In all athletics and psychomotor skills there are supplementary exercises and movement patterns that are known to facilitate the performance of that activity when used regularly with the practice of the athletic endeavor. These supplementary activities are found in all recreational sports such as baseball, football, golf, and tennis just to name a few and are targeted to either improve the core strength or peripheral strength associated with the movements of the sport and/or reinforce the proper functional movement patterns and muscular synergy and neural networks associated with the actual sport. Thus, it is logical that martial artists in general and karateka in particular would also benefit from such specified strength and movement pattern activities to facilitate the execution of their techniques and improve the quality of their overall skill. This is exactly the intention of what is known as Hojo Undo or supplementary training by Okinawan karate practitioners. These exercises/activities have been around prior to the formalization of karate training and can be traced back to the roots of karate itself in ancient china. Further, these exercises are proven to facilitate the technique and practice of karate itself and are invaluable to the development of strong technique as well as preventing injury associated with the practice of karate.
Some of the more recent sports/athletic activities that have been developed over the last 100 years have only recently began to realize the benefit of supplementary exercise activity and are still developing programs to improve the play of the sport itself. A fine example of this relates to the NFL and football in America. A recently as 30 years ago you would never have seen the types and number of facilities dedicated to improving sport performance and sport specific exercise that you see today. Subsequently, you can see the results of this type of training as every year the athletes that enter the NFL record faster, stronger, and more impressive outcomes at the combine and are capable of playing the game at much higher levels overall than could have been expected years ago. Fortunately, although there are always new methods to improve function that can be developed, the forefathers of karate and of martial arts practice developed several tools, techniques, and series of supplementary exercises that can be easily followed, are widely known, and have been proven to improve a karateka’s overall technique, kumite, and tolerance to the demands of the activity. The purpose of this document is to provide an insight to several different forms of hojo undo training that are available to the karateka as well as, and perhaps more importantly, the rational from a physiological perspective as to the importance of these exercise as well as methods in which they should be applied. I feel that my background as a physical therapist allows me a unique perspective as to the benefits of these activities and a commentary towards their place in regular training.
The Tools
There are many different tools utilized in the practice of Hojo Undo as it relates to karate practice. These include the makiwara (punching post), single handed chi shi (uneven weighted pole), double handled chi shi (stone with handle on either side), ishi sashi (stone shaped like a kettle bell), tan (weighted bar), nigiri game (gripping jars), kongoken (large iron ring), jari bako (sand/stone box), and tou (bamboo bundle) to name a few. These items can be found from martial arts suppliers, on eBay, or easily fabricated by the practitioner as the intent of their use is simply function rather than form and any device that would provide the resistance in a similar fashion would be adequate and completely acceptable for use. Details regarding the fabrication of these items are easily found via an internet search and are beyond the scope of this document.
Further, these Hojo Undo tools can be categorized into impact tools and resistance or weighted tools. Due to detail associated with proper use and explanation of each item, two items from each category will be discussed here. The impact tools discussed will be the makiwara and the jari bako and the resistance tools discussed will be the chi shi and nigiri game. It should also be noted that in addition to these training tools discussed in this document there are also a variety of stretching and strengthening activities utilizing the practitioner’s body weight and posture associated with hojo undo training that will not be discussed here but are of equal importance to all karateka. However, the focus here will remain on the selected items mentioned above due to the scope of this document.
The Makiwara
The makiwara is considered by many karate practitioners and martial arts experts as the absolute most important hojo undo tool. Thus, it is easily the most well known and recognizable of all the hojo undo equipment. Many noted masters have been quoted as to the importance of regular use of the makiwara in developing power in technique as well as correct execution of striking techniques. This importance can be linked to several anatomical and physiological factors. The first noted is actually not the primary purpose of makiwara training but rather a side effect of the training that results in increased bone density, improved sinew strength, and conditioning of the striking surfaces that come into contact with the makiwara. These results are based on the scientific principle known as Wolf’s law. This law states that bone and soft tissue respond to the stresses that are placed on them. In other words in order to attain increased bone density there must be increased stress on the bone progressively over time in order to stimulate that bone, and or soft tissue, to lay down a thicker matrix and ultimately provide that bone with greater resistance to failure.. In other words for the bones to be strong there needs to be consistent/progressive stress applied to the bone in order to make it grow. This is utilized quite frequently in the medical field for resolution of osteoporotic conditions and for progressive return to function following a fracture or stress fracture to a bone. Thus, with repeated impact against the makiwara, both the surfaces contacting the board as well as the structures connected to the striking surface (forearm, upper arm, shin, etc) are subjected to a low grade stress. As this stress is applied repeatedly over time the bone and soft tissues respond by actually becoming tougher and more resistant to damage. This is the body’s way of responding to stress so that it can continue to endure that stress without failure. This response is the same for all of the Hojo Undo techniques that involve striking and is likely one of the greatest aspects of training that are absent in all dojos in the United States. It can largely be credited with many of the outstanding and impressive tameshiwari (breaking) demonstrations that were witnessed by high level karateka from overseas upon there initial introductions here in the united states during the late 50s, 60s, and early 70s. This includes many of the demonstrations performed by Yamamoto sensei during that same period.
As beneficial as the effects of Wolf’s law are for the karateka in conditioning the tissues and preventing injury as previously stated, they are really more of a side effect. This is because the primary purpose/intent of striking the makiwara is for the practitioner to learn to develop power into their technique from the resistance provided from hitting the makiwara. Unlike simply hitting a heavy bag which can also be used to increase power, the makiwara provides progressive resistance. Meaning, the farther you push it the harder it pushes back at you. This is critical as it permits the makiwara to feel the pressure through their entire body as they strike the makiwara. This feel enables the practitioner to ensure that the power in their technique is coming from the ground via proper stance and funneling into the hips to generate force. Thereby delivering technique in the power of the strike from their center or core versus striking the structure using only the musculature of the upper body and arm. It is this “connection” and kinetic chain loading that enables the practitioner to learn to strike using the whole body to generate force and the primary reason that skilled practitioners and karate masters who are slight in stature, build, and height but have trained on it consistently for many years are able to produce striking force that feels like that of a 6’8” 300 pound man. After all it WAS an art and form of defense that was developed by relatively smaller humans on this planet. Thus, it is the “pureness” of technique and force generation that is the ultimate aim of makiwara training and an aspect of karate that is most certainly sorely absent in the majority of training halls in the United States.
The Jari Bako
The Jari Bako is a very simple training tool. It is usually found as a bucket or container filled with sand, marbles, gravel, pellets, or some other form of small pebble. The intent with this tool is similar to that of the makiwara in that the development of tendon/sinew strength in tandem with osseous conditioning that is promoted. The primary difference from the makiwara is that the Jari Bako is designed for open hand techniques and conditioning of the distal end of the digits. It also differs in that it is difficult to attain the same benefit of proprioceptive feedback from the Jari Bako as it is typical that the practitioner would strike down into the bucket. Despite this limitation, the benefit of strengthening the tendons and tips of the digits via this tool cannot be underestimated and the frequency of the use of the nukite and ippon nukite strikes via kata should indicate the importance that the karateka should place on the preparation of these tissue to endure pressure and permit the use of this structure for striking. Further, although you may see many styles of karate and other martial arts that incorporate these strikes in their kata, it would be a fairly safe bet that greater than 90% of these practitioners would actually cause injury to themselves when trying to apply these techniques on a true opponent as their tissues have simply not been conditioned and strengthened to tolerate such a stress. Therefore, that leaves the question: if you are unable to utilize the technique in a true situation, what is the benefit of continued practice of the technique in the kata?
The Chi Shi
The chi shi is a device consisting of a wooden handle of approximately 18-24 inches that is imbedded into a circular piece of concrete on one end. The size of the concrete can vary to suite the abilities of the practitioner. Similarly, the practitioner can grab closer to the concrete or farther from the concrete to adjust the resistance based on their strength and tolerance to activity. This may be the second most recognizable Hojo Undo tool. The purpose of this device is to facilitate strength of the upper extremity musculature and shoulder girdle in tandem with providing increased stability about the joints of the shoulder, scapulothoracic, elbow, and wrist as well as strengthening the grip. The movement patterns vary and can be designed to target different regions of the upper extremity. The importance of strengthening these regions revolves around the development of a strong grip as well as stability through the upper extremity to endure the impact associated with striking techniques and to allow the practitioner to effectively control his opponent via grip once he has attained a purchase. Further, as with most of the hojo undo tools, the benefit of having to control the resistance distally results in increased stability centrally with emphasis on increased core stabilization and proper hip placement in relation to the practitioners stance As the bunkai and goshindo of the kata are examined and extrapolated, there are many applications that include controlling the opponents limb, throwing techniques, and off balancing maneuvers. These applications are of little merit to the practitioner even after perfecting the movement pattern via the kata or understanding the associated applications if the karateka does not display an adequate grip to maintain the control during an actual confrontation. Here again we can see that the use of the hojo undo tools are to develop more functional and practical application of the techniques practiced via kata movements. Thus, the hojo undo tool could be viewed as a kinesthetic mechanism to assist the practitioner in “feeling” the technique that is present in the kata as opposed to just going through the movements. Ultimately this should result in both better execution of the kata due to improved postures and joint positioning as well as the capability to translate the kata movements into useful techniques via an opponent.
The Nigiri Game
The Nigiri Game or gripping jars are simply large jars with an opening sized so that the practitioners hand is capable of gripping the jar in a “claw” fashion. It can be filled with water, sand, stones, or even concrete to suite the individual’s strength and as such is easily advanced in resistance as the strength of the grip, forearms and upper arm improves. The jar is held in the hand while the karateka proceeds through series of rotations of the arm, lateral and forward rising of the arm, and elbow flexion. These movements are often combined with footwork or ebusen of the kata in an effort to strengthen the karateka’s stance and foundation by having them move while their body is weighted, thus helping to develop a weighted tanden or center as movement through stances occurs. This is a lesser visualized benefit of the use of the Nigiri Game yet of equal if not greater benefit to the karateka than the actual grip strength itself. While the development of the grip is essential for the karateka to functionally and accurately apply the movements of the kata with a partner via bunkai and goshindo, a maintained and heavy center/tanden is crucial to the development of power in all techniques and maintaining balance while striking, moving, gripping, or throwing. Again, in this instance the benefit of the use of the hojo undo equipment is not limited to the appendage involved, but rather is useful in the development of power, strength, and stability throughout the body as the practitioner learns to derive his strength from posture, hip placement, and ultimately from the ground on which he stands.
The tools outlined above are small sample of the range of equipment and techniques that can be utilized via the activities know as hojo undo to improve the karateka’s technique, power and durability. Despite the brevity of tools and exercises mentioned, it is clear to see the benefit of the use of such devices in particular and of hojo undo in general for the martial artist. Further, these activities require little skill and little instruction to attain a functional knowledge and within a short amount of time the practitioner can become quite proficient in each of the hojo undo activities. This is why it is so concerning to me that these activities have been so largely abandoned here in the United States. All that is really required to attain the benefit of using these devices is consistency or discipline. This discipline is one of the many attributes that so many karate schools and organizations pride themselves on here in the United States and use as a popular selling point. However, these same institutions fail to reinforce the simplest form of discipline that could not only facilitate the progression of their students in karate training but would better prepare them for a combative situation either on the street or even in structured competition. For example if two martial artist are of equal skill in a competition, then surely the advantage would go to the one whose body has been more conditioned to the activity at hand. Further, if a practitioner is attacked on the street and performs the most structurally accurate punch to the bridge of the opponent’s nose, yet also breaks his own hand in the process was something not lacking from his training to capably defend himself. Thus, the benefit of hojo undo cannot be mitigated and I feel that all karateka could improve their technique, strengthen their body, and prevent injury by returning to the roots of martial arts training. I hope that this document has served as an introduction for the reader to the practice and benefits of Hojo Undo and that ultimately it motivates that reader to pursue such endeavors.
