CENTURY BOB

The BOB (Body Opponent Bag) from Century first appeared on the consumer market about 12 years ago and it has now become a staple in most martial arts gyms.

The concept is that of a punching bag (actually, it can be considered a rubber-like statue as opposed to bag) that is anatomically correct.

The facial features, for example, are expertly crafted to look like a real human face. This allows the person striking to effectively select targets that must be hit for either sport or self-defense training.

It is great to envision your opponent as BOB or therapeutic if you are mad at someone!

Such uniqueness helped the Century BOB become wildly popular in martial arts circles. The popularity of the item opened the door for improvements and advancements in the conceptual design and function of the system.

This is evidenced in the release of the Century BOB XL and Bobby Bully.

What makes these two new designs different from the original concept of BOB? Let's take a look:

BOB XL

BOB XL is exactly what the name implies - this is a larger form of BOB with an extended torso.

The extended torso provides a much more massive striking surface to work with. That means you can practice far more body shots that you would on the previous BOB device.

The cost of the BOB XL is more than the traditional model but the added price is worth it. You really do get a lot of benefit out of such a piece of training equipment.

Bobby Bully

The Bobby Bully model is a rather unique and innovative concept. This is a smaller scale, less anatomically correct model that is designed for kids.

Considering the fact that children make up a large number of the students in most martial arts classes, it is not surprising

Century has released this kid friendly version of BOB. In the past, kids were commonly expected to train on equipment that was designed mostly for adults.

This can make for some truly awkward and, in some cases, unsafe. The redesigned Bobby Bully is more appropriate for kid's training which is why it remains so highly recommended.

How does BOB hold up?

There are concerns as to whether or not BOB and its progeny will hold up in training. The answer is that Century has definitely delivered an excellent product in the market that will survive countless workouts.

Some have noted they have owned BOBs for many years and they appear good as new even after a tremendous number of workouts. So, when you purchase a BOB bag, you can feel confident it will last for a long time.

Is BOB for you?

A common negative associated with BOB is that it generally does not work all that well in terms of its ability to go full force on it for endurance purposes.

This type of workout is not what BOB was made for which is something you need to be aware of prior to making a purchase. When you do make a purchase of BOB - any BOB model - and use it for its intended purpose, you will find the end result to be pleasing.