Makiwara Training - The Dangers For the Novice

[Pauline Winters]

Makiwara training can be a very important part of your martial arts
practice. However, their are some dangers associated with it that you
need to be careful about, especially for the novice. Read on to find
out more.
With the proper training and guidance, the makiwara can be an
important tool, creating iron-like fists and rock-hard knuckles. This
training takes time and even more importantly it means that you have
to be careful.
Here are some issues that you need to be aware of if you are going to
practice with a makiwara:
1. The goal is not to make your fists bleed. Novice martial artists
feel like they need to "catch up" when they are using their makiwaras.
They practice in the basement until their knuckles bleed so that they
feel like they have accomplished something. The only thing
accomplished is that you now have to postpone your training and start
all over. The goal is not to ruin your hands.
2. You must slowly work up your power level. If you start out too
hard, you can cause excessive bruising and even infections in your
hands, near the joints where the swelling has created a cavity. You
don't want to have swelling either.
3. You makiwara is padded incorrectly, or it does not bounce enough.
One of the biggest crimes currently on the Internet is that so many
martial arts dealers are selling the padded boards that you mount to a
wall. These should never be used, they have no give, only a pillow for
a pad, and they are terrible for your joints. I have even seen people
advocating that you should punch a 4 x 4 that doesn't move at all,
terrible advice. The board should bounce fairly easily when you punch
it.
4. Give your hands time to recover. They will be a little red and sore
after training. This is normal. Give them a few days to get back to
normal. If you feel like your hands are injured or stiff all the time,
then stop training until they recover, or stop training altogether.

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