Makiwara
What it was:
There are so many people out there
that that love to talk about 'The Old Ways' of training and two of these ways that
drive me nuts are Bogu and Makiwara. First, for any of my students that might be
bored enough to read one of my rants, I guess I should define what a Makiwara
is. In the early years of Karate
training, you couldn't just go down to the local sporting goods store and buy a
punching bag. You could however shove a
stick or board down into the ground and wrap some rice rope around it. The board would give or flex as you struck it
and the rice rope would be softer than the board. So this was essentially what they would use
to practice punches and kics.
In
Taika's early years, he trained on one and actually had some pretty big calluses
on his knuckles. After the war, when
servicemen were training over in Okinawa, they still didn't have much in the
way of training equipment, and this was cheap.
Years later, when Taika came to the United States, he would have his
students train on one. He would also
make them bring a metal coffee can to class filled with their own urine. Yes, the old remedy of urine being an
antiseptic was in play in the dojo and people would make their knuckles bloody
then soak them in urine. Again, old
training tips from ancient times.
As Taika got into his 50's, and
gained in wisdom, he never trained on Makiwara.
Several discussions in class would come up over the years and he would
say that this was, 'Stupid Training'. He
said that the makiwara was a great tool for weeding out the undisciplined, as
well as taming those with attitudes.
Much like Punching Bags and Neosporin, there were much better ways in
the past few decades to train. He would
talk about how his hands didn't need to be tough to enact any of his Kyusho
techniques. After decades of not hitting
makiwara, he was still able to knock any of us unconscious with his fingers, and not
a callus on his knuckles.
What it has become:
In the world of Karate, Martial
Arts or whatever name you brand it with, the Makiwara has become a tough guy
badge, a rite of passage. People think
that it is cool. "Hey look at me, I was
able to damage myself repeatedly until calluses built up over an already hard
and bony surface." If the two, typical
striking knuckles of my fist strike your neck at the correct angle, do you really
think they need to be ANY harder than bone?
I suppose if you are breaking boards and cement blocks, then you might
enjoy the added protection of thicker skin.
But since boards and blocks don't usually attack innocent karateka, I
don't think I'll waste my time training in this nonsense. So if hardening the surface of a bone (still
makes no sense to me no matter how I type it) isn't useful, then the only
reason left is ego. Ego, needs to be left
out of the dojo and life in general. We
don't need it in Te and this is just one example of where it rears its ugly
head. Taika had more wisdom and
experience in Te than anyone I have ever met, and I think I'll follow his lead,
letting the Makiwara go the way of the DoDo.
Question,
ReplyDeleteIf the makiwara has become something to avoid in one's training shouldn't principal 7 be changed to reflect this?
"7.Become familiar with the use of the makiwara and other training equipment. Train yourself to use your firsts, body and positions. Be patient and study earnestly the katas and matches. Do not aim for hurried success."
Well, it is funny that you mention the Principles. I view them now as a historic document. I had several discussions with Taika about them as Tony and I were attempting to update them and make them available for sale again. The old copies everyone had from the 60's and 70's that were brushed by Nakamura had a few typo's, cross outs, etc. They also didn't have RyuTe® Ren Mei in the name. Over the course of a year, we had gone through the old Principles and broke down every single character. Tony would brush each one again on an large sheet of rice paper, I would import them into Adobe Illustrator, etc. We then made a new scroll, digitally ensuring that everything was perfect and with all the kana and kani becoming mathematical equations, they could be blown up to the size of a building without distortion.
ReplyDeleteWe were so proud of all the work and the RyuTe® Ren Mei was in there now. Our thought was that the association could sell them again like they used to, and Taika could make a little money, we would take no royalties or anything. Talking to Taika during this process, bringing pieces to class for him to look at and all, he would continually say, "This ok but not important." He felt that his motto, "To strive to attain to moral goodness and express it through ones every action" was sufficient. He didn't care about the principles or even the dojo kun. Of course these are still good tools to instill morals into the young students for those that maybe teach the pre-teens, but for those of us who taught fully grown aults (Taika included), forcing students to recite mantra they may or may not believe in isn't going to wash that brain any. So Taika's view, and I concur was that the Dojo Principles were not important, just being a good moral person was. Being able to recite something from memory doesn't mean I believe in it, so who are we fooling by requiring these of adults. Taika believed they were ok as a historical reference so I don't think they need changed, but perhaps just explain to your students that there are really better options than the makiwara in today's world than their were back then. A B.O.B. (Body Opponent Bag) is a great tool. Fill it with water, you can more adequately deliver power and it rights itself. I can teach a student to punch with power and lift the front off the ground, then it rights itself again. The visualization of what you are striking is easier. The shape is closer to reality. You can add weights to it. That was Taika's point. No disrespect is meant to our ancestors, Taika evolved and so should we.
We wouldn't try to ride a bike to the moon.
And thank you very much for reading my babbling and replying.
Thanks Lee,
ReplyDeleteI read Tony's and your blog as often as I can for other perspectives.
I train with the makiwara, (not as often as I should) and have been taught other ways of using it that do not involve bashing my fist into a bloody pulp. If you use (misuse) a heavy bag the same way people do a makiwara (100-200 punches each session with no hand protection, and use a rock hard bag) you will develop callouses and the other unpleasant side affect just the same. I think of "old school" training (nigiri game, chiisa, and yes the heavy bag) like the training montage from Rocky IV ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye8jddRP-bs ) old school vs high tech training. There is something gained from this type of training (when done properly) that can't always be duplicated with "new" technology. That being said I have also been told that the makiwara and other tools were not always meant to be used every day of your life. i.e. if you punch was not aligned properly you may have to work with the makiwara until this issue was remedied. Either way I truly believe it is a useful tool (used properly) that shouldn't be dismissed out of hand. (I think I read Tony's blog too much :) ). Anyway, thanks for taking the time to reply and I'll see you on the forum.