Mylar Balloon Sparring Practice

Ever punch a mylar balloon? It makes a satisfying "pop" sound unlike rubber balloons. They also don't bounce as far since the skin isn't under tension like a ball. It's just a bag filled with helium.

I was thinking this would make them good candidates for sparring targets. Put a few in the gym that are filled enough to float at head, chest and stomach height and punch them.

Before you sour on the idea because it would look insane, which it admittedly would, consider:

They'd move about the ring un-predictably like a human opponent.

You could punch while advancing on a moving target, something you can't do with a heavy bag.

You'd be turning and maneuvering constantly just as in a real fight.

They'd make that pop sound when you hit them.

If you hit them hard enough, you might even be able to pop them, thus giving the added bonus of harder punches being indicated by a popped balloon. One might try to pop all the balloons in a certain amount of time.

Like I said, it would look like you're insane but it would offer some things that heavy bag work couldn't offer. It might also be a lot of fun, like when dogs chase soap bubbles.