Makiwara

By Master Ronnie Colwell

One of the major imagery in the general public’s perception of Karate is that of Karate practitioners performing feats of breaking wood, tiles etc. in fact there seems no end to the materials that seem to be attacked even large blocks of ice that would be more at home among the ice flows of the bearing sea.

However I am coffining myself to what is loosely known as hand conditioning by using the traditional Makiwara. With regards to the wide range of striking aids on the market I give no opinion, and confine myself and these few words to what we would all recognize as the traditional post Makiwara with Japanese rye straw striking head.

Makiwara can come in many different forms each has a different lesson to teach. Coordination, strength, speed, when one truly practices with the Makiwara the gains are tremendous however the down side can be very serious lifetime injury, that is why very deep thinking should take place before undertaking this training, the major problem facing the determined is that age old one, finding a competent Instructor one that does understand the Makiwara Waza, and can guide you through what will bring about massive changes in bone structure and physical appearance etc, and if you are fortunate he will do all in his power to dissuade you from taking such a path as I do.

There is no question that 16 year olds and below should ever under any circumstance undertake Makiwara practice, it is said by some that between 16 and 18 a student must have their parents permission to undertake such training,” permission “for what, to have possible arthritics in years to come and malformed hands, problems caused by shock wave to the lung spine, loss of sensitivity and much more and many of these effect will take years to become apparent, what parent has the right to give that permission?

There is so much clap trap wrote and advocated on hand etc conditioning it would be hilarious if it was not so dangerous. And the mythology surrounding this type of training are legion, a prime example is that a Shuto can sever the horns of a bull, no human hand can or ever can severed the horns of a bull, and anyone who thinks it can be done should just carry on with there Harry Potter book.

Are you dissuaded yet you should be, there’s a multitude out there just waiting to get their hands on your hands (couldn’t resist the pun) and of course your money. One of the essential ingredients needed for Makiwara practice is the medication that is applied to the different areas, and the real thing is not cheap and you will use a lot of it, a Teacher will identify it for you, however be aware that you could be easily sold a product that may well be sold as a hair restorer in another country or a clamed remedy for an antisocial disease.

Still determined? Also the straw Makiwara head must be of quality Japanese straw, over the years a look-alike has appeared from the China area and they are cheap however there is a high risk that under certain conditions they develop a fungi that if it get into your system through a scratch you could be in big do do, that is another reason why a variety of heads are now in use, apart from the fact that to get a real one is difficult manly because there is no commercial market. By now you must surly be totally dissuaded I am doing my best to stop you, still want to know more? How about poisoned hands are common?

I am an admirer of boxers I admire the skill level and commitment to consistent and rigorous training, and I don’t believe that a boxer can function as a boxer without bag work, likewise there is a school of thought that says that a Karate Ka does not function without Makiwara training other than calisthenics

Makiwara is a much overlooked aspect of Karate, indeed some Masters believe that without it a persons Karate affectivity is dramatically reduced, some even say ineffective. The regime is a hard one to follow physically mentally and yes spiritually. One must work at it daily through the four seasons. Ones starting daily strikes on either hand may range from 30 to 60 morning and evening, also before and after formal practice. To many this number may seem low, however your kimai is to a depth of about 2in and it is usual to have a training partner standing behind the Makiwara post with the palm of there hand about 2in away they must be consistent and diligent in this so that the strike makes the Makiwara post slap there hand and only the strikes that have caused the post to slap are counted so it is easy to see why one must start on low numbers.

So when you can drive that post to slap your partners hand 50 in succession and it is repeatable daily you will be well on you way to power kimai and Mushin. It has been scientifically measured that a punch trained on the Makiwara can measure up to 2000lbs per square inch, and repeatable again and again that is awesome to think that the human hand can take that pressure. At this point the practitioner with have united with the intangible Shin-Gi-Tai At this point you may well be asking the question was I dissuaded or did I under go the practice well I will tell you…………. No no I won’t I will leave that one to your imagination.

Ronnie Colwell