Makiwara board

[joesteph]

Today in class, Shihon included makiwara work for me in my training. The makiwara had a rubber pad over the fist strike area, with "clappers" (as I call them) behind the pad. Below the pad was cord wrapped around the makiwara post, and below that was a wooden piece that would be for knee strikes, with cord wrapped below that as well.

Sensei saw me punching the makiwara, hitting it hard like a punching bag, and came over to help me out. He rolled up his sleeves, then demonstrated at perhaps half power, but with technique as his objective. He used the vertical fist as I did, but emphasized the knuckles to strike with, the straightness of the wrist, the elbows straight but not locked out. He used a rhythm with his punches in orthodox stance, then changed to palmheel strikes against the cord below the rubber pad.

Sensei also introduced me to using the board for knee strikes, so that I wasn't going to harm my knees, and showed, but didn't expect me to do, a certain low kick he said was one of the few he used in JJ against the cords below the knee strikes board. He left me to do combos of punches, palmheels, and knee strikes, which I performed in both orthodox and southpaw stances. If I didn't have to move on to the heavy bag, he'd have intro'd me to elbow strikes against the rubber pad.

I've heard warnings about the makiwara board, that it can harm your hands, but this method from Sensei has me thinking that it's the misuse of the makiwara board that causes harm. I liked what he showed me and made it a point to thank him about it after class with Shihon.

[Lupin1]

That's what my sensei tells us-- that the makiwara is only dangerous when people do it wrong.

[Toptomcat]

*Nod* You can screw your hands up hitting the heavy bag wrong, too, but it's a respected and viable method of training none the less.

[Lupin1]

Yeah. I would LOVE to build a makiwara to work with while I'm out away from my school, but I have no one to teach me how to work with one and I'd probably hurt myself. I'm considering just getting one of those Bob punching dummy things, but it's not the same.

[BDPulver]

Yeah thats the biggest problem with the board. If not shown the correct way most think its a padded punching board and nothing more.

The canvas one that I use will leave ones knuckles bleeding even doing it right. I use it in general to condition my hands and bottom of feet. I try and not hit too hard but sometimes I forget and start looking down and see I busted the skin.