These are specially designed karate boards made of clay.
Due to their beautiful aesthetic, they’re popular as decorative ornaments.
Due to their shape, they’re perfect for practicing dynamic karate techniques such as spinning and jumping.
So, what are Makiwara boards? Makiwara boards are training tools used in martial arts.
They are used to improve striking power, balance, and endurance. They are made of wood and have padding in the middle.
A striking surface is put on top of it, and a handle is put on either end. Martial artists strike the board with their hands to build their striking strength.
Makiwara boards are usually used with a makiwara shinai, which is a wooden practice sword. However, makiwara boards are also sometimes used without the shinai.
What is Makiwara?
The “Makiwara” is a striking board developed over a century ago by Chojun Miyagi.
However, the Makiwara have a rich history in Japan dating back to the Edo period.
As a result, practicing on traditional wooden structures known as “Kama” or “Tachi” has been a common part of Japanese martial arts for a long time.
The Makiwara is arguably the most important training tool in a modern Karate-ka’s arsenal; indeed, it is arguably the most important tool any martial artist can own.
There is no doubt that the Makiwara is one of the most effective tools for developing power in the hands, forearms, and wrists as well as building punching speed and explosiveness through body mechanics that transfer to the fighting arts.
Types of Makiwara Boards
Wall-mounted Board
The wall-mounted board is installed on a wall at an appropriate height for practice.
As a result, pupils have to walk across the mat in order to strike the board.
A solid training routine will train you to improve your footwork and speed while teaching you to be aware of your surroundings at all times.
This board may also be referred to as a “tatami board” because of its resemblance to the tatami mats used in traditional Japanese homes.
While hitting, the board can sway slightly on its mount, which adds to the realism of the experience and helps develop a sense of timing for attacks.
However, a bare Makiwara is beneficial because it allows you to work at your own pace without distractions from other students’ noise or movement.
Traditional Board
It is composed of wood with a pad in the middle and is covered by a leather cover to prevent injuries during use.
Due to the absence of cushioning, this wooden structure is less effective in teaching proper body mechanics and balance and should be used with caution until your body is fully conditioned to working with it.
It allows you to practice at your own pace without distractions from other students’ noise or movement.
When it comes to working out with this type of board, you should always wear shoes to minimize the possibility of injury if you should slip during your workout.
However, it is more difficult to find a place for mounting this type of board, and it is often easier to carry it around with you from place to place when practicing on your own.
As a result, if you haven’t built your strength to a certain level yet, it is best that you stick with using one of the other two types of boards first and work up to using this traditional style.
However, one cannot dismiss the significance that the use of a wooden structure has in developing the proper form needed for effective strikes.
Benefits of Makiwara Training
Makiwara training, or striking training, is one of the most effective methods of training, according to Japanese traditional martial arts.
It not only trains you for self-defense but also improves mental focus and concentration. It may look simple, but it is a rigorous form of training that pushes you to your limits.
Makiwara training is especially beneficial for beginners because it improves your reaction times, improves your posture, and builds your self-confidence.
As you advance in your training, you’ll gain power, speed, endurance, and body control.
Makiwara training consists of striking a wooden or rubber board or striking bag.
The objective is to strike the board with force and speed without causing injury to yourself.
How to Train With Makiwara?
Makiwara training is a type of training that uses a makiwara, a piece of training equipment from judo or karate, to practice throws.
The makiwara is a padded wooden board that is used for practicing throws and strikes.
There are many benefits to practicing makiwara, such as developing body awareness, developing coordination and balance, and increasing strength.
To Train With Makiwara, You Must Set It Up First
Use some padding to put on top of the makiwara to ensure safe training. Mats or towels work well for this purpose.
Practice With A Partner
It’s important to have a training partner when learning new martial arts moves. This is because your partner can help you develop body awareness and ensure that your technique is correct.
Start With The Strike
Start practicing with strikes first to practice the basics. This will help you develop footwork and body awareness.
Practice The Throw
After doing some basic strikes, practice the throw by practicing with your legs. This will help you become comfortable with the movement pattern of the throw.
Practice With Full Power
After developing your throws, practice them with full power. This will increase your heart rate and help you develop stamina.
Practice with a Bag
After doing your throws and strikes, practice with a bag. Practicing with a bag will help increase the speed at which you can perform your moves.
How to Make a Makiwara Board?
Makiwara is a type of training or sparring partner used in karate and other martial arts.
It is used by karate practitioners to practice punches, kicks, and blocks against a padded target or board.
The goal is to develop power, speed, timing, and accuracy while eliminating bad habits from developing during practice.
Making a makiwara board is not as difficult as you may think. All you need are a few pieces of wood, such as plywood, a saw, a hammer, nails, screws, pliers, sandpaper, and glue.
Simply cut the plywood into the desired size and shape and nail the pieces together.
To enhance the padding effect, add a layer of foam to the board. Then use the saw to cut a groove in the foam and wrap it with an elastic cord or rope.
Add more layers of padding with foam sheets to give the board more durability.
Does the Makiwara Board Work?
The “Makiwara” is a striking board used in Karate and other martial arts to enhance punching power, speed, and accuracy.
However, the Makiwara has a questionable effect on improving a person’s punching power, speed, accuracy, and performance against a real opponent.
As a result, practicing on a real opponent may be more beneficial to one’s development as a martial artist than “makiwara.”
Is the Makiwara Safe?
The makiwara, when used correctly and with appropriate protective gear, provides a safe and realistic environment for practicing martial arts.
So, using a makiwara board with protective gear and training partners will most likely result in a safe environment for practice.
However, injuries can still happen when someone uses a makiwara board without regard for safety guidelines.
This is because the board, when used as a target, is too hard, which may cause a boxer to punch the body or head instead of the target.
Is Makiwara Good for Training?
Power will come naturally as your body adapts to the physical demands of your training.
To address your question, Makiwara can be used to improve hand-eye coordination as well because you’ll be constantly moving your arms at different angles to hit the different targets on the board.
It is not about forcing yourself to hit harder and harder but training yourself to be able to control your power and hit accurately when necessary.
Also Read: Wado Ryu Karate History and Techniques
Conclusion
A makiwara board is a training tool for karate students.
It helps them build power and speed in their strikes. A makiwara board consists of a cylindrical piece of wood with weights on either end.
To use it, karate students strike the board repeatedly with their hands or feet to build strength and power. Later, they can strike the board more powerfully with their fist or leg.
A makiwara board also helps improve karate students’ speed.
By moving the board around and striking it again and again with hands and feet, karate students develop explosive speed, which is important for offensive and defensive moves.
It’s essential to train with a makiwara board if you want to become a powerful karate fighter.
