KD Elite Pro Quality Curved Body Shield

Wailing on a striking bag can be a great feeling. Unfortunately, training partners rarely get as much joy out of the experience. Not to mention it enhances their motivation to retaliate during their turn. The goal of the KD Elite Curved Body Shield is to allow for intense training with no bruised ribs or feelings.

Courtesy of Karate Depot. Check em out!

The most noticeable feature for this bag is the curvature which provides some unique training opportunities. The design coupled with a firm interior padding allows for very solid striking with minimal impact on the bag holder. Strong techniques can still be felt, but the shield disperses a lot of the energy.

Another benefit is the different techniques an attacker can perform. The top curve can be used for upper-cutting and simulating palm-heel strikes under the chin. The bottom curve can be used for side stomp kicks. The logo on the front is also a great target, which can help students hone their accuracy.

Despite my fondness for the bags design, I did have mixed feelings about the handles. There are two mid-level straps that unVelcro, and a top handle with a high quality rubber coating. I really liked the top handle because it granted excellent bag control when doing techniques near the top of the bag. It also helped stabilize techniques at the bottom of the bag.

For the middle straps, I found myself Velcroing one around my arm, and holding on to the other. Both straps were designed to be Velcroed around the arm, leaving the hand free. I feel as if I have less control when holding that way. So I ended up holding one strap inappropriately, and the comfort level was diminished because of it.

The bag also doesn’t have side handles. Side handles are useful for posting the bag right up against your upper body, allowing for a bit more contact and conditioning. This isn’t a necessary feature for bags, but would have been nice.

The surface quality for the KD Elite was top notch. The material was highly durable, but at the same time easy on the hands. You might expect something coarse and abrasive from a bag such as this, but that wasn’t the case. It was a good balance that would work equally well for kids or for powerful adults.

The KD Elite Curved Body Shield offers enough unique usability that having one or two in the dojo might not be a bad idea. But I wouldn’t rely on it solely. That being the case…