Chinese Therapy Balls
sg...@hotmail.com
doing, and we're hanging out in our dressing room, when the sax player
takes these large (slightly smaller than croquet balls) silver balls
out of his case and starts to kind of juggle them with one hand.
Nobody says anything (maybe they assume that silver ball juggling is
part of the End Times or something), so I ask him what the silver
balls are about.
He claims that they somehow relax the muscles in your hands and are
therapeutic for CTS (which he got from practicing 8 to 12 hours a day)
and some other wholistic type stuff that make my eyes glaze over after
a minute or so.
I decide that it's safest to humor these types of people or they
might get violent or something, and I even started to play with one of
his ba-
(wait a minute- there's got to be a better way to put this) one of the
silver balls.
Has anyone ever heard about these uh- balls?
PS.- He then proceeded to fuck the living shit out of the show's sax
book, which didn't help his credibility much.
Derek
Chinese medicine, it stimulates accupressure points in the hand, and
contributes to health.
El Kabong
> Has anyone ever heard about these uh- balls?
>
I've been using them for years. My left hand was damaged by Lyme disease,
and the excercise balls help. I was using them before I got the Lyme, to
warm up and loosen up my hands. A guitarist friend who teaches Chinese
martial arts turned me on to them.
You can use them to bonk someone, too, if you have to.
Johnny
Mark Kleinhaut
>
> Has anyone ever heard about these uh- balls?
>
I've used them on and off for years and they do help the circulation
and general hand health.
> PS.- He then proceeded to fuck the living shit out of the show's sax
> book, which didn't help his credibility much.
They never did jack shit for my sight reading skills either:)
Marco
traditional medicine works. I have the balls and I play with them in
front of television (when I remember to do that !): two balls in one
hand, then you should spin them on the palm working with the finger.
They help to get fingers independence, and moreover they help the body
health. When I go to China I also like to have full body massage and I
ask always dedicated arms, hands and fingers massages. There is a good
massage center at Beijing airport.
Marco
oasysco
Ahem... just what is it again that "stimulates" and "contributes to
health"? <g>
Greg
El Kabong
> Ahem... just what is it again that "stimulates" and "contributes to
> health"? <g>
>
> Greg
>
http://qi-journal.com/culture.asp?-token.SearchID=Baoding
".......I made sure to tell them that a set was given to President Nixon
upon his arrival to China in 1974, so obviously the Chinese considered them
a prized gift.
he Baoding ball is thought to originate in Baoding, China, a small city in
Heibei province. In that town, tye are referred to as "Iron Balls" because
they were originally made from solid iron.
In more recent years, the heavy solid ball has been replaced with a hollow,
chrome-plated steel model... usually with an sounding plate inside that
makes a pleasant tone as the balls are rotated. The balls are still
available in solid steel, solid stone, and solid jade versions as well. I
have even seen Cloisonne models which must be mostly for display. The hollow
chrome balls are by far the most popular and are manufactured by several
large factories in China. Several of these modern companies manufacture
aerospace products as well.
Although the date of origin is unknown, mass production of the Baoding Iron
Ball dates back to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), and Baoding craftsmen still
meticulously produce the majority of the balls we see.
How They Work
As we are told by most salespesons, the balls work on the meridians much
like acupuncture or shiatsu massage. According to Chinese traditional
medical theory, these meridians (Jingluo) are channels or pathways through
which vital energy (Qi) circulates within the body. Acupuncture points are
also distributed along these Jingluo meridians. By means of the Jingluo, the
ten fingers are connected with the cranial nerve and vital organs of the
human body including heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, gallbladder,
stomach and intestines. By stimulating these points with the Baoding balls,
each meridian is stimulated which in turn can create better circulation of
vital energy and blood within the body.
As one Chinese brochure states: (literally) "It can cause the jingluo
unblocked and thorough, the vital energy and blood to function in harmony.
the muscles nimble, the bones strong, the mind sober, can invigorate the
circulation of blood, and can prevent and cure hypertension and various
chronic diseases. If you keep on taking exercise every day for months and
years, you can get the fine results of keeping your brain in good health
with high intelligence and good memory, relieving your fatigue, drowning
your worries, and moreover, prolonging your life."
After a week of practice I cannot confirm the above claims, but I did find
working with the balls a very rewarding experience.
How To Start
Begin your practice with two balls. Rotate them clockwise and
counter-clockwise within your palm. This first step is easy and you will
soon begin to experiment, finding that if you hold your hand at a certain
angle, gravity will help you rotate the balls.
After you feel comfortable at this level, which should take only a couple of
hours of practice, you can proceed to deeper learning. Try rotating the
balls smoothly, without them coming apart and clashing together again. As an
alternative, you might try rotating them without them touching ... this will
work your fingers a little more, and is difficult if the balls are a little
large for your hand size.
Another alternative is to turn your palm downwards and rotate the balls.
This will build some finger strength and dexterity, much like rotating the
balls without touching. Be inventive and try cascading them one over the
other, etc.
If you practice for more than fifteen minutes with one hand, you will soon
notice that your forearm, shoulder, and hands are receiving a substantial
workout. Don't overdo it... relax and rest a bit if your body needs it.
The External Method
The logical and obvious way of moving the balls is to push them around with
your fingers. When one ball pushes against the other, it replaces it and the
other ball must move. If your palm is curved, the second ball moves into the
position that the first ball occupied and the rotation is begun. Repeating
this one simple movement will be enough to begin your adventure with the
balls. There are many variations of this theme, and you can use three balls
to increase the difficulty. With enough practice, you can even work them
around your fingers like a magician.
The Other or "Internal" Method
The next step is like learning an internal martial art. You must begin to
concentrate on what makes the balls move around in your palm. When you see
someone who is good with the balls, they seem to rotate like magic, with
almost no external effort. One important thing I have realized over the
years, the obvious way is not always the most efficient way of doing things.
I found that the "other" way of moving the balls is by making space for them
to roll into. You can practice this by rotating one ball in your palm. By
manipulating each muscle of the palm, and by putting your palm very flat so
gravity does not affect the movement, you can make the ball more about. Once
you can make one ball move, you can usually get two balls to rotate slowly.
Keep in mind that you are not pushing the balls, but giving them a space in
which to roll. With practice, you will be able to rotate the balls smoothly
and seemingly effortlessly within your palm.
This method requires small, minute adjustments of the muscles which takes
quite a bit of concentration and relentless practice.
Relax, concentrate on the body, movement within stillness, stillness within
movement... sounds like a meditation, taijiquan, calligraphy, massage,
qigong, or yoga class. Once you realize that the concept is the same, you
can practice any of these disciplines while you are working with the balls.
Higher Levels of Practice
To help you master the "Internal" method, you can test your abilities by
using three balls. Once you can rotate three balls smoothly (without them
separating), you can put a fourth ball on the top and watch it spin in the
reverse direction...a trick showed me by the young master.
Another technique which I have seen highly skilled practitioners do, is to
rotate two balls smoothly without them touching each other, using almost no
hand motion. I have heard stories about people who could do the same with
three balls.
One man told me about competitions among older gentlemen in China, where
they would meet and compare techniques. Although I consider him the best I
have ever seen at manipulating the balls, he said his skill was not worth
mentioning compared to these gentlemen.
Mark Guest
Thanks for the detailed post. I had planned on buying a set. Your post
should help it happen sooner. Maybe my acupunturist will be able to
refer me to a local shop. Thes sound like a great device for any
musician needing manual dexterity. (I guess only harmonica players are
exempt?)
Thanks again!
Mark Guest
jumpinjavabean
>
> - Show quoted text -
How long have you been going to an acupuncturist?
Is it for guitar-related problems like carpal tunnel/tendinitis?
Does it help?
Jonathan
Sean
Do they have to be actual silver?
El Kabong
"Sean" <se...@fake.con> wrote in message
news:8Uuki.26956$tB5.20261@edtnps90...
> El Kabong wrote:
> > I've been using them for years. My left hand was damaged by Lyme
disease,
> > and the excercise balls help. I was using them before I got the Lyme, to
> > warm up and loosen up my hands. A guitarist friend who teaches Chinese
> > martial arts turned me on to them.
> >
> > You can use them to bonk someone, too, if you have to.
> >
> >
> > Johnny
> >
>
> Do they have to be actual silver?>>
You mean to bonk someone in the head with? Only if it's a vampire.
But, the actual Baoding balls are chrome plated steel.
Johnny
Mark Guest
> Is it for guitar-related problems like carpal tunnel/tendinitis?
> Does it help?
>
> Jonathan
Hi Jonathan,
Not carpal tunnel. I have a bit of a back alignment problem that seems
related to playing, esp while sitting. I've had acupuncture that was
directly related to my back that works great. I decided I need a
general tuneup, and acupuncture is part of the picture. I don't
understand a lot about trad Chinese diagnostic techniques (or MRI's
for all that). I have had good results with acupunture, and my wife
has had seemingly miraculous results for carpal tunnel. I highly
recommend seeing a good acupuncture practitioner.
Best,
Mark Guest
jumpinjavabean
Mark,
Thanks for the info.
How many treatments did it take before you could feel results?
Do you go regularly for maintenance treatments?
I don't have carpal tunnel, but I do have frequent aches and pains in
my hands and wrists from many years of playing; I may try it some day.
Jonathan
Tone
In the article he posted they say that there are iron ones, jade ones,
etc. But if you can chrome plate something, someone probably will.
Lumpy
Sean:
> > Do they have to be actual silver?
Tone:
> In the article he posted they say that
> there are iron ones, jade ones,
> etc. But if you can chrome plate
> something, someone probably will.
I use them a lot and have several sets.
Some are chrome or nickel plated. Most are
enameled. Some have tone plates (chimes) inside.
They are all different sizes. Manipulating smaller
or larger therapy balls stimulates different nerves,
tendons, muscles. You can use more than two. You can
use more than one size or finish at once. You can rotate
the balls clockwise or counterclockwise. You can hold one
ball still while rotating two others. You can invert your
hand and rotate them while trying to keep from dropping them.
DO NOT manipulate them OVER a guitar or a dog or a
hardwood floor. Dropping an iron ball on any of those
immediately changes the ambient chi.
Lumpy
In Your Ears for 40 Years
www.lumpymusic.com
Derek
>
> DO NOT manipulate them OVER a guitar or a dog or a
> hardwood floor. Dropping an iron ball on any of those
> immediately changes the ambient chi.
>
Not to mention disrupting your Feng Shui.
El Kabong
"Derek" <de...@ycoaoffice.com> wrote in message
news:1184084960....@d55g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
Feng Shui doesn't seem to work as well in China as it does in America.
While many Americans look to China for wisdom, they're looking elsewhere:
http://chronicle.com/weekly/v52/i49/49a01201.htm
In China, a Growing Interest in All Things Jewish
Scholars and students examine Judaism as a model for a people's success in
the modern world
By PAUL MOONEY
http://www.filination.com/blog/2007/02/08/the-chinese-stereotype-for-the-jewish-way/
Seems as though "Jewish wealth" is highly respected in China (/Japan) with
books being sold with titles like "The Eight Most Valuable Business Secrets
of the Jewish", "The Legend of Jewish Wealth", "Jewish People and Business:
The Bible of How to Live Their Lives", and the best-selling "Jewish
Entrepreneurial Experience and Business Wisdom."