Everlast Strike Shield Black

This is a flat shield made of the type of material that the water-filled punching bags are made of. It's smooth punching bag material so that you're not going to bleed as quickly if you don't have gloves on. Flat is also better for punching as well, so it's like a portable punching bag, whereas the curved ones can injure your wrist if used for punching. You can tie this by the side straps around a tree or pillar, or hang from an eye hook on a wall by the top strap etc for a compact punching bag. And it can also be used as a kick shield by just tilting it where needed. It's thick and not very dense so the impact is going to be more pillowey so you won't absorb as much with your body but it will probably pop you back a bit more than the denser ones. The straps are just nylon straps, very sturdy but not as comfortable as the padded handles. The best reason to get this over curved shields is definitely if you'll be training people on punches and you don't have a heavy bag nearby.

I've bought about 5-6 "shields" to try to find the one I like. This is it. It's not too hard (like most "kick shields"), and not too soft like some "kid pads". It's perfect for punching in class, for kids AND adults. Sturdy enough vs. kicks, even Thai Kicks.The handles are perfect, not tight, but far from loose, and the bonus handle on the top... Can't even find a use for it, but it's THERE!More goodness that I need. Very happy. Ended up with 3, and returned the others.A+

I love my teen but they have strong emotions. When they were young I found a similar item at the thrift store and it REALLY helped with expressing anger and frustration. Years later the pressures of being a teen became overwhelming. I ordered this for my kid to pound the hell out of. So far, all is great. I can hear soft thuds as they pound it from time to time. Sure beats the holes that got put in walls from the rowing toys as a toddler.Affordable pricing and great quality. I took some swings at it too and it was a great amount of give without being too soft or too firm.

The kick pad is getting 4 stars almost on value rather than quality. But to get a much better quality kick pad you are spending $70+ rather than ~$40. You might want something better eventually but I don't think you will be sorry if you buy this for your 7-12 year old (well, your kid is going to want to do flying side kicks into you while you are holding it so you might not be thrilled about that part).Pros:The pad is large 15" x 25"The pad is very thick 5"The pad is very light and maneuverable for an adult at 52 oz. A carton of orange juice is about 59oz.The straps are stitched on fairly well.Cons:The outer shell is tough enough for kids but would probably not survive a lot of prolonged kicking from adultsThe back straps are too tight and you cannot get your forearm into (or at least I can't)Overall:Great value for kids up to middle school but will probably not last long with high school boys (but what does).

Does what it's supposed to

My whole family studies karate and this is a great tool for helping with kicks. Can't beat it for the money. Seems very sturdy, not broken in yet. Time will tell

These are super sturdy and have held up to even our strongest kickers. You have to take a bit more care in cleaning them as they are a tad porous compared to the Century or AWMA vinyl ones, but not so much as to make them a pain. Saved a ton when buying several for our studio with Amazons free shipping, add S&H on the other brands form the martial arts warehouses and we were able to get 2.5 times as may for the same price. These will be our go to body shields

It does what it's supposed to do. The whole family practices taekwondo and we've all been able to use this for practice on out own. It's durable and has held up do far.