How Beating Up a Training Dummy Can Save Your Life

If you’re serious about self-defense but don’t always have a training partner available (or just don’t like people in general), a training dummy might be your new best friend.

These lifeless grappling buddies don’t complain, don’t hit back, don’t tap, and are perfect for honing your skills in striking, grappling, and even weapons training.

I’m always looking for new things to add to my training routine, and after picking up a training dummy (also referred to as a grappling dummy), it made me question what took so long for me to implement this into my self-defense training.

In this article, I want to dive deeper into the topic and break down how you can use a training dummy to up your self-defense and preparedness.

Disclaimer: In the grand scheme of things, I am a nobody. I am not ex-military. I’m not a ninja. And I’ve never stepped foot in an octagon and traded punches with anyone in the MMA world. That said, I’m a well-trained civilian who is always trying to get out valuable information regarding the use of a training dummy to provide you with more options in your self-defense and preparedness plan and training.

The Versatile Punching Bag You Never Knew You Needed

I have a typical punching bag that I use to strap on some gloves and do some stand-up boxing. While there’s nothing wrong with it to work on your striking, there are a lot of times when things end up on the ground.

If you want to work on your self-defense skills, you’d really need something like a training dummy or grappling dummy.

The whole reason I got a training dummy is so that I can work on my ground game without needing a partner to train and roll with. Not only that, but as I’ll get to shortly, I wanted a grappling dummy that I could use a training knife and training gun on in a safe environment (such as in my home rather than having to find a BJJ gym all the time).

But let’s get into some of the nuances of what you can do with a training dummy or grappling dummy.

Striking and Kicking a Training Dummy: Unleash Your Inner Warrior

One of the simplest ways to use a training dummy is to practice your striking and kicking techniques.

Unlike a heavy bag, which swings around like a drunk guy at a wedding, a training dummy can simulate a more realistic human opponent. You can practice everything from basic punches and kicks to full-on ground-and-pound sessions.

Benefits:

• Develop power and precision in your strikes.
• Train realistic scenarios where your opponent is down but not out.
• Work on endurance by chaining combos together.

Pro tip: Wear gloves. Otherwise, you’ll find out the hard way that knuckle skin isn’t as tough as you think (and if you miss the training dummy and your hand connects directly with the ground, you’ll rethink your life decisions).

Grappling and BJJ: The Training Dummy That Never Taps Out

If you’re into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) or wrestling, a training dummy is an awesome tool for drilling submissions, positional control, and transitions.

Unlike a human partner who might need a breather every few minutes (weaklings), your dummy is always ready for another roll.

What you can practice:

• Arm bars, triangle chokes, and rear-naked chokes.
• Escaping from bad positions without resistance.
• Takedown drills and ground control.

No more waiting for your partner to stop whining about how tight your guillotine is. The dummy takes it like a champ and willingly comes back for more without resenting you for the rest of the training session.

Knife Fighting: Because You Never Know When You’ll Need It

Let’s be real — self-defense isn’t just about throwing hands. Knife training is a crucial skill, especially if you want to be prepared for real-world situations.

Now, am I the dude who brings a knife to a gunfight? Hell no. If someone is there to party, I can get down, too. However, that fixed blade you carry (like a Shivworks Clinch Pick or Ka-Bar TDI) is a great tool when grappling, and you need someone to get off of you, or you need to create some space to get to your firearm.

It should go without saying that you should NOT use your actual defensive blade on the training dummy or grappling dummy. Make sure you have the training version of whatever defensive blade you carry. And if you don’t have a training blade for your live blade, you’re as wrong as dipping French fries in mayo (weirdos).

It’s sad that I actually have to say that, but I’m sure there will be that “one dude” who forgets to use his last brain cell and opens up his training dummy like a stuffed teddy bear and wonders what happened (don’t be that guy).

With a training dummy, you can practice:

• Proper grip and striking techniques with a training knife.
• Disarming drills.
• Defending against an attacker (or, in this case, an unfilled training dummy who’s just standing, sitting, or laying there minding its own business).

Just remember — don’t go full psycho on the training dummy. We don’t need you getting weird looks from your neighbors like you’re beating one of your family members and getting the cops called on you.

Firearm Training: Because Sometimes Hands Aren’t Enough

If you’re into firearm-based self-defense, a training dummy can help simulate grappling scenarios where drawing your weapon is necessary.

Have you ever tried to deploy your firearm while grappling? Probably not, right?

But with the use of a training dummy or grappling dummy, you can use something like a SIRT pistol, an airsoft gun, or even a simunition pistol used for force-on-force training to get in some reps.

DO NOT USE A LIVE FIREARM. I mean, unless you’re okay with patching up bullet holes in your garage walls (that’s a joke… again, don’t be “that guy”). If you don’t have a training pistol or even a blue gun, unload your firearm and triple-check it to ensure it’s clear and unloaded before using it in your practice.

With the use of a training dummy, you get the opportunity to make the scenario as realistic as possible and see where your training fails and breaks down due to certain positions. Doing all of this with a training dummy or grappling dummy could save your life one day.

You can practice:

• Retaining control of your firearm in close-quarters combat.
• Simulated force-on-force scenarios.
• Drawing and shooting from compromised positions.

Work on using these types of tools to break contact and remove yourself from the training dummy (attacker). Your goal shouldn’t be to stay in that position and exchange punches, knife stabs, or bullets.

Why the Elite Sports BJJ Training Dummy is a Great Choice

Now that we’ve established why this training tool is a must-have for self-defense training let’s talk about a solid option: the Elite Sports BJJ Training Dummy. The best part? It doesn’t break the bank.

When I first looked into getting a training dummy, I thought grabbing a grappling dummy was going to be a lot more expensive. I was surprised to find many options on the internet and on Amazon that were priced well below $100.

That said, you can go crazy and spend over $200 on a practice dummy, but that seems a little extreme and unnecessary if you ask me.

This dummy (which sounds sort of harsh going back and reading that) is designed for serious training and can take a beating without complaining (unlike your gym partner who conveniently “forgot their mouthguard”).

To fill the training dummy (it comes unfilled), I used pool noodles, t-shirts, and towels. I wrapped the pool noodles in shirts and shoved them into the arms and legs after first filling the hands, feet, and head with shirts. I then filled in the empty space of the grappling dummy with shirts and towels to fill out any soft areas. Be aware… you’re going to need a ton of clothing to fill up the training dummy.

Something else to take note of is that you absolutely need to wear gloves when working with this grappling dummy. While the black material covering it is somewhat forgiving with the clothing inside as fill, if you punch any part of the white piping that is going all around the edges of the training dummy, you’re going to split your knuckles open (ask me how I know).

Why is the Elite Sports BJJ training dummy worth the investment:

• Durable Material: Made to withstand heavy strikes, grappling, and abuse.
• Realistic Human Form: Gives you a better feel for real-life scenarios.
• Perfect for All Combat Training: Whether you’re practicing striking, grappling, or weapons defense, it can handle it all.

At the end of the day, having a training dummy is like having a loyal training partner who never flakes on you or gets injured (it’s never a good idea to make enemies in a BJJ gym).

Whether you’re working on self-defense, fitness, or just need to let out some stress after a long day (it checks all three boxes for me), this is one investment that’s well worth it.

So, go ahead — beat up your training dummy. It won’t mind. Heck, you can even go overboard and call it names if you want.

Note: Elite Sports did not pay me to provide my feedback or review of this product. In fact, you are probably reading this before they even do. This is simply a product that I feel is of good quality and that can help take your defensive training to the next level. The company in no way told me what to say or influenced me in any shape or form.

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