one that was fully capable of taking on many different positions, as well as capable of submissions.  Everything I found looked too stiff, or non-functional f

or the purposes that I desired until I came across the Submission Master.  Unfortunately it was out of my price range.  I would highly recommend that if you have the financial capabilities to purchase the Submission Master, however if you don’t feel free to use the following design.  Be prepared this is no walk in the park project.  It will take some time, energy, as well as some ingenuity and creativity. 

First I started by gathering my supplies.  It cost me about $80 compared to that of $500+ for one already made.

Most important:  4/0-4/0-2/0 200 amp service entrance cable / aluminum electrical cable ($30)(Lowes) (Frame) This is 3 separate cables sold together.

Condensed Foam ($20)(Wal-Mart) or use an old couch cushion to save money.

Pool Noodles ($10) (Wal-Mart) or pipe insulation Canvas Painters Tarp ($10) (Lowes) – Optional, you could just leave duct

tape as your final coat. 3-5 Rolls of Mid-Heavy Gauge Duct Tape ($20-$35) (Lowes) 5-10 lb Sand Bag ($5) Adds weight and makes it capable of punching. Odds and ends like socks, clothes, and various other materials

I already had some of these items, so that helped me to cut some cost.  The only things that are a must is the Service entrance cable and duct tape.  Every thing else could be supplemented.

 I started by assembling my frame.  I took the two 4/0 gauge cables and intertwined them to form what I call a cross body frame.  The left arm and right leg are actually the same cable, and the right arm and the left leg are actually the same cable.  By crossing them like so, it will help provide stability, and durability.  At the ends of the

cables I curled them to form the hands and feet. As far as measurements, I used my own body lengths plus two extra inches all around to form the frame.  I am 5′10″, and the dummy is probably 6′2″-4″.  I would recommend your body length plus one or no extra inches.  I started from my fingers tips and measured to my chest bone, down to the tip of my opposite toes. 

I then used the 2/0 gauge cable to twist around the spine to provide support, and I used the remainder of the cable sticking up to form a skull .  I then covered the frame with noodles, and condensed foam. For the hands and feet I used old sparring gear, but I wish I would have just covered them in noodles and a sock.  They would have been more dimensional.  I added a sand bag to form the head and up

per torso.  I wrapped it heavily in duct tape to provide the capabilities of handling punches.  After that I just kept adding condensed foam and duct tape.  I shaped him the way I thought he should look.  To finish it off I used a painters canvas drop cloth for his final layer.  I simply cut and glued, and used duct tape on the seems.  If one was capable of doing upholstery they could probably sew

the finished canvas.  I used extra strength duct tape around the hips to finish him off.  

The only thing I had left to do was clothe him, and name him.  I used an old karate uniform, but you could use some old sweats. The dummy weighs about 50 lbs.

This dummy is great for Passing the guard training- over and over (the legs stay up!)* Guard training – triangles, arm bars, guillotine, razor locks, sweeps… do it all!* Knee bars…* Leg locks…* Heel hooks……from inside the guard, side mount, knee on stomach… every position.* Turtle position* “Start” position (sitting up on knees)* North South position* Mount and Side mount* and, it’s great for striking, too!

It is fully flexible, and also capable of all of the techniques in the following video.

Final thought. This is only a proto-type, and I cannot guarantee how long it would last. If you are looking for the best quality grappling dummy without all of the hard work, get the Submission Master Grappling Dummy by CLICKING HERE.  They even offer a payment plan, and satisfaction guaranteed offer.