HERMAN FAQ

WHY THE HERMAN NAME?
The system gets its name from our desire to personalize a hi-tech device that acts as a personal training tool. A personal training tool needs a fun, personal name, so we called it Herman after our favorite real life training partner.

HOW DID HERMAN COME TO LIFE?
Herman evolved from a desire to overcome the boredom of training by creating an interactive partner that prompts workouts, measures performance, keeps score, and provides immediate, objective feedback.

WHAT MEASURES THE POWER?
We use the same devices used in cars to trigger air bags to measure the impact on a target. Each sensor includes 2 high impact Motorola accelerometers that cover all 3 axes so we can accurately measure every technique and attach the sensor anywhere.

WHY PORTABLE RATHER THAN BUILT IN?
We want you to spend as little as possible to use Herman so we made them flexible. By attaching our sensors, we turn the millions of existing dumb targets into smart ones. Suddenly, older freestanding, hanging, or hand-held targets become new training tools.

WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO ATTACH THE SENSORS?
We believe Velcro hooks & loops work best. Velcro permits users to attach one sensor to multiple targets, or place one sensor on multiple spots on one target. Of course, we still recommend limiting sensor movement so the hooks and loops retain their adhesiveness.

We include a 6” strip of 2” industrial strength hook and a 5” strip of 1” loop. To attach the sensor, follow these instructions.

1. Horizontally apply the included 6” rough (hook) strip to the target:
   On freestanding bags, place the strip on top or on the back, 8 to 10” from the top.
   On hanging bags, place the strip on top. Secure the hanging wire with additional Velcro.
   For BOB, place the strip on the top of his head or the back base of his neck.
   For Body Shields and most hand held targets, place the Velcro in the center of the back.
   For Focus Targets, place the strip on the top of the target 6” from the front edge.
2. Attach the sensor to the target with the soft (loop) side against the rough target side.
3. Firmly affix the included 5” soft strip to the top of the sensor and attach the Velcro ends to the target strip. This will secure the sensor for all impacts.
4. To place your sensor on another target, remove the top strip, slowly detach the sensor, and apply to the other target in the same manner.

HOW DURABLE ARE THE SENSORS?
Our sensors are extremely durable, but, because they're sensitive electronics, we want to avoid direct hits on the sensors. To provide some protection, we enclosed the electronics in a heat shrunk clear plastic cover which allows a view of the green power light illuminated in the Run mode. Our enclosure surrounds the cascade connection should additional sensors be desired.

IS ONE SENSOR ENOUGH?
After extensive testing, we decided that using one sensor worked very well, in almost every situation. But, Herman works with up to 3 sensors so we offer two secondary sensors that expand the targets or target areas. Herman displays the best score of the multiple sensors, while the HERMAN GRAPHICS program shows the score of each sensor as well as the best score for each impact.

WHAT'S THE SENSOR THRESHOLD?
The accelerometer measures every movement of the target, but, like in cars, we utilize a minimum threshold before Herman recognizes and counts a hit. To accommodate different target types and stabilities, and different athlete power levels, we include 5 threshold levels. Put the threshold as high as possible to make sure the readings are true without eliminating worthy strikes. We recommend starting with 7g for adults and 3g for kids and adjusting up or down from there.

HOW LONG IS THE SENSOR CABLE?
We believe the 12' cable provides a good distance for you to place it on the ground away from the target or for an instructor to hold Herman. You can connect an additional 10' speaker wire without any loss of data accuracy or speed. For longer distances, go wireless.

WHAT'S UP WITH WIRELESS?
Our upcoming wireless sensor kit eliminates the cable and increases the communication range. However, because the sensor and Herman have to be on the same channel to communicate, it's not as easy to move from target to target with the wireless. Also, the kits will be a little costly because the sensor needs it own power source and both the sensor and Herman need communication kits. Your Herman can work with both wired and wireless connections.

WHY 4 OPERATING KEYS?
We want to keep it simple, so we provide just 4 operational keys, with only 3 used in most functions. One key sets up the big picture, the other changes selections, and the third puts it all into operation.

• MENU
  Everything starts with the MENU key. Through this key you can run one of your pre-set programs, review your scores from prior workouts, and change the parameters of your workout and your target.
• GO
  Aside from turning on the power, GO starts the interval in the Run mode, stops the interval before it's complete, displays historical scores in the Review mode, and advances to the next set of parameters in the Setup mode.
• SELECT
  This key moves you from one choice to the next within the selected menu display. You can move to the next program, the next technique, or the next setting.
• SET
  This key clears your results after your desire to lose the scores is confirmed. It also works with SELECT to power off Herman.

WHAT DOES THE LCD DISPLAY?
In Hits mode, the LCD displays the remaining number of hits for the interval, the strength of the current strike, a graphic representation of the strike, and the scores from either the previous or best performance for that technique.

In Seconds mode, the LCD displays the time remaining in the interval, the number of strikes recorded, the strength of the current strike, a graphic representation of the strike, and the scores from either the previous or best performance for that technique.

When an interval is complete, the feedback text appears. Because we're limited to 16 horizontal spots in our text and numbers, we need to abbreviate some terminology and round some numbers.

WHAT'S WITH THE RUBBER BOOT?
The rubber boot provides important protection for Herman from abuse and hard drops. We currently provide a boot with each Herman, and offer red, black, and blue colors.

WHAT POWERS HERMAN?
The sensor requires a lot of power, so our design team worked hard to make it all work with 2AA batteries. We've built a couple of power saving features into Herman: 1) the sensors are powered only when Herman is in the Run mode; and 2) Herman shuts off after 2 minutes of inactivity unless he's in the middle of a workout interval.

Herman's batteries should last two to three months with regular individual usage and a month for class usage. Because they still expend energy when Herman is off, we recommend removing the batteries during down time of a week or more. The battery level indicators warn when it's time to change the batteries. Replacing the batteries does not impact the memory.

HOW COMPLEX IS HERMAN?
Herman's really very easy to operate. He has three different modes of operation to be used before, during, and after workouts.

SET UP
This is where you can choose between Seconds or Hits for your training intervals, adjust the target threshold, select the feedback type, and clear all results.

RUN
This is the workout mode. Herman prompts you through Best Shot, Speed Shot, or all the techniques in your workouts, powers the sensor, records your score, and provides feedback on your score.

REVIEW
This is the “how I have done?” mode. You can review all your saved scores from every technique in every workout.

Herman gives you choices as to how you want to train and what workout you want to do. You can keep it simple or load in more involved workouts – it's up to you.

IS THERE AUDIO?
Herman makes an audio sound every second of its countdown in the SECONDS mode increasing to two a second the last five seconds to warn that the interval is about to end. Herman also makes an audio sound every strike in HITS mode. The buzzer also sounds at the end of each interval whether it's ended prematurely or has run its course. In Speed Shot, an additional buzzer indicates it's time to hit.

WHAT DO THE SCORES MEAN?
The score numbers represent twice the measured g force. By doubling the force, we achieve higher raw numbers and reduce the number of ties caused by rounding.

• HITS - Herman counts the number of times your strikes exceed the threshold during the training interval.
• MAX - Herman keeps track of your strongest strike during the training interval.
• AVG - The total power of your hits divided by the number of hits during the training interval.
• SCORE - Herman multiplies the number of hits by the average score. This is the best representation of your overall performance during the training interval and is the basis of the text feedback.

You can compete to see who hits the most, who hits the hardest, who's the most consistently powerful, and who has the best overall score. You can compete against others or against yourself. Herman keeps the scores until you delete them.

WHEN DOES AN INTERVAL START?
Herman powers the Sensors as soon as he enters the operational Run mode. But he does not start the interval until the first impact. This gives you time to move from the Herman to the target, and allows instructors to give last second reminders. Herman then translates the information from the sensor and displays the scores in real time. In Hits mode, more time can be taken with each strike – Herman advances only after each impact.

HOW MUCH MEMORY DOES HERMAN HAVE?
We want to eliminate the need to write down scores, so we pumped up Herman's memory capacity. Herman retains over 500 interval scores and 64 Best Shot/Speed Shot scores that can be viewed anytime in the REVIEW Mode. You can go months without having to erase your workout scores. Best Shot/Speed Shot can be separately cleared and should be on a regular basis. We also made sure that no data is lost unless you want it lost. So power loss does not impact the stored data, and to prevent accidental deletions, there's an extra verification step before results can be cleared.

WHAT'S THE HITS OR TIME CHOICE?
Herman provides the flexibility to complete an interval by time or by number of hits. If you want to see how many hits you can get in during the designated time period or you want a cardio-vascular workout, select the SECONDS option. If you want to work on technique or want feedback solely determined by power, select the HITS option.

DO YOU HAVE TO TRAIN WITH HERMAN WORKOUTS?
No. Every Herman includes workouts, the Best Shot program that measures the power of a single shot or a 10 second interval, and the Speed Shot programs that calculates the score by dividing the power of the strike by the reaction time speed for 1 or 5 strikes.

The included workouts take from just several minutes to 20 or more minutes to complete, depending on the selected skill level and program. You may want to warm up with a low level program and then go all out with an elevated program.

CAN WE CUSTOMIZE WORKOUT PROGRAMS?
Aside from offering a dozen workout packages, we have the ability to customize workouts. We have complete flexibility in programming the number of techniques, the name of techniques, number of hits, and length of time for each workout interval.

HOW DO I GET UPDATES & CHANGES?
You can always update your Herman with the latest operating system and change your workout programs by using the Herman Programmer. The Programmer is free and can be downloaded from this web site. You can also purchase and download custom workout packages from this web site.

Herman contains a mini-USB port for easy computer connection. The same mini-USB cable used to import photos from a digital camera connects Herman to a pc. Unfortunately for Mac owners, our software only works with pc's.