|
"Claim your FREE subscription to my
"KarateTips" newsletter
(a $69.95 value,
yours free!)...
You'll get access to the backlog of 40+ articles for
improving your
karate skills!"
Simply enter your name and e-mail address below, and you will be subscribed INSTANTLY:
|
Important: I will never share your contact information with anyone. And you can unsubscribe at any time! Privacy policy.
|
|
|
-- Testimonials --
"I like your web site. Since I am a traditional Martial Artist it is nice to see the content... I think your web site is great for the beginner in martial arts and any new competitor to traditional Karate tournaments who wishes to improve. I hope you keep it up."
- Rodger Pyle
USANKF Team Coach
"I absolutely love the site and am so glad I found it after conducting endless searches for a decent and interesting site. The articles are great and I have already found someone who's training my style (Goju-Ryu) and is near to my grade, and we are chatting via e-mail. Thanks again."
- Fynn Robertson
Goju Ryu
South Africa |
"How To Use Your Makiwara!"
From: Jason Stanley, 3rd Dan Shitoryu
1st September,
2003 In part one I showed you how you can
build your very own makiwara. Since the time of building my makiwara
I have much to tell you.
I have always
been a big advocate for impact training for helping students learn
how to hit effectively. Over the years I have used many different
tools on a regular basis to develop my punches and kicks, but
never seriously used a makiwara until a few months ago. Some of
these other tools include impact pads, punch/kick bags, focus
mitts, ceiling to floor ball, speed ball and more. However after
punching my makiwara for a good six months on a daily basis, I
can give you some first hand advice of how to hit your makiwara
correctly. Most days I would punch at
least 40 - 50 times with both sides of the body. Other days this
number would exceed 100 depending on the circumstances, such as
how good I felt, what conditions my hands were in, injuries, etc.
| |
In the months since I've had my
makiwara, I've sustained only one injury from striking the pad.
The injury that I incurred was the resurgence of an old injury
- inflammation of my "pinky" finger on my left hand.
Yes it was painful and it's still healing. The makiwara is not
to blame for this injury - I am as I struck incorrectly. However
this could have easily occurred from hitting my punch bag instead. Anyhow this article isn't supposed to
stop you from hitting your makiwara. In fact I would like to recommend
building your own and recommend that you punch it on a regular
basis to develop your technique and focus. One
of the real incentives to hit your makiwara correctly is that
if you build it like I built mine, the striking pad is relatively
small. This means if you punch slightly off-line you can damage
your hand easily. This is a very good incentive to take your time
and ensure you are punching straight. Striking
a punching bag incorrectly and you can also damage your hands,
however the makiwara seems to be a little more unforgiving as
your hand can hit the square edge of the target surface. Secondly,
there is no protection on your hands like when using gloves on
a punch bag so there is a little more risk when upping the ante
and hitting with everything you've got. If you hit the edge...
ouch. I practiced 3 basic techniques during
my time on the makiwara. I have listed these below and included
some photos for you so you can get a good visual image to assist
with the explanations.
| Technique
# 1 - Mae Ken Zuki - Front hand punch |
 |
When punching
mae ken zuki, make sure that you line up directly with the makiwara.
Ensure that your punch is going directly to the impact point and
that you get your weight behind your technique.
Your
sensei will teach you how they want you to punch mae ken zuki,
however you'll find that rotating your front hip back a inch or
two and then driving it forward, you will generate a lot more
power than just using your arm. As with all technique, be sure
to have a good connection with the ground! This means have a nice
strong stance from which you strike. |
| | |
| Technique # 2 - Gyaku zuki
- Reverse punch | | | |
|
Gyaku zuki is generally the most common
punch practiced on the makiwara. When striking any object make
sure that your arm is locked at the point of impact create maximum
penetration into the target.
Weak
wrists and sloppy stances will lead to ineffective punches, injury
and frustration. I find that by rotating the wrist to the 3/4
turn position I'm less likely to "roll" my wrist at
the point of impact plus my punch is stronger due to better alignment
of the bones and less restrictive tension in the muscles in the
forearm. |
| | Technique
# 3 - Shuto uchi - Knife hand strike |
 |
Shuto uchi is another strike that you can easily practice
on your makiwara. It's a good one because it's a little different
to regular straight punches.
Circular movement and striking
with the edge of the hand gives you a whole other technical application
to work on. Be sure that you are striking with the edge
of your hand and not with your fingers. Also it's very important
to create tension by flexing your hand open at the point of impact
to stop it from collapsing and so you can create more impact. |
|
In
closing...
I have found that makiwara training has
been an excellent addition to my routine. So long as you take
the time to learn how to hit correctly before you cut loose on
your makiwara, the risk of injury should be minimal and the benefits
greatly outweigh the risk.
You might be wondering if I dressed
up in my gi everyday before I hit my makiwara?
The answer is no...
that was just for the article. That's the great thing about having
a makiwara at home. You can hit it whenever you want and you don't
require any other equipment or a training partner.
Finally you
might have noticed in this article I've been talking in the past
tense when referring to my makiwara... yes, sad news. My makiwara
gave up the ghost this week during a heavy punching session. |
| |
Jason
Stanley
www.karatetips.com
|
What
if you could hit twice as hard as what you can now? There
are dozens of individual aspects that make a strong punch and
each need to be maximized in order to have the strongest punch
possible. But what if I could show you ONE aspect right
now that could improve the impact of your punch by up to 100%?
Would you like that? Over 90% of people aren't doing it, and I'm
not just talking about beginners! This modification to
your existing technique is easy to do and you can see real results
within a week.
Click here
to learn more |
|
