The Striking Post
The makiwara striking post is a traditional martial arts training equipment which allows you to practice your techniques with good focus, posture and breathing. Beginners to the martial arts might look at an expert practitioner and marvel at calloused knuckles and gape at their powerful strikes. And then some might associate the pain of training with the ultimate prize of attaining the secrets of this lethal 'killing blow'. Do people think that the idea is to disfigure your hand, to create deadened nerve endings, in pursuit of an art?
Striking the makiwara allows you to increase kinesthetic awareness so you can increase striking force. Performing the same technique in the air does not give you the force feedback necessary for you to 'feel' how your body supports a strike. Remember the first time you got struck in the head? Did you feel that vibration go right into your neck? There's no real way to explain it until you feel it. Just like that, with strike post training you are better placed to gauge how the body structure supports each strike, and are better placed to acquire the necessary coordination to deliver a more optimised blow.
When I first used the makiwara, the tension in the body - whilst sufficient for shadow boxing and light gap closing type strikes - was inadequate for a powerful strike. Most of the power seemed to come from the shoulders and a lot from the arm. The strike of course only seemed powerful because the upper body generated the tension and was the source of the strike ... and this can be misinterpreted as having sufficient striking force.
The secret here - yes, the usual cliche - is to generate the strike from the legs and hips, amplify it through your core, and then transmit it into the striking tool. The factor for success is to make sure that this pulse sent along the body is synchonised very quickly, to not overly use your arm or shoulder muscles to generate power, and to strike with your body mass as a single unit.
 |
| http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makiwara |
When I first used the makiwara, the tension in the body - whilst sufficient for shadow boxing and light gap closing type strikes - was inadequate for a powerful strike. Most of the power seemed to come from the shoulders and a lot from the arm. The strike of course only seemed powerful because the upper body generated the tension and was the source of the strike ... and this can be misinterpreted as having sufficient striking force.
The secret here - yes, the usual cliche - is to generate the strike from the legs and hips, amplify it through your core, and then transmit it into the striking tool. The factor for success is to make sure that this pulse sent along the body is synchonised very quickly, to not overly use your arm or shoulder muscles to generate power, and to strike with your body mass as a single unit.
The video above proposes that one of the ways of training is to keep the elbow tight to the body. This is for beginners to strike post training. That with this approach, you can experience close to that 100% transmission of power generated by the body through the arm - within the shortest amount of time.
When you're hitting that target correctly - you'd know it. There is absolutely no way to hit more powerfully unless you pack on an additional 30 to 40 pounds of additional muscle. And when you do so, the strike will seem easy - not more powerful. It would be like your body was acting in concert with itself. You will however be rewarded with a resounding thump on your strike post - if you're hitting it dead on.
When you're hitting that target correctly - you'd know it. There is absolutely no way to hit more powerfully unless you pack on an additional 30 to 40 pounds of additional muscle. And when you do so, the strike will seem easy - not more powerful. It would be like your body was acting in concert with itself. You will however be rewarded with a resounding thump on your strike post - if you're hitting it dead on.
When I perform this strike nowadays, my elbow starts off in more or less the same position, but eventually departs from the body in order to acquire longer reach. However the muscle lock down and transmission is timed in order for maximum transmission to occur.
Please always make sure to be safe, don't break your wrist, and ensure the striking area is stable and flat.
Check out my post How to Hit a Striking Post
--
[ Traditional Taekwondo Perth | Testimonials | YouTube | Subscribe | Sitemap ]
Please support us by liking our Traditional Taekwondo Blog's FB page click here
Check out my post How to Hit a Striking Post
--
[ Traditional Taekwondo Perth | Testimonials | YouTube | Subscribe | Sitemap ]
Please support us by liking our Traditional Taekwondo Blog's FB page click here
Come play with us ...
We are located in Perth, Western Australia. But if you can't make it to us ...
Travel itinerary for our black belts in 2020/1 include but not limited to:
USA, Singapore, and Japan. Please inquire.
To avoid embarrassment, please do not inquire about certification through JDK. Additionally, please do not offer certification as a token of appreciation to any JDK member.
We are located in Perth, Western Australia. But if you can't make it to us ...
Travel itinerary for our black belts in 2020/1 include but not limited to:
USA, Singapore, and Japan. Please inquire.
To avoid embarrassment, please do not inquire about certification through JDK. Additionally, please do not offer certification as a token of appreciation to any JDK member.
