Korean Makiwara?

[jcwebster]

Does anyone do striking board practice in their Taekwondo dojang? If so is it endorsed by your Masters? Just wondering because at my dojang my Master doesn't promote body hardening methods too much.

Also, does anyone know what the Korean term for a Makiwara is?

[moogong]

My TKD master is a strong advocate of hand conditioning and is a firm believer in makiwara training. His english is very limited so he just calls it a punching board...I never asked him the Korean term. He also has a set pattern of finger and hand conditioning training to be used on bag full of beans or ice.
I guess it all depends on your teachers and their emphasis on such things. :)

[Akuma]

Good point, Moogong...I think it definitely depends on your instructor. We are actually discouraged from this type of conditioning by our school, as it can lead to injuries down the road. And let's face it...why would you need that type of conditioning. Nobody should be getting into so many skirmishes that they need that type of "tough skin". Just my opinion, though :) peace

[Luebbers]

My friend's TKD instructor is also an advocate of hand conditioning and my friend has two makiwaras in his back yard. He's broken his hand once, by the way.

[Bugeisha]

We don't work on it too much in the regular classes - as Len said, it's a moot point for most people. We do some light work on the hands, and some forearm and shin knocking drills, but nothing too serious. The instructors on the other hand (as well as any of the adults that want it) can learn and practice more intense conditioning, often inspired by a board break that didn't "go."

[moogong]

I can see the point that it can be damaging in the long run but that point can be applied to just about everything in the martial arts. I think the key is proper training and instruction in body conditioning from a qualified instructor.
Also, I do not recommend or pass it along to newbies as they often see it as as shortcut to gaining skill, and therefore over do it. Going full power with too many repetitions from the first day of this kind of training can be very detrimental. On top of that, improper use of a makiwara can cause damage to the joints...I have actually witnessed somebody using a striking post like a heavy bag. It all comes down to proper instruction.

[tbmonti]

I think that this type of training is very benificial to a martial artist. We do all sorts of body hardening and conditioning exercises at my dojang. Also I have heard it called dalyeun-ju or kwon go. Not sure which is right if not both.

Respectfully,
Anthony B. Monti

[Wlerp]

My instructor is a big advocate of body hardening. We train our hands, feet, shins, and forearms for striking and blocking. I myself have been doing it for 17 years now with no detrimental effects. Of course there are going to be downfalls to it. I have seen some people with some gnarled up looking hands and feet. Mine are pretty gnarled themselves. They are not deformed but I have big knuckles and they are calloused looking. Other martial artists notice them first thing. When we hit the daliahn-ju it jars the bones in the hands and builds callouses and causes calcium build up in the hand. I know that if the guy I hit in the head turns a little too far and I punch his forehead, I will not break my hand.
I also know that when I block with my forearms or shins that the guy is going to withdraw his hand / foot in a lot of pain.

Again there are drawbacks to body hardening but I will continue to train this way because my Kwanjang nim said so many years ago. If you train correctly and don't overdo it everything should be OK. Just keep yer head about ya and learn from a Master.

If you want to read a bunch about this, find books on Masotas Oyama. He killed bulls with one punch. It is videoed and documented.