-by Joshua Black
The
Makiwara
is a Japanese word meaning “forging post.”
Basically, by using a makiwara, you are forging your fists like a
blacksmith, creating iron-like tools for raw punching power.
The
makiwara is
traditionally used for hand strengthening techniques,
but can also be used for kicking practice as well. There is a
separate
version of the makiwara that is used for sword practice as well.
The origin of the makiwara comes from the birthplace of karate -
Okinawa. A makiwara is always found in traditional Okinawan
dojos.
There is a quote from an old master that reads:
“A dojo without a
makiwara is nothing more than a dance school.”
Basically this means that you must make you tools (fists) strong
before you can consider yourself a complete practitioner of martial
arts.
The makiwara has an unclear history as to how old it actually is.
There are mentions of the makiwara in texts from the 1930’s, but
I believe that the makiwara originated back to the beginning of karate
in the late 1800’s along with the rest of the training tools and
weapons
of the day.
It’s design lends itself to the traditional Okinawan weapons and
materials
of rice straw and oak.
The makiwara is used to develop kime (focus), timing, good technique
and punching power. It toughens the knuckles and skin, and teaches the
importance of using the power of your legs and hips by bringing power
up from the ground.
The makiwara helps develop concentration and technique to the point
where there is a theory that the physical, mental, emotional and
spiritual
parts of your mind and body, meet as one at the exact point of impact,
delivering incredible power and penetration into the target.
There is much controversy around makiwara training and if it causes
damage or benefit to the hands. Using Wolff’s law, makiwara
training
may have a huge benefit to the karate practitioner, causing greater
bone
density in the areas of impact.
Wolff's law is a
theory developed by the German Anatomist/Surgeon
Julius Wolff
(1836-1902) in the 19th century that states that bone in a
healthy person or
animal will adapt to the loads it is placed under. If
loading on a
particular bone increases, the bone will remodel itself over
time to become
stronger to resist that sort of loading. The external
cortical portion of
the bone becomes thicker as a result. The converse
is true as well: if
the loading on a bone decreases, the bone will become
weaker due to
turnover, it is less metabolically costly to maintain and
there is no
stimulus for continued remodeling that is required to
maintain bone
mass.
–Parapharsed and Reprinted from Wikipedia
In 1985, the British
Journal of Sports Medicine conducted a survey in
which the hands and wrists of 22 Karate instructors were examined
under x-ray and by a physician. All of the instructors had at least 5
years
experience. The study concluded that: "Long term and routine practice
of Karate does not appear to predispose to early onset of
osteoarthritis
or tendonitis in the hands of those studied."
Medicine
and Science in Sports (Vol 1-2;95, 1970 ) published the
results of a study in which the right hand of Masutatsu Oyama was
x-rayed in both 1955 and 1970. Oyama had been training on the
makiwara board since 1931, and over 30 years of makiwara board
training had not produced any malformation of the bones on his hand.
There was no evidence of any old fractures or calcification and in
either
set of x-rays, his hands appeared normal.
However, Oyama did have thick calluses on his knuckles. Callused or
keratinised skin is caused by repeated striking or any form of
repetitive
application of force to an area of the skin. This may be seen by
inspecting the area where your pen rests against your fingers when you
write. If you write frequently, you will notice a small callus of
keratinised
skin. The body naturally protects itself if it detects that a part of
the body
needs extra padding.
A traditional makiwara contain a rolled straw punching pad. Some of
the old Okinawan karate masters believe that straw has chemical
properties in it to help heal wounds that will invariably happen.
Although there is no proof of this, striking a straw makiwara is less
brutal and it offers a resistance more similar to hitting a body then
does a simple leather pad. Hemp rope is also used as a striking
surface.
The only problem in using a straw pad or wound hemp rope in the dojo
is the problem of passing along blood borne diseases. Nowadays, the
straw is usually replaced with a leather or plastic pad and is normally
placed on the makiwara board and cleans easily.
A common misconception is that the makiwara board should be stiff.
Actually, it should be flexible so that force is transmitted forward
when
it is struck and not back into the shoulder, which could result in an
injury. Sometimes, instead of placing the pad on the makiwara board,
it is attached to a spring mechanism mounted directly on a wall.
Good luck with your training,
Joshua Black- Creator of The Ultimate Makiwara
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