After reading reviews of this product on the internet, my decision to purchase it was a little iffy. But I took the chance and ordered it and I'm very pleased with it. It's important to understand what this dummy is and what it isn't.
I've been training BJJ for about 6 years and I already own the Proman/Submission Master Grappling Dummy. The Proman dummy is the best thing hands down for BJJ drilling and solo practice. It's the next best thing to a live opponent. But for all that it is, especially for beginner BJJ students, it really didn't help with drilling takedowns and for open guard attacks and sweeps against a standing opponent. So I bought one of those legged dummies with the extended arms and rigid legs to use for takedowns and open guard, but it was too bulky, thick, heavy, and not ideal.
This is where the VS.2 comes in and fills the niche. I'm pleasantly surprised by the VS.2, especially given some of the online mixed reviews. Here are the pros:
1) Relatively light. I wanted something with some weight, but not too much. Since this is for drilling, I wanted to put my energy into doing lotsa drills rather than doing a lot of picking up and re-positioning dead weight.
2) This thing has a third leg, and not the third leg guys tell girls they have. The leg allows you to effectively change the ease at which the dummy falls. So if you're doing takedown drills and you don't want him to keep falling over, you put the leg further back. If you want to practice a tomahawk sweep from open guard, for example, and you want to go as far as sending the dummy to the ground for follow up, you'd move the leg further in. Not perfect, but that's the concept. Personally, I use it for micro (subdivided) drills, and I'm very happy with it.
And you can throw a bjj belt on it to simulate grabbing the gi lapel or sleeves.
3) I don't try a lot of Judo throws, but I saw somewhere where a reviewer said it was not good for Judo type throws because the weight was in the legs as opposed to equally distributed from head to toe. Since I'm not a Judo player, take this with a grain of salt, but I've tried some throws and have no complaints. Since it's about 50 pounds, I can adequately practice throws without too much strain on my body or back.
4) Though there are better bags out there for striking, you could do a little bit of hitting/kicking on this without too much hand trauma. Again, you'd set the third leg back a little so it didn't fall over with every hit.
Cons:
Since I have 4 pros, I might as well list a con, even though it's not major. Still not sure what to make of the arms. I suspect this allows for better throws and so you don't get hit in the face while doing wrestling takedowns, or to better simulate an opponent, who doesn't walk around like Frankenstein with his arms extended. So it's a minor complaint overall.
So in summary, this dummy isn't perfect. But neither is my BJJ game, so we're a great fit. For regular ground drilling, there's a better option out there, but for takedowns and open guard practice at home or solo, this is the best I've found, until they come up with something better.
| Size | Adult |
|---|---|
| Sport | Martial Arts |
| Brand | Century |
| Color | Black/Red |
| Item Weight | 20360 Grams |
| League | MMA |
| Age Range (Description) | Adult |
| Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 39.96 x 25.67 x 21.14 inches |
| Package Weight | 20.36 Kilograms |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 23.62 x 23.62 x 59.06 inches |
| Brand Name | Century |
| Suggested Users | unisex-adult |
| Manufacturer | CENTURY SPORTING GOODS COMPANY -- DROPSHIP |
| Part Number | 10185 |
