Dojo Undo

Lee Richardson wrote:

This is a spin off from the Karate/Judo Documentary thread which showed Japanese and Okinawan karateka using traditional equipment. Does anyone here use this kit? If so is it because it's ideal, or because it's traditional? I'm all for keeping to a plan that works, not re-inventing the wheel, but have we really not advanced in the intervening years? I can understand that the old masters were simply using the materials (and technology) that was available to them at the time, but I'm sure they'd adopt modern kit if it was possible.

As for makiwara training - the only footage I've ever seen of people using them are striking with their arms fully extended. Is there a good reason for that? When we perform kata or kihon waza it's with the understanding that contact was made at approximately 70% extention and the remaining 25% (we never lock out the joints against fresh air) is follow-through.

I use chi ishi and makiwara..maikwara does some very specific stuff, I do it for the benefits, not because it's 'traditional'. Lawrence Kane has an article on here about how makiwara training works. Far as the lever-style weights, those can be found in almost any culture, and have their modern incarnations too...such as club bells. I pretty much do any exercise with them I find that works what I want, for isntance Scott Sonnon does club bell stuff, you can do all his exercises with chi ishi and many are excellent.

I would add here that many up and coming things in the world of strength training (kettlebells, bodyweight exercise) are actually a modern take on old methods and implements, not new forms of exercise in the least.

I also make use of heavy bags, mitts etc. of course, but these things are not substitutes for the other training IMO.

This is purely a subjective thing, but I found the power generation/penetration difference between people who did good makiwara training and similar and those that stuck with strictly heavy bag was big enough to convince me of it's worth. I realize i'm probably a minority in that, and of course there is plenty of bad/misunderstood makiwara training out there.

On the extension thing i'm not sure what you are asking exactly, you just do seiken on it and it provides progressive resistance, the harder you hit the harder it pushes back, forcing you to correct your posture against the force. You should never lock your arm for anything..obviously.

Again whether you use traditional methods, modern methods or both..these things are called supplemental training, none of them represents a whole system or method...but they do different things, a heavy bag is not a 'replacement' for a makiwara, and vice versa.

Fair enough Zach, and well put. You obviously know what you're doing and (and this is as, if not more, important) why you're doing it.

One thing with Makiwara, I remember being introduced to the idea int he 80's/90's, at this time there was much less information around about how to properly use or build one, and what it was actually for.  I think alot of people doing it publically were basically just banging on a stick. Still today you hear alot of people talk about it as if it's just to 'toughen the knuckles' and such, it serves alot more integral purpose than just conditioning your knuckles.

http://iainabernethy.co.uk/article/makiwara-training-time-honoured-way-d...

Here is Lawrence's article, I have hit one he built (I think), and I have to say it is one of the best i've used, so I think his instructions for building are probably quite good.