Ok, I recently did a search online for some basic hand strengthening excercises, and was rather surprised to find forums upon forums of argument. It seems that ther is much controversy over what excercises are actually healthy. Posts dating back over months debate what is safe and what isn't, whether or not striking training is safe or not, and what will or will not cause arthritis and bone damage. Some got into pages of talk about meridians and chakra points. I was shocked. I'm not looking to put my hand through a brick, but would like to just do some basic hand conditioning so that, in the future, if I have to do an open hand or finger strike, I don't walk away hurting more than the other guy. So please, what is safe, and what will cause damage?

Makiwara practice requires proper alignment in wrist/knuckles. It's demise in training is unfortunate. When properly instructed, makiwara toughens the knuckles and ensures proper bone alignment. Likewise, ancient techniques involving kime jars and chushi stone develop awesome gripping and punching power. A jar with a lipped opening was filled with sand, gripped by the fingers and rotated to develop forearms. The chushi stone was a weighted stone on the end of a rod/stick. Beginners would grasp the rod near the stone and practice rotating it, eventually moving further down the rod increasinge the weight distribution. This develops gripping and tearing strength.

Nice site....looks like fun

Would any lipped jar filled with sand work, like a mason jar or such?
Also, would something like a mallet work as an impromptu chushi stone?

I'm not looking to put my hand through a brick, but would like to just do some basic hand conditioning so that, in the future, if I have to do an open hand or finger strike, I don't walk away hurting more than the other guy. So please, what is safe, and what will cause damage?

you are an idiot.

if you have to do a finger strike? Is the guy your fighting setting rules before your altercation?

if you can't pull off a strike with your fingers with power (most people probably can't) then learn to punch


People who hit hard objects with bare fists are idiots.
This is what you need: http://ironmind-store.com/Captains-of-Crush174-Grippers/products/8/

yes on hammer/ chushi, no on jar....lip must be wide enough stretch fingers and have enough lip to get finger tips under. There is also a way to lock your thumb joint @ rim, it's difficult to describe here
As to Chushi stone, a thinner handle would be preferrable to hammer because it gets pinky more involved

shihan, thanks for the input.
Do you have a link to a pic of the jar in use?


Mickey, thanks for the link. And I know that the punch is the strike that should be used practically all the time, and I am training my punch. I just want to find some excercises for conditioning my hands for other strikes as well, not to mention grip, and didn't want to excercise myself into carpal tunnel. I'm just trying to learn, and I have no doubt you know more on the subject than I do. That's why I'm here, asking you.
Either way, thanks again for the input guys.

Okinawa, Island of Karate" by G. Alexander has some pics and illustrations. Another drill is to rapidly open hand as wide as possible and squeaze tight...100 times.

Thanks again, ill look for the book.

Don't be a fucking dick.. no traditional method will build your grip anywhere near as well as Captains of Crush grippers..

seriously you are all fucktards.

kime jars and chushi stone

Fucking no. Fucking no.

Nigirigame and chiishi. Both of which are okay, but will not compare to spring-based grippers.

Those tools are not meant only for grip to begin with. They're used to exercise multiple muscle groups and motions. Not grip.

If you're going to purchase a book for traditional stuff, purchase Hojo Undo by Michael C. Clark.


Another drill is to rapidly open hand as wide as possible and squeaze tight...100 times.

That's a forearm exercise, fucktard.

edit: Also, OP, do not, for the love of Buddha, think about using nukite on a resistant opponent. It won't work.

But if you really want to work on it, fill a big jar with rice and do nukite into it a bunch of times. When you hit the bottom, fill it with beans, when you hit the bottom of that, put water stones in it

Don't be a fucking dick.. no traditional method will build your grip anywhere near as well as Captains of Crush grippers..

seriously you are all fucktards.

I had avoided giving the obvious answer :ky: because I thought this forum had more rules than YMAS, seems I was wrong. Still, I'm sure Lebell can put it better than me, (probably with pictures too)

For the OP, not sure if you meant grip strength or knuckle conditioning, for strength MMAMickeys suggestion is the one, otherwise I seem to remember a suggestion in one of the threads you will have read, about hanging a Judo Gi over a chin-up bar, (I'm hoping to try that when I live in a house thats not got paper thin walls).

If you mean knuckles then I'm pretty sure the consensus of those threads you saw was; don't waste time on it, it'll train you to unconsciously pull your punches when you should be training for good, powefull punches with good technique.

I had avoided giving the obvious answer :ky: because I thought this forum had more rules than YMAS, seems I was wrong. Still, I'm sure Lebell can put it better than me, (probably with pictures too)

I'm not trolling and I'm on topic. They are just idiots.

..this will get YMASed pretty quickly I would imagine, its not even really in the right forum it has little to do specifically with japanese martial arts

Not accusing you of trolling mate, just regretting not getting in a good wanking joke 'cos I'm still feeling my way round the different levels of moderation here.

Mickey, have you tried using any of the traditional techniques I've described? I bet not, but if look hard you can still find people teaching them. Do so, THEN comment on their usefulness. Much of karate has been lost due to people who don't understand the use of certain techniques, so they discard them. This is an error.

The topic was hand strength, the 100 times drill works the forearms which are directly connected to the fingers, thus improving grip and tension.
Proper use of the traditional methods far out pace the usefulness of spring loaded grippers, because the application relates directly ju-jitsu and aikido techniques. The multi-dimensional application of such technique improves practical application.