Makiwara: what do you use for padding?

scohen0300 · Member of the Month

I’ve been using a leather pad that slips comfortably on top. Currently considering getting some rope to change things up. What do you think?

What do you use for padding your makiwara? What do you prefer?

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Bulltahr · Brown Belt

Hemp rope wrap.
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Wastelander · KF Sensei

I have both a rope bundle pad and a leather pad, and I can slip a piece of floor mat into a pocket in the leather pad for when my knuckles are sore. They each have a different feel.
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sensei8 · KF Sensei

Depending on my intent as well as my mood, I've a wide plethora of what I pad my makiwara with. You think about it, I have more than likely use/used it before/still.

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Wado Heretic · Green Belt

I personally favour leather, because it is easier to keep clean, and I find it less incidentally injurious. I also find it is easier to add additional padding to a leather-bound design, if and when I need to.

It is a poor craftsman that blames the tool, but my experience with rope wrap has always been a matter that it is not if but when will I break the skin. When I do my cross-country endurance training, I stop and hit trees, so I am not afraid of pain. However, it is a pain to have to stop training to clean everything and wrap my hands up. I will add I do have a skin condition that makes my skin more fragile over bony protrusions such as my knuckles, so I a little biased.

A bit of an aside because I feel that makiwara training is often approached with a masochistic ideal of making the hands impervious to pain and breaking. I believe that Makiwara training should be about training posture and conditioning the tendons and shoulders to resistance. Brutalising the hands is redundant training. You cannot magically make the hands unbreakable, no matter the amount of conditioning done. The bones will never become denser than the skull and other larger bones in the body. Most muscle movement of the hands start further up in the tendons of the forearm. If you can punch with all your force and not experience some discomfort, you either cannot punch that hard or you have no sense of pain. There is a reason professional fighters wear gloves, despite all the time they put in training to hit things. If the makiwara was the magical ingredient for preventing broken hands: all professionals would be using them.

A weight routine with Indian Clubs or Kettlebells and improving your technique on the heavy-bag or speed bag, will generally be of more benefit over a more challenging Makiwara. I am saying all this as a believer in Makiwara training, as I do it daily, but it does have a roof of diminishing returns. It is great for posture training, because posture will cover up a multitude of sins with regards to body-movement, however, the path to your best punch is: Getting stronger, improving your technique, and maximising your accuracy and timing.
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scohen0300 · Member of the Month

Yeah I’ve been hitting my makiwara for a few months now using a leather pad. Just a few days ago, I finally bought some Jute rope to wrap around it. I found it much easier to strike, Even feels better - although my knuckles got slightly cut up just yesterday!

They’re very minor, and I can’t even tell they’re there unless I literally look at it but I’m sure they could become much worse if I keep punching.

As for the heavy bag - it’s just not as satisfying! I go to a boxing gym 3x a week and although I can beat the heavy bag much harder and longer than the makiwara, the makiwara has its place in my heart. Just like karate has its place in my heart far beyond boxing ever will. Wish I could could say the same for jump rope but...

I keep hearing about the hemp rope. I’ll give that a try next!
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- Matsubayashi Shorin Ryu, Nidan

scohen0300 · Member of the Month

I saw on a different post, different website;

Someone said to mix kosher salt in warm water and rub it on your knuckles before and after makiwara training. Can anyone confirm this and why??
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- Matsubayashi Shorin Ryu, Nidan

Bulltahr · Brown Belt

Salt draws moisture out of the skin, but I think it should be a gradual process otherwise the hard skin can just crack and split. I would not rush it.....
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Fat Cobra · Blue Belt

I just started re-training with the makiwara. Rope is all you need!!!!

Karate no Michi!!!!

P.S. My knuckles hurt!

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