Idea packs punch

ST. CHARLES – Physical pain is old hat to David Hopper. A professional mixed-martial arts fighter, Hopper has absorbed his share of punishment; his right hand alone has been broken four times.

That sort of agony, Hopper knows he can handle. But in the coming months, Hopper is putting more than his body on the line.

On April 1, Hopper’s Power Punch Gloves – new equipment designed to help mixed martial artists, boxers and kick boxers increase their punching speed and power – will be available for purchase.

Hopper, a trainer who works out of Johnson’s Core Fitness in downtown St. Charles, is anxiously awaiting the public’s response, but insists all his effort will be worthwhile, regardless of how the coming months unfold.

“Even if it is a complete loss and I do lose all of my money – which, when I say all of my money, I mean, literally, all of my money – I’d rather know that I tried than wonder ‘What if,’ ” Hopper said.

Hopper, though, is confident his invention won’t be a bust. Matter of fact, the 23-year-old is confident the gloves could become a major seller.

Power Punch Gloves are trumpeted as a more effective way to enhance punching power than traditional methods such as working out with bar bells or exercise bands. The resistance is attached directly to the gloves, allowing users complete use of their padded, gloved hands.

Hopper, who grew up in Bartlett but also has lived in Batavia and St. Charles, came up with the idea during a training session in February 2009. He worked on the gloves for about three months and was near the finish line when a snafu was detected, leading to several more months of refining.

As a teenager, hockey was Hopper’s passion, but his propensity for – guess what, fighting – during games drove him from the sport and, ultimately, toward MMA.

“I’m not the type of guy who just goes out and starts a fight, and if somebody tries to start a fight with me, I always diffuse the situation,” Hopper said. “I’ve never been in a real fight because I think it’s stupid.

“But in that situation, in hockey, yes, it always got the best of me. I don’t like people who talk [trash]. That really bothers me.”

Hopper’s first amateur MMA fight confirmed that he had found his athletic calling.

“We just beat each other up for 15 minutes straight, and afterward I was like ‘I want to do this again right now,’ ” Hopper said. “It’s a really, I guess, odd feeling to want that, but it’s an amazing feeling. You feel really good afterward.”

Hopper’s fight schedule – he has won four and lost one fight since turning professional at age 20 – had to fit around a college education at Northern Illinois, where he received a degree in kinesiology. MMA athletes  seldom  are viewed as scientist material, but Hopper is a well-rounded fighter.

“He’s got a huge heart and is just the complete opposite of a fighter outside of the ring,” said Ericka Hopper, David’s older sister who has worked with him on the Power Punch invention. “He’s very, very smart and his background is kinesiology and personal training, so that’s where this idea really came from.”

Hopper teaches various martial arts in St. Charles seven days a week – more than half of his pupils are high school students, he said – and he also mentors clients in Oak Brook, in addition to maintaining his personal workout schedule at Midwest Training Center in Schaumburg.

Devising an invention by age 23 is a heady accomplishment, but Hopper is more proud of the bravery involved.

“Anybody’s capable of [an invention] – it’s just scary,” Hopper said. “Everybody’s got great ideas every day, it’s just taking that leap.”