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ezzi91
ezzi91's picture
Shureido makiwara

Hey!

Has anyone bought Shureido's makiwara? I have been thinking about buying one as I am not very good at making stuff and I have heard that a badly constructed makiwara can be harmfull. I also think that Shureido's makiwara is a quality product but as I am not sure I am asking here. The price is also very high, 200 €. Is that too much? Also is it even possible to use makiwara in an apartment or is the noise too much? I have been thinking about getting a big piece of wood where to install makiwara and stand on wood to keep it straight. Has anyone done that and is it a good solution? I do not think that my neighbours would approve if I installed makiwara straight to floor.

Wastelander
Wastelander's picture

I've known a few people who have bought the Shureido makiwara, but I doubt it's worth the price. You can get a metal fabricator to make a mount for you for way less money, and then you just get two or three oak planks from a hardware store, cut them so each is progressively shorter than the other, and you're set.

Personally, I feel like making your own makiwara is kind of a rite of passage :P

ezzi91
ezzi91's picture

What about the noise issue?

Wastelander
Wastelander's picture

ezzi91 wrote:

What about the noise issue?

Not much you can do about that--hitting a plank of wood is going to be loud, just about any way you go about it.

Stuart Akers
Stuart Akers's picture

One  thing to bear in mind, even a weight bearing wall is just bricks with a thin coat of plaster and repeatedly punching something onto the same spot will cause the plaster to fall off.

If you put it on a normal lighweight dividing wall then that's 2 sheets of plasterboard nailed either side of a wooden frame and plastered over the top - about as sturdy as it sounds - not at all!

I will admit to serious amount of curiosity as to why you feel you need one.

Mark B
Mark B's picture

I would suggest that you take a different option - the iron palm bag. This traditional Chinese method is easily as efficient, if not more so, than using Makiwara. You can buy a bag online for less than £10. I fill mine with a 50/50 mix of Mung beans & Haricot beans. Begin with the bag about half full, this allows for a bit of give in the bag to allow the hand to become accustomed to the impact. After 35 days of training increase the amount of beans in the bag to three quarters full and train for another 35 days. After this time fill the bag to full if you feel you are ready, and that's it - a very compact training tool. Iron palm training is best practiced striking downwards - I use a wooden stool with 4 legs at about waist height. A large range of hand strikes can be practiced - using correct breathing and the weight of the hand only - Palm, palm heel, Sword hand, hammer fist, back of the hand, back knuckle, Ridge hand, forearm, single knuckle strikes, and more, devastating strike power can be achieved . I would advise you also purchase some Dit Da Jow ointment (fall hit wine) which should be applied before and after training to aid healing and prevent swelling etc. It's interesting to note that calloused knuckles are often seen as a badge of honour in karate. The Chinese approach is different. You can still develop hard striking weapons without creating damage to the hand. Regards Mark