Hitting device for martial arts

The hitting device of claim 6 wherein said mounting means includes a plurality of hook fasteners which engage a plurality of corresponding loop fasteners mounted on said support to attach said hitting device to said support. 9. The hitting device of claim 1 wherein said hitting portion includes a generally flat hitting surface, said hitting surface supporting a hitting pad of desired thickness, resiliency and texture adjacent said

• hitting surface. 10. The hitting device of claim 9 wherein said hitting surface has a plurality of holding openings formed therein and said hitting pad has a plurality of corresponding holding plugs attached to one side thereof, said holding plugs being insertable into said holding
• openings to removably mount said hitting pad on said hitting surface. 11. The hitting device of claim 1 including force indicating means mounted on said hitting device, at least a portion of said force indicating means being disposed within said interior of said hitting device, said force indicating means being responsive to sudden changes in air pressure within said hitting device to indicate the magnitude of said force applied to
• said bellows portion. 12. The hitting device of claim 11 wherein said force indicating means includes a body, a valve end, and a movable indicator, said body being mounted through a wall of said bellows portion such that said valve end is disposed within said interior of said bellows portion while said movable indicator is visible to one using said hitting
• device. 13. In a hitting device particularly adapted for practicing martial arts, such as karate, including a hollow central bellows portion which is contractible in response to an axially directed force, a hitting portion disposed at one end of said bellows portion and having a surface to receive a blow exerting such an axially directed force, a mounting portion disposed at an opposite end of said bellows portion by which said hitting device may be mounted on a desired support, and means associated with said hitting device and allowing air to be evacuated from an interior of said hitting device to permit contraction of said bellows portion, the improvement comprising adjustable vent means associated with said hitting device having a plurality of openings formed in said hitting device to communicate said interior of said hitting device with the atmosphere, and closure means for use in association with said openings to control the rate at which air from said interior of said hitting device is vented through said openings to said atmosphere to thereby determine the contractibility of said bellows portion in response to said axial force.
• . The improvement set forth in claim 13 wherein said mounting portion includes a generally flat mounting surface having a generally upstanding flange disposed about the periphery thereof, connected to said bellows portion, said vent openings being formed in said mounting base flange in spaced relationship about the periphery thereof, said vent closure means including a plurality of blocking plugs similar in configuration to the shape of said vent openings, said blocking plugs being disposed in selected ones of said vent openings to prevent the passage of air therethrough and thereby adjust the degree of contractibility of said
• bellows portion of said hitting device. 15. The improvement set forth in claim 13 wherein said mounting portion includes a generally flat mounting surface having a generally upstanding flange disposed about the periphery thereof connected to said bellows portion of said hitting device, said vent openings being formed in said mounting base flange in spaced relationship about the periphery thereof, and said vent closure means including a peripheral member corresponding in configuration to and having an interior dimension slightly larger than the exterior dimension of said mounting flange, said peripheral blocking member being disposed about said mounting flange for sliding movement relative thereto, a plurality of control openings being formed in said peripheral blocking member in spaced relationship therearound substantially corresponding to the spacing of said vent openings formed in said mounting base flange, said peripheral blocking member being movable relative to said mounting base flange and said vent openings formed in said mounting base flange as desired to adjust and control the passage of air through said vent openings, between said interior of said hitting device and the atmosphere and thereby determine the degree of contractibility of said bellows portion of said
• hitting device. 16. The improvement set forth in claim 13 wherein said bellows portion is formed in a generally cylindrical, frusto-conical configuration having a series of vertically spaced corrugations formed
• therearound. 17. The improvement set forth in claim 13 wherein said bellows portion, said mounting base portion and said hitting base portion are integrally molded from a lightweight, generally resilient plastic
• material. 18. The hitting device of claim 13 including force indicating means mounted on said hitting device, at least a portion of said force indicating means being disposed within said interior of said hitting device, said force indicating means being responsive to sudden changes in air pressure within said hitting device to indicate the magnitude of said force applied to said bellows portion.