The creation of the Enigma Movement Bag
August 26th 2017 is a date many will remember as the biggest fight in combat history, boxing v MMA. Floyd Mayweather Jr v Conor McGregor also known as "the money fight" became the second highest pay-per-view buy rate in history.
The fight grabbed the attention of the mainstream media and in turn it seemed the whole world had an opinion on the outcome. Most boxing fans felt the fight was a farce, the superior boxing skills of the undefeated Mayweather would be too much for the king of the octagon.
One of the stories that drew my attention was the fact that only a few years previous Conor McGregor was on the dole and here he was now on the verge of a reported $130 million fortune for at most 36 mins of boxing. As the father of a then impressionable 10 year old son, I informed him of the story and the fact that anything is possible in life with the right mindset.
The story placed a seed in my head that rather than telling him anything is possible, I had to show him. Just over a year after the the fight while doing a house workout, the lightbulb moment occurred. The spare room of a four in a block ex council house in deepest darkest Coatbridge, Scotland was hardly the most inspiring of places but the birth of the Enigma happened right there. Midway through a dips workout on the Olympic Rings, I started shadow boxing to loosen off the build up of lactic acid in my triceps. While throwing my fresh air punches I noticed one of the rings swaying side to side. I started punching through the ring and realised how good it was for accuracy and hand to eye co-ordination. The feeling of achievement surged through my veins with each successful attempt. Buoyed by my increasing speed and accuracy, I started changing my angles and height to make it harder. As I bent my knees to throw another jab, I noticed the floor to ceiling ball through the ring. I stopped immediately and thought what a great idea it would make - a round punchbag with the ball in the middle. I knew I had to act immediately while the emotion was so raw and intense. I floated around the various merchants to collect everything I needed to build my first prototype, all the while thinking how the bag would work in practice. After a few days and a few you tube tutorials on how to sew, the first bag was ready. Although it was crudely built, it blew my mind as to all the different things I could do on the bag. The angles, the movement, even getting the odd clip on the head when my movement was to slow all made me believe I was creating something unique. I tinkered for the next few months on a variety of different things like weight of the bag and aesthetics and as my sewing skills improved it started to look more like the finished article. Aside from all the creative tinkering, at this time I started to pursue getting a patent for the bag. At this stage after perfecting the prototype I had the daunting task of finding a manufacturer. I say daunting, what I mean by that is, it was difficult trying to explain over the phone or in emails a product that doesn't exist. Even when they understood what I was explaining they didn't always understand how it would work. Eventually I found the right fit and here we are now.
The two years from conception to launching the Enigma has been a great learning experience, both in terms of personal development and making a unique product. In overcoming all the hurdles that come with creating a new product the company logo was born- PERSISTENCE BEATS RESISTANCE.