“Strike targets” are used in self-defense training. The targets absorb blows from various body parts of a self-defense training participant. These targets may be hand held or floor or wall mounted, they may be stationary or moving, they may look like the torso of a human body, a punching bag or some other shape.
These targets have advantages and disadvantages. A hand held target requires a second person to hold the target. The person holding the target is able to provide at least some limited feedback to the participant based on the sensory perceptions of the target holder, but such observations are usually imprecise. A stationary target does not require a second person to hold it, but offers no feedback to the participant.
One prior art device created by Applicant is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. The device utilizes a non-contact sensors, such as a laser, for measuring and transmitting the speed of an object hitting a target. This measurement is wirelessly transmitted to a computer or cell phone for display. The prior art device has some shortcomings, as the laser must be pointed precisely where a trainer strikes a training bag. People have different shapes and heights and do not strike the bag in the same place or even consistently strike the bag in the same place. This results in poor measurements or no measurements at times. Further, the laser is focused on a particular location and the speed measured is only the speed of a body part at that instant, not necessarily the strike force on the bag.
Thus, there remains a need for a target that does not require an extra person to hold the device and which will give consistently accurate information to the self-defense training participant about the strike force, speed and rate.