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.
-- doctorremulac3, Jun 12 2014

Dogged practice... Urban_20Remote_20Herding_20Array
[normzone, Jun 12 2014]

Or make them look sort of like this http://www.ebay.com...hash=item3f334b5f60
[doctorremulac3, Jun 12 2014]

Given my reluctance to injure my hands in non-survival exercises, I can wholly get behind this, but I think I can take it one better.

Network them to simulate multiple opponents (link).
-- normzone, Jun 12 2014


Some VR goggles and a system for seeing the balloons with a camera, and making them look like opponents' heads in the VR goggles, could be interesting.
-- Vernon, Jun 12 2014


After sleeping on this I thought you could also make them look like the things shown in the link.

In instead of having multiple balloons, you could just have one mylar boxing dummy floating around, moving around the ring somewhat like a real opponent. It would be painted like a boxer. This would look a little less weird than following a bunch of balloons around, it would simply be a boxing dummy that tries to sort of "dodges" after you punch it.

This would allow you to do realistic follow up punches. A real opponent would jump backwards when you swing at him, this would move backwards also but because you hit it.

I think I'll put that idea up instead.
-- doctorremulac3, Jun 12 2014



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