homemade martial arts equipment.....

Discussion in 'General Martial Arts Discussion' started by kenpoguy, Aug 8, 2004.

  1. kenpoguy

    kenpoguy The Last Dragon

    This post is just for everyone to get and give information on how to build, train, or create martial arts training items. I will shortly be posting information on how to make a wing chun dummy from pvc pipe, as well as an additonal one on how to make one from solid wood.
     
  2. rick_nz

    rick_nz Valued Member

    Hey kenpoguy ,
    you got here before me :).I was just going to start a thread on any info on tire dummys for escrima training ie how to build one & how you train on one.So i will keep an eye on this thread instead :p.cheers for starting the thread
     
  3. SenseLess

    SenseLess Young and Eager to Learn

    should b intersting....cos i was just searchin for some homemade training devices
     
  4. kenpoguy

    kenpoguy The Last Dragon

    reply...

    Hi. Im actually very glad you brought that up , as i was orignally going to also post one inquriign about tire dummies. Would greatly appreciate to hear everything you have to say about them. Thanks
     
  5. Knight_Errant

    Knight_Errant Banned Banned

    yes! thank you for this thread.
    Home-made equipment ROCKS. I find the following items useful:
    A frames- perfect for pullups or hanging your heavy bag from
    backpacks- for adding weight to bodyweight exercises
    Box section- for welding up all kinds of frames to
    angle girders- for attaching box section to wood

    and I leave you with this little beauty taken from a gymnastics site:

    Parallette Construction - A very useful piece of exercise equipment that can be made quickly and cheaply. What you need: About 6-9 feet of PVC or ABS pipe (decide how much you need based on the measurements below). Four T connections. Four elbow joints. Eight end caps. (the diameter can be 3/4-1 1/2 in. depending on the size of the person to use the parallettes) Your local hardware store should have this great stuff.
    1. Cut two 10-14 in. pieces of pipe. (These will be the portions you hold onto) Stick an elbow on both ends of both of these pieces.
    2. Cut four 3-8 in. pieces depending on the height you want, keep in mind the elbows and T joints will add to the total height. The most important part of this step is to keep all these pieces the same length. Place these in the other end of the elbows, and attach the T joints to the free ends.
    3. Cut eight 4-6 in. pieces depending on the base width you desire. Wider is more stable, but takes up more space. Place these pieces in the available slots in the T joints and cap the other ends. You now have parallettes. 4. You will want to score the surface of the grip portion of the parallettes with a wire brush or scouring pad so that chalk will stick to it for a better grip.
     
  6. kenpoguy

    kenpoguy The Last Dragon

    reply...

    Very informative post knight, thank you :) Although I am angry to say that i was a week to late posting this! :cry: I had just spent 30.00 on a very similar piece of equipment, though more durable, it would carry out the same function. It was a pull up/chin up and pushup bar all into one. Will definetly build what you had suggested though for another training room. As far your suggestion with the backpack, I am amazed to say I had never thought of that. Although, if it was to be done, one would have to be careful as to not injure their back doing so.
     
  7. kenpoguy

    kenpoguy The Last Dragon

    Ohh, another easy way to reduce costs on training equipment is the following. If you are training in your studio, and all of the targets are being used or are unavailable, then take two boxing gloves. Put the left one on you right hand, and the right hand glove on your left hand. Not sure how this works personally, but I heard it does the trick.
     
  8. kenpoguy

    kenpoguy The Last Dragon

    I will now discuss how to make a wing chun dummy from pvc pipe.(Ive had moderate success with these, but they break very quickly) All in all it should cost about 30.00 to build. Although a very poor model, it beats spending 700+ for a wooden one. I had purchased these plans at an online auction but have also seen them on websites.

    $30 PVC Mook Jong Construction Manual
    Tools Needed:
    *Power drill
    *Speedbor 2000 1 1/4"
    *Tape measure
    *Sharpie marker
    *razor

    Materials:

    (1)*5 foot length of PVC pipe with a diameter of 4" or 6" (hell, even 8" if you can find it.)
    (1)*10 foot by 1 inch diameter length of PVC piping
    (3)*3/4 inch by 24" steel pipe
    (3)*3/4 inch pipe caps
    (1)*Epoxy
    (1)*Masking tape (Or if you want to be traditional, duct tape)

    Construction:

    First, you need to get some cardboard. Put it on top of your big piece of pvc piping and trace a circle around the diameter of the piping onto the cardboard. Cut out the circle then use masking tape to tape it on top of the big piece of PVC piping.


    Now, you need to make a measuring tool. Take the masking tape, wrap it all the way around the big piece of PVC piping so that the ends overlap some. Now, take the razor and cut the ring of tape in half. Carefully peel the tape off of the PVC. Fold the tape in half. You now have a measuring instrument that is exactly one half of the circumference of the post.


    OK, now you need to make a middle reference line on the cardboard circle. Whatever you want to be the front, put a dot with the marker there. Now, get out your masking tape measuring thingy and put one end at the dot, wrap it halfway around the post, and put another dot at the end of your masking tape measuring thingy. Get a ruler and make a straight line from one dot to the other. Next is to make a lines for the arms. Lay your tape measuring thingy flat and with your ruler, mark 3/4 inch from one end. Put that end up to the middle reference line on the cardboard on top of the big PVC post and make a dot where the end of the measurement that you made is. Do that to both sides of the middle reference line. Once you have done that, put one end of the tape on one of the dots, wrap it around the pipe and make another dot at the end of the tape. Draw a line from dot to dot. Repeat for the other dot that you made.


    From the middle reference line, use a tape measure to measure down 27 and 1/8 inches. Make a dot, use your masking tape measuring thingy, wrap it around and make another dot. From the arm line to the left of the middle reference line, measure down 10 and 1/2 inches, make a dot, use tape, wrap around, make another dot. From the arm line to the right of the middle reference line measure down 12 inches, make a dot, use tape, wrap around, make another dot. Congratulations, you can now start drilling holes.


    This is where the SpeedBor tool comes in. Most of the books that I have read recommend using a hole saw that is 1 and 1/4 inches in diameter. If you don't happen to own one of those, and then try and go out to buy one, you will be surprised at the cost. The SpeedBor is about a quarter of the cost of a hole saw and works just as well. It's commonly used to drill through plastic piping when you are running wiring through your house or other building. Anyway, get the SpeedBor (It costs around 3 bucks) and attach it to your electric drill or drill press. Now, lay the big PVC pipe flat on the ground or if you happen to have a workshop, put it on your bench in a clamp to keep it in place. Make sure that the place that you are going to drill is EXACTLY vertical. When you go to drill, make sure that your drill is EXACTLY perpendicular to the PVC pipe. Now, put the point of the SpeedBor on the dot that you made and drill through! Do that to each and every dot that you made.


    OK, now it's time to make the arms. Get one of the steel pipes and put a pipe cap on it. Slide the pipe through one of the holes until the pipe caps comes into contact with the PVC of the main post. Now, bend your elbow so your arm is at a ninety degree angle. Put your elbow on top the the steel "arm" right where the steel pipe and the PVC post meet. Where your wrist ends up being on the steel pipe, make a mark. Now, take the steel pipe out of the PVC post and get out the old hacksaw. If you have something that will cut steel better then a hacksaw, by all means use it. Using a hacksaw will take a decent amount of time and a lot of elbow grease (If you have kids, build some "character") Also, you will probably need to get another blade for your hacksaw once you finish cutting all three steel pipes because it really messes up the blade. I used a hacksaw and mine worked out fine. Most people have hacksaws (if you don't, they're cheap) but like I said, if you have something better to cut it with, use it. Now that I have the equipment issues out of the way, take the steel pipe that you made the mark on, take off the pipe cap and place it beside the other two "arms" (make sure that the ends are even beside each other) and make a mark on the other two pipes where you made the mark on the first pipe. Take your hacksaw or other cutting method and cut of the excess pipe.


    Now, take one of the steel pipes, put the pipe cap back on and slide it through one of the holes until the pipe cap is stopped by the big PVC post. Carefully measure the distance between the end of the steel pipe and the big PVC post. Get the PVC pipe that you bought for the arms and measure off the measurement that you just took and do that three times so you have three sleeves for your three steel pipes. OK, get out the hacksaw again and cut the PVC pipe where you made the marks. It will much, much, much easier to cut this time around, I promise. Next, get the steel pipes and the duct tape. Remember, duct tape fixes everything. Wrap the duct tape around the steel pipe at the top, in the middle, and near the end of where the PVC sleeve ends. Wrap it thick enough that when you slide the PVC sleeve over the steel pipe, it is really snug. To all the guys out there: think of a tight pair of jeans on a woman with really nice legs and.... Well, lets just leave it at really nice legs. That's what you want to achieve with the duct tape on the steel pipe. To all the women reading this: think how good you look in a tight pair of jeans and achieve the same effect. See, I'm not a chauvinist pig after all! To find that point, wrap some tape on, slide on the PVC sleeve, if it is kind of difficult to get on, you have the right thickness. If the sleeve isn't tight on it, put more tape on it until it is. Do that to each arm.


    Well, we have the right length of steel pipe, the sleeve is the right length and we have the pipe wrapped with enough duct tape to make the sleeve a tight fit. Time to get out the epoxy. Apply the epoxy on top of the duct tape then slide the PVC sleeve over the pipe/tape until the top of the sleeve is even with the top of the steel pipe. Do that to each arm.


    Slide each of the arms through their holes and THEN screw the pipe caps onto the protruding ends. You now have a completed dummy.

    If you want to pad the dummy, the best padding material that you can find is foam pipe insulation that plumbers use to insulate piping. To attach the foam, all you have to do is simply cut the foam to fit the area then wrap it with duct tape.


    Mounting the dummy is really a personal thing. To make it easier to mount, put a piece of wood 2 by 4 inside the dummy's body and when you drill through the dummy, the screws will have something to screw into.


    Look around on the internet to find different ideas on how to mount it.

    Remember, duct tape fixes everything and always check six.
     
  9. englishpremier

    englishpremier Valued Member

    Might be worth considering adding some pics, makes things easier to follow. Keep up the good work.
     
  10. kenpoguy

    kenpoguy The Last Dragon

    reply...

    Actually no pics were provided with those instructions. But would make for a rather nice project to work on over the following week. I see no reason why i cant take some step by step pics then, and perhaps post an article about it in the article section of MAP. :)
     
  11. Shortfuse

    Shortfuse King of Hearts

    as Toothpaste100 he has a picture of his homemade punching bag :D
     
  12. kenpoguy

    kenpoguy The Last Dragon

    reply...

    any way of posting a pic on here? :D
     
  13. kenpoguy

    kenpoguy The Last Dragon

    punchng bag...

    One training tool I do use is the following. i did purchase it, but it can be very easily made just as well. Essentially it is a bean bag hangine from the ceiling on a chain. I find it good to train accuracy, resistance, and speed. Although it isn't the best for speed it is defiently good in learning to oppose resistance. Was actually thinking of getting several and hanging them up around my basement for simulationus practice.(to simulate fighting more than one opponent)
     
  14. rick_nz

    rick_nz Valued Member

    Hey kenpoguy , I dont know much about the tire dummies, ,but have heard of 2 variants
    1. is the straight stack of about 12 tires high, Im not quiet sure how it stays togeather,I think the base tire has a concrete base and there is some sort of bolt threaded to the tires conecting them to each other so they dont fall over.
    2.Is the same sort of format but with woodern (sticks )arms coming out

    To kenpoguy & Knight_Errant awesome posts keep up the good work.very informative..
     
  15. dustIn credible

    dustIn credible Valued Member

    You have the one on how to make a homemade wooden dummy? I have one out of PVC but a wooden one would be nice
     
  16. Nerevar

    Nerevar A son of a mother

    Just buy a garage sale coat rack. :rolleyes:
     
  17. kenpoguy

    kenpoguy The Last Dragon

    reply..

    lol, a coatrack may prove useful :D I will get the wooden plans posted soon. Also have a wooden/pvc combo plan set i will put up.
     
  18. Mu Ryuk

    Mu Ryuk Banned Banned

    Home made Kong Ko...

    Not sure how many of you know what a Kong Ko is...but I saw it in the July (I think) 2004 issue of Black Belt, in a article about Tae Kwon Do by Hee Il Cho. It's basically a piece of wood with a towel for padding and some rope. Kind of like a Makiwara but not flexible. What's nice is that you can make a small one and carry it around. Mine is large so I can stand it up. Here's what I did:

    Ingredients:
    1 sturdy board.
    1 thick but small towel/cloth.
    1 piece of rope, preferably cotton...size depends on how large you are making the Kong Ko.
    2 nails.
    1 roll of duct tape.

    How to cook:
    Place the cloth as you want it over the board. Once it is positioned to your liking, take the rope. You may need an extra person to help you with this...I had one person hold the rope straight while I twisted the board carefully, making sure there was no space between the wraps. Once the rope is around, use the duct tape on the bottom and top of the rope in the BACK of the Kong Ko...not the side with the cloth over it. I know duct tape is great, but use it in moderation. Then, carefully put a nail through the rope into the board on each end...I repeat, be extra careful with this, or you might split the wood.

    How to savor: Good for conditioning just about anything...I use it for knuckles, palm, knifehand, ridgehand, forearms, elbows, shins, insteps, ball of the foot, heel of the foot, and blade of the foot. If you build a small once, just sit back in your easy chair, watch some TV, and pound it until you bleed...once you start bleeding, move onto the next striking surface! :D

    Hope this helps, great thread.
    Tang Soo!
     
  19. kenpoguy

    kenpoguy The Last Dragon

    reply..

    sounds pretty practical to me :) So what size board would you reccomend to use? and did you wrap the cloth only in the midsection or completly cover the entire board with it?
     
  20. Knight_Errant

    Knight_Errant Banned Banned

    The dummy thing sounds good. Of course, I wouldn't get away with not posting rob redmond's guide to building a makiwara:
     

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