Makiwara
A Makiwara ( Jap. 巻藁 , meaning maki - roll rewinding, and wara - straw ) is from Japan derived sports equipment , which is primarily in karate as a wooden percussion posts and Japanese archery, Kyūdō is used as a practice target.
karate
Traditionally, a makiwara consists of a flexible, non-breaking and non-splintering wooden board , at the upper end of which an approximately 30 cm long and 10 cm wide wrap of rice straw serves as a punch pad. In the traditional version, the board is about 2.00 to 2.40 meters high and about 10 cm wide. While it is 10 cm deep at the lower end, it tapers towards the top to about 1.25 cm. From the total length 1.20 meters to 1.50 meters are dug into the ground and firmly anchored there with two stable cross boards.
Modern variants have different punch pads (often foam rubber with leather or synthetic leather cover ), are significantly shorter, usually do not taper and can usually be attached to a wall. There are also versions that only consist of a spring-loaded punch pad.
Striking techniques with the fist are mainly practiced on the Makiwara. In principle, kicks and other techniques can also be trained on it. Since a Makiwara springs back when it is hit, training on the device places special technical, physical and mental demands on the practitioner. Accordingly, the exercise on the Makiwara trains precision and posture, strength and endurance as well as attitude and concentration .
Kyūdō
The Makiwara consists of a tightly wound rice straw roll approx. 85 cm long and 30 cm in diameter, which lies on a wooden frame. The middle is about the height of the mouth of the standing archer, who normally shoots at the straight end face. In some schools the Makiwara was also set up on edge and shot on the curve. Replacement materials are reed grass, straw-filled barrels and foam boards.
A special featherless or very briefly feathered Makiwara arrow is shot at the Makiwara from a distance of only 2-3 m.
The Makiwara is used by beginners to practice shooting motion sequences until they are confident enough to shoot at greater distances.
But even advanced shooters should practice about 30% of their training time in front of the Makiwara in order to perfect the complicated movements in Kyūdō and to correct mistakes without being distracted by a target.
literature
- Werner Lind : The dictionary of martial arts. China, Japan, Okinawa, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Burma, Indonesia, India, Mongolia, Philippines, Taiwan, etc. Sportverlag, Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-328-00838-1 , ( Edition BSK ).