Any advice for training your grip / fist?

[Jenna]

Hola supertuff MTers Please can anyone advise on alternative methods for forearm strength and specifically grip strength? I can work my Aiki techniques by adroitness alone, but yet, I will admit a degree of annoyance that I cannot call to bear this 'grip of death' that I regularly note upon me from others.

I have been using a Powerball gyroscope thing http://www.powerballs.com/ for a while and have seen a grand improvement and but I find this a difficult muscle area to develop. I have spent plenty of time with machinery so do not lack hand hardness but a mighty grip would be an extra edge. And I train to gain every advantage

I would welcome any thoughts at all. I guess this is maybe perhaps the equivalent to training the taut fist in the striking arts.

Thank you.
Yr most obdt hmble srvt,
Jenna

 

[Sukerkin]

It might sound the oddest advice but have you thought about taking up a sword art?

It'd be an excellent companion to your aikido and I can attest that the grip strengthening effects of sword wielding are quite marked.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Grip Training

Grip Strength Exercises (1/2 way down the page)

 

[Brandon Fisher]

I would consider practicing nigiri game and chishi.

 

[jks9199]

Hola supertuff MTers Please can anyone advise on alternative methods for forearm strength and specifically grip strength? I can work my Aiki techniques by adroitness alone, but yet, I will admit a degree of annoyance that I cannot call to bear this 'grip of death' that I regularly note upon me from others.

I have been using a Powerball gyroscope thing http://www.powerballs.com/ for a while and have seen a grand improvement and but I find this a difficult muscle area to develop. I have spent plenty of time with machinery so do not lack hand hardness but a mighty grip would be an extra edge. And I train to gain every advantage

I would welcome any thoughts at all. I guess this is maybe perhaps the equivalent to training the taut fist in the striking arts.

Thank you.
Yr most obdt hmble srvt,
Jenna

What exactly are you trying to do? Do you want a stronger grip, a tighter fist, or what? What do you want to do with the strength? Hold somebody longer or more effectively? Your goals will shape the best exercises for you; they aren't the same if you want to hold longer or hold stronger.

 

[Jenna]

It might sound the oddest advice but have you thought about taking up a sword art?

It'd be an excellent companion to your aikido and I can attest that the grip strengthening effects of sword wielding are quite marked.

Thank you kindly sir for this suggestion. I adore sword arts, I think the movements are beautiful though, having tried a few times, I would be a poor candidate I think I am way lacking in requisite finesse. However, thank you nonetheless, I value your advice

Grip Training

Grip Strength Exercises (1/2 way down the page)

Thank you Mister Xue for passing these on to me. Climbing training - I like your lateral thinking! I think I am completely lacking in this kind of supplementary training beyond the art itself, so thank you again

I would consider practicing nigiri game and chishi.

Thank you Brandon for this. I will admit in my ignorance, I had never heard of these. I will go away and look up some more. I appreciate your suggestion for me

What exactly are you trying to do? Do you want a stronger grip, a tighter fist, or what? What do you want to do with the strength? Hold somebody longer or more effectively? Your goals will shape the best exercises for you; they aren't the same if you want to hold longer or hold stronger.

Hey there my primary art is Aikido and am looking to develop a tighter grip simply to execute techniques with a little more, um... grunt I guess. I mean finger / grip / forearm strength, not for hold-endurance nor for making a fist, but I think the training might be similar perhaps?

Thank you good folks again
Yr most obdt hmble srvt,
Jenna

 

[morph4me]

Hey there my primary art is Aikido and am looking to develop a tighter grip simply to execute techniques with a little more, um... grunt I guess. I mean finger / grip / forearm strength, not for hold-endurance nor for making a fist, but I think the training might be similar perhaps?

Jenna, can you explain this, I'm not sure I understand why you want to and"grunt" to your technique, the more relaxed you are the easier it is to respond when uke resists, by adding a more powerful grip you increase tension and don't feel what's happening. Unless, of course, you're talking about for when you're uke.

 

[Jenna]

Jenna, can you explain this, I'm not sure I understand why you want to and"grunt" to your technique, the more relaxed you are the easier it is to respond when uke resists, by adding a more powerful grip you increase tension and don't feel what's happening. Unless, of course, you're talking about for when you're uke.

Hello Tom I am not so big, have smallish hands to begin with. I am not grunting a technique through but you know maybe when you want uke to "know you are there"?? Especially when uke is adamant that he really, honestly, truly will not comply! We are a small group and this is how we always work with true resistance. But I had this weak-grip flaw in me pointed out by a visitor; a stranger and not from an Aiki background and I think with something to prove, and but I think from strangers comes the most forthright criticism perhaps? But nonetheless, I found it more than frustrating - and it has stuck, rattling in my empty head, that no matter what way I adjusted or alternated a technique to uke's resistance, I was continually, completely losing contact at forceful non-compliance and couldn't seem to get anything off at all. Man, I had thought I was long past this basic stuff, apparently not. Sorry for rambling, I bet that makes no sense whatsoever, and but thank you kindly for your help, I do appreciate you taking the time
Yr most obdt hmble srvt,
Jenna

 

[mook jong man]

If you have a pull up bar at home or a tree with a low branch you can drape two small towels over it and do towel pull ups or chin ups, or just hang there until your grip gives out.
Doing this has greatly increased my grip strength.

 

[jks9199]

Jenna, can you explain this, I'm not sure I understand why you want to and"grunt" to your technique, the more relaxed you are the easier it is to respond when uke resists, by adding a more powerful grip you increase tension and don't feel what's happening. Unless, of course, you're talking about for when you're uke.

That's what I was kind of wondering, too.

There are lots of ways and gadgets to build grip strength out there. HERE is a forum dedicated to grip strength, for example, or, if you want some REAL SERIOUS grippers, check THESE out

You can also use wrist curls, rollers (cord wrapped around a metal bar and tied to weights), and there are also crawling exercises. The truth is that your hands don't really have much muscle; most of the muscle that controls your grip is in your forearms.

As an aside -- I hated to read this:

I adore sword arts, I think the movements are beautiful though, having tried a few times, I would be a poor candidate I think I am way lacking in requisite finesse

The only thing preventing you from learning and working with a sword (or any other weapon form; aikido has connections to both sword and stick systems) is the decision that you've already made. So, decide instead that YOU CAN learn whatever you wish to; it may take you longer than someone else -- but that doesn't mean you can't learn!

 

[HG1]

Two excellent sites that pretty much cover all aspects of grip strength training.
www.gripboard.com
www.ironmind.com

 

[bowser666]

This is a great excercise that I recommend. It actually has sorta nothing to do with Martial Arts , but it is a technique I use in drumming. Hold your hands together in front of you. Elbows at your sides. Then hold heels of hands together touching, point fingertips outward at 45 degree angle. Then clap hands together but keep heels together so that only upper part of palm opens and closes. Open them as far as you can with heels touching.Try to keep an even tempo. Start at 2-3 claps per second, then as it starts to get hard, lower reps to 1-2 per second. You will feel this deep in your forearms and it burns like heck. I hope my explanation makes sense.

 

[Xue Sheng]

I was looking for something on an old Goju Ryu grip training and I found that here at 4:52 Okinawan Goju Ryu Karate Conditioning Clay jar training. But you really need to find the right size jar to fit your hand


But in the process I found these

Kung Fu Grip Stength- Jar Training

Hand Muscle Strength Exercises

 

[shujika]

I would have to agree with the "sword" suggestion, the only differance being, use a bokken or suburito (weighted bokken). I RyuTe we use these (specifically) to strengthen the forearms (hence the grip). The practice motion amounts to simply swinging it over your head and "stopping" it level infront of you (simple explanation). After a very few "hard" swings, you'll begin to feel it in the forearms (which is where your "grip" comes from).

 

[Sukerkin]

Oh so true, shujika.

Who would've thought that counting to ten in Japanese could inspire so much dread :lol:.

ich. ni. san. shi, go ... oh please, not again! Can't we stop now? .

 

[shujika]

Moichido!!!:rofl:

 

[Flying Crane]

Hi Jenna,

Welcome back. Hope you've been well.

 

[Jenna]

This is a great excercise that I recommend. It actually has sorta nothing to do with Martial Arts , but it is a technique I use in drumming. Hold your hands together in front of you. Elbows at your sides. Then hold heels of hands together touching, point fingertips outward at 45 degree angle. Then clap hands together but keep heels together so that only upper part of palm opens and closes. Open them as far as you can with heels touching.Try to keep an even tempo. Start at 2-3 claps per second, then as it starts to get hard, lower reps to 1-2 per second. You will feel this deep in your forearms and it burns like heck. I hope my explanation makes sense.

Hey there Yeah, I feel the burn, but will that aid grip strength? I guess all forearm exercises will, will they not? Thanks again,
Yr most obdt hmble srvt,
Jenna

 

[Jenna]

Guys, many thanks indeed for these suggestions - I hate the gym, and but these are super alternatives. I will read some more and look further into each one. I am very grateful, thanks all
Yr most obdt hmble srvt,
Jenna

 

[morph4me]

There was a movie out when I was a few years younger called Hannie Caulder, about a woman who was leaning to be a gunfighter. In one scene her mentor tied a rock to a stick and had her wind the stick to lift the rock and then unwind it to lower it. When she was able to do it easily she was told she'd be ready... for a bigger rock. I think you can use the same principle, a weight of some sort on a stick to wind and unwind.