# Strengthening the Ki Hand...?



## Doomx2001 (Aug 11, 2012)

I was interested to learn how you guys develop a strong wrist. In one of the styles of Hapkido that I study, we do 'Ki Exercises' where the fingers are fully outstretched as we do controlled breathing and body movements. The idea of ki exercises is to not only build 'ki' or internal energy in the body, but also to build muscle in the wrist. 
Whenever someone grabs your wrist, the idea is to make a Ki Hand, and that actually loosens the grip of your attacker from the muscle expanding in the wrist just enough to where you can 'break-away'. 
Anyway, that is just my background on the 'Ki Hand', and I understand everyone's training is different.

So my question is this: *What exercises do you do to build strong wrist muscles? What exercises produce the best results?*

I was thinking that, besides my regular ki exercises, that I would build a spring based finger gripping device that produces tension everytime you flexed your fingers.


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## zDom (Aug 11, 2012)

Some we've done over the years in hapkido classes include:

&#8226; practicing sword-type "cuts" with a bokken

&#8226; practice sword-type "cuts" from kneeling position but using a staff instead of a bokken

&#8226; with arms extended straight out, spreading hand wide then clenching into a tight fist x 300

&#8226; push/pull drills holding partner's dobok in basic judo grip (left hand grasping their right sleeve, right hand grabbing lapel)

&#8226; black belt technique includes sets of wrist locking techniques practiced against full resistance by partner

On my own, I did knuckle pushups (more to strengthen the punching position, but still helps hapkido strength);
and I always do my bag work without wrapping wrists or using any gloves.


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## Doomx2001 (Aug 11, 2012)

zDom said:


> Some we've done over the years in hapkido classes include:
> 
> &#8226; practicing sword-type "cuts" with a bokken
> 
> ...




In my opinion its a really good thing to condition your hands the way you've been doing. The knuckle push-ups help make tougher knuckles, and the bag work makes your hands tough as leather. Me, I practice punching walls, trees, and bricks. I can hit pretty hard hitting those objects. Now I'm trying to strengthen my finger tips, and it is painful!

The fingers wide and fist drill 300 times, does that work pretty good? Of all the exercises and drills you do, which build strong muscles in the wrist the best?

As far as I go, in class we do Ki Exercises. But at the house, I practice keeping my hands at an even level (palm down) with my arm, then flexing my palms up and out, and back down again. I'll do this until it burns, and I feel it in my forearms. It takes a while for the wrist muscle to get a good workout. I'll try doing the same thing with the hands in a knifehand/spearhand position. This works good as well. 

Thanks for the reply.


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## puunui (Aug 13, 2012)

I would focus on forearm development.


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## WaterGal (Aug 13, 2012)

I'll have to try some of these!  We don't do anything specifically to strengthen wrist muscles at my dojang, but I really need it.  My wrists are kind of small and delicate so I'm always straining them when somebody throws or wrist-locks me too hard.


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## bushido (Nov 15, 2012)

Wrist curls and reverse wrist curls with a barbell
Reverse curls with an e-z curl bar
roll ups...put a 5 or 10 lb weight at the end of a 4 foot rope.  drill a hole through the center of a 12" long wooden dowel (broom handle or some thing similar)  big enough to feed the rope through.  Feed the rope through the handle and tie a knot in it so it can not pull out.  raise you arms out straght in front of you at shoulder height, holding the stick in your hands, with the weight dangling in front of you.  Now roll the stick until you have wound the rope up and the weight is touching the stick...now roll it down.  Repeat.  Great wrist exercise, I hope I explained it well enough to be useful.  Let me see if I can find an example, lol








There 

Kettle bell exercises are also great for thickening the wrist


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## bushido (Nov 15, 2012)

BTW, we call this live hand.

As a side note, Houdini also used this technique to gain slack or space in the ropes he was being bound in 
It is still a practice used by escape artists today...


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## Doomx2001 (Nov 15, 2012)

bushido said:


> Wrist curls and reverse wrist curls with a barbell
> Reverse curls with an e-z curl bar
> roll ups...put a 5 or 10 lb weight at the end of a 4 foot rope.



I"ve actually been trying just that for the past 2 weeks. Goju ryu and Uechi ryu people have really good wrist exercises, and they use the method ( one of many ) as you described. 
If rolling up and down the weight counts as one, how many repetitions or sets would you recommend?
Also, if you use this in your own training, have you noticed a difference in wrist size?


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## oftheherd1 (Nov 16, 2012)

Doomx2001 said:


> I was interested to learn how you guys develop a strong wrist. In one of the styles of Hapkido that I study, we do 'Ki Exercises' where the fingers are fully outstretched as we do controlled breathing and body movements. The idea of ki exercises is to not only build 'ki' or internal energy in the body, but also to build muscle in the wrist.
> Whenever someone grabs your wrist, the idea is to make a Ki Hand, and that actually loosens the grip of your attacker from the muscle expanding in the wrist just enough to where you can 'break-away'.
> Anyway, that is just my background on the 'Ki Hand', and I understand everyone's training is different.
> 
> ...



We did the same as a way of developing ki, and I think it works.  For strengthening the wrists, we used knuckle pushups, and finger pushups, but they weren't emphacised.  Some of the stretching exercises also help in strengthening the wrists, but not so much.  I used to use a machine in the gym that was specific to strengthening wrists, but I have only seen it in that gym.


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## iron_ox (Nov 16, 2012)

Doomx2001 said:


> I was interested to learn how you guys develop a strong wrist.



Training.


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## Instructor (Nov 16, 2012)

Yes I agree with Mr. Sogor.  Regular Hapkido practice will build strength in the wrist and hands.


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## bushido (Nov 16, 2012)

Doom...I usually use wrist rolls at the end of a bicep/fore arm routine...1 up and down is one set.  Add 2.5 lbs, do your next set...add 2.5 lbs and do your next set.  5 sets total

Heavy bag work is good for the wrists too, but because you should be striking with the back of your hand flat with your forearm (flat, straight and in line), most of the impact is negated, so we don't really get much benefit from it 

If you want big and strong, you use weight and supplementation.  If you want lithe and moderate strength, you use body weight exercises.  Bet you can guess what school I am a proponent of   lol

And no, mass does not slow you down...this is one of the biggest fallacies there is...any one care to tell me why?


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