Playwell Martial Arts Competition Rubber Foam Training Escrima Kali Sick Red/Black - 24"

Broke on the first couple of hits with my partner, don’t buy this, the interior plastic quality needs to be upgraded immediately

I bought these for training for FMA stick competition, along with a escrima padded helmet/visor.Using them for intensity training to build up familiarity with the weapon and its dynamics before we goto inter-club competition in a couple of months.My instructors use these in our competition training, just with some foam and gaffa tape on the top 6 inches to add weight and to also prevent losing the cap.The pvc tubing inside is capped by a little plastic 'hat' which is then under the foam.... it can fly off if you strike hard enough, so after my first use.Love using these sticks... the thickness can take getting used to (I train with hard wood sticks which are thinner). but these sticks are well balanced, easy to grip and seem to cope well with being hit and blocked by other training sticks (so long as they are the same brand sticks).Why did I say BEWARE in the title?I've seen people complain about these sticks on other sites that they break after being hit by wooden sticks & that they aren't suitable for full-contact without padding. IMO that is like complaining that a DVD isn't the same as an audio CD.FMA is dangerous - if you are doing full contact you should be padded up. Being hit by someone with a foam stick who knows their body mechanics and targeting WILL cause you injury. Normally we train with wooden sticks and without any padding, but we hit to target with controlled drills or without power, just intent.PADDING - Even with padded being hit in the head by these sticks HURTS. It doesn't injure you, but you certainly feel the hit and wish not to be hit again (good for training). It's the correct balance between feeling the hit, and not having a broken arm that puts you out of training.WOODEN stick vs FOAM stick - Why would anyone expect a foam / light plastic stick to have the same properties as a wooden stick ? If you were attacked with an iron bar, you wouldn't expect a sheet of paper to stop it.SUMMARY----------------I've various training and foam sticks, and these are the best ones I've used before, and I am looking forward to doing more competition training with them.

Theses competition foam sticks are good value for the money,they are very sturdy,good packaging and fast delivery