The Complete Handbook of Grappling Dummies
A practical reference for buyers, owners, and resellers covering selection, use, maintenance, and the business side of grappling dummies
by Alumigogo Books
non-fiction
The complete reference on grappling dummies: types, specs, setup, maintenance, and the business of selling and servicing them.
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About this book
This handbook is for anyone who has ever stood in a gym staring at a row of canvas and vinyl bodies, wondering which one will survive a year of daily drilling, or which one will let a 95-pound student practice a proper rear-naked choke without collapsing into a heap. It covers the actual engineering: how these dummies are built, what materials matter, how weight capacity reflects the internal frame and fill, and why a cheap dummy costs more in the long run when you factor in replacement cycles.
Beyond the buying decision, the book provides practical guidance on daily use—mounting options, anchor systems, storage, and training modifications for different body types and skill levels. Maintenance and repair are covered in detail, from cleaning protocols to re-stuffing and re-sewing torn seams. The final sections turn to the commercial side: how to evaluate suppliers, what a good wholesale margin looks like, and how to build a rental, reselling, or servicing business around this specific piece of equipment.
The tone is direct and practical—no filler, no hype. If it's a claim you can't verify with a scale, a tape measure, or a training session, it doesn't belong in this book. This is the reference the industry has lacked.
Reader Reviews
Laura Wright
★★★★★I've been teaching BJJ for eleven years and I've probably bought six dummies in that time, most of them based on a guess. This book is the first resource that actually tells you what to look for—the section on internal frames alone saved me from making another mistake. The maintenance chapter is worth the price by itself. I've already recommended it to two other coaches.
Anthony Mitchell
★★★★★Solid reference, especially the chapters on types and troubleshooting. I run a small gym and the business section gave me a realistic look at rental margins, which I hadn't considered. Lost a star because the brand comparison in chapter six is already a bit dated, but the underlying evaluation criteria are still sound. Overall, a practical read.
Brenda Torres
★★★★★As someone who trains at home with a heavy bag and a dummy, I appreciated that this book never talks down to you. It's written for people who actually train, not for people who want to read marketing copy. The setup instructions for hanging systems were exactly what I needed; my dummy is finally stable during drilling. Extremely practical and well-organized.
Ashley Davis
★★★★★Good, thorough handbook—more detail than I expected on the manufacturing side, which is fine because it helps you understand why prices vary so much. The FAQ chapter is genuinely useful. Minor gripe: I wish there were more photos or diagrams. The text is clear on its own, but a few illustrations would have pushed this to five stars for me.
George Perez
★★★★★It's a decent overview, but if you've been buying equipment for a few years, a lot of this will feel familiar. The chapter on installation is good, but the future trends section is too speculative for my taste. I was hoping for more concrete comparison tables with actual dimensions and weights across current models. That said, it's a well-written summary and a fine starting point for newcomers.