He's got a cold, mean stare and doesn't blink. Not even when I burst in to deliver a flurry of punches - jabs, hooks, and uppercuts, all at full power. No, my shirtless opponent, who looks like Star Trek's Captain Picard with killer pecs and abs, doesn't flinch, and he doesn't fight back. That's because he's a mannequin, technically a medical model, adapted for use recently by the martial arts world. I've spent hours punching pads, but they never felt right - they don't yield like a body and don't offer the proper angles. And the training method in Rocky - pounding sides of beef - offends my vegetarian sensibilities.
But Spar Pro has it all - that is, except hair, arms, and anything below the naval. Made from high-density foam covered by vinyl-coated rubber, the torso has a fleshlike feel and gives on impact.
Don't know who won this bout. Next time, I may have to try a top-secret technique used by champion fighters: I'll move in close ... and bite off his ear.
STREET CRED
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Body Double
