i live in new zealand and brought the maximus dummy when it was on sale. (
http://www.spartanequip.com/products/maximus/)
its pretty good for drilling outside of class, but obviously there are limitations.
NO dummy is going to have the range of motion of a real person without being a floppy pillow.
Obviously the dummy cant move on its own so certain techniques (especially defense/escapes) really cant be drilled well or at all. i.e you cant scissor sweep then tell the dummy to base out then do the knee push variation etc.
Also a dummy cant tell you which choke worked better/give feedback and sometimes the base and posture is unrealistic to what a person would do.
As others have said dummies are ridiculously expensive, and
in hindsight if i could do it all over i would probably try to make one first, if you consider buying one i suggest you do this 1st, to get a feel for what you can and cant do and how often you will use it.
what i really like about the maximus dummy is the realism of the joints, they function pretty realistically, which definately helps as a reminder to correct your technique.
what i find the dummy most useful for is refining techniques i have trouble with while drilling, eg. getting the hooks in from turtle.
its also good for getting back home after rolling to "revisit" certain techniques/positions you did poorly or could have done better in.
i find it really handy for watching instructionals/youtube clips and being able to practice on before trying them in class.
sometimes its also nice just to have a somewhat realistic body to experiment with different possibilities/options in different, usually more unusual positions/scrambles (sounds dodgy af i know:icon_lol
.
in my opinion its helpful if your a white belt to lessen the learning curve, build up muscle memory and build flexibility/reaction time on some gross motor movements. especially if your busy (like me!), however i still train at the gym 3-5 times a week so i dont use it as much as i thought i would, 1-3 times a week about 1/2-1 hour at a time (in other words real people are much better to train with!). if your a blue belt or above it would probably be a waste of time outside of very specific situations or techniques. and btw dummies are definately MUCH better and more convenient for practicing top game rather than guard or bottom game!
I dont regret buying the dummy, it has definitely helped my game but related to the price its probably not worth it for alot of people. then again finding committed and like minded drilling partners with a good schedule is easier said than done. so i wouldnt tell anyone to buy or not to buy a dummy, because i cant, its different for everyones situation, just giving my experience and 2 cents
