I partially agree with John in that some people use it is to make their knuckles harder and the only reason they make their knuckles harder is because they think it looks cool/badass and in the process they hurt themselves. But that only means that people who train like that are dumb and don't know how to use a makiwara, that does not make makiwara training dumb. If you learn how to use the tool correctly you will learn correct things and not hurt yourself. Correct things would be correct alignment, rotation, timing, things a punching bag can not really teach you.
First, Pugpaw is correct, few people know anything about makiwara training. My teachers are all over 70 and have done Makiwara since 18, all have relatively normal hands. It is a tool that if used correctly, will give you more punching power than anything, if done incorrectly can lead to many problems. Like many have said, before you start, make sure you are taught correctly. The best teachers for this are the older guys who have worked with Makiwara for at least 40 years. If they have arthritis, he is not the person you want to teach you.
That said, ALL historic Karateka have written that you have no business calling yourself a Karateka if you do not do Makiwara.
Basic rule is: if you have to ask, then you're not ready for it. Or at least your teacher isn't ready for you to know yet.
For the purpose of educating: the makiwara is thought of to be a conditioning board, which is wrong. The real purpose of it is to train in correct technique. It's not about pounding your hand into a wooden board. What you're trying to accomplish is executing the strike that will cause the board to move in just the right way.
They're serious business, and shouldn't be done without correct supervision.
It really forces you to be accurate with your techniques as well as develops your power and the technique itself along with you learning the proper distances that you can apply a technique. Most are much smaller than a board that you would punch, strike, or kick in breaking for instance and certainly much smaller than most heavy bags. When I first started doing karate I did a lot of makiwara training and it is today one of the reasons why I am so accurate with things I throw.
One of the knocks against heavy bags by some traditional martial artists is that because of their size they don't force a person to be as accurate or good with their technique along with judging their distance. I tend to agree with that and so with my students I would always do drills and use focus pads for this purpose which also can work quite well but you need a partner holding them that knows what they are doing. The makiwara takes the place of focus pads and someone holding them but you still need to know what you are doing and how to use it to get the maximum benefit from it.
Makiwara or Machiwara, means entwined rope. Originally, a specific type of rope was used, that had medicinal properties, as well as served as the contact material.
This is one of the most important training implements in the Okinawan arts.
When you see people who are pounding away at it, you are either seeing someone who is properly trained and is at the level where he can hit it with any amount of force, or you are seeing an idiot who knows nothing about it and is just leading the uninformed into disaster.
This is not something you do on your own. You MUST be properly trained in it. If not, it will results in injuries that might be irreversible.
It trains more than just power. More important than power, it forces you to develop and maintain proper alignment in your punch. It develops stability in your posture and stance. Develops penetration power - the ability to project your energy.
It is essential karate training, but in the wrong hands, it can be as dangerous as testing how sharp a sword is on yourself.
Much of the makiwara you see are garbage. The clapper and the filled pad with the guy's image on it - junk, and not at all true makiwara.
**************** Warning, much of what is commonly taught about the Makiwara and why it is used, and how to correctly us it are incorrect. Much of what is incorrect is just plan wrong. This is one of the subjects that I have much experience with and have researched it through high level masters that train in Okinawa where the Makiwara is part of most Karate styles. (if not all of them)
I do not have the time right now to go into it in depth, but will add my information within the next 24 hours, possible soon.
******* Edit: The info on the makiwara as well as why and how it is used is too long to post here since Y/A limits how long answers, or the Y/A messaging can be. I don't type so rewriting something long is a pain..... So if anyone is interested in what I have to say about the Maki, you can send email from your regular email to mine and I'll copy and paste something I wrote some time ago.
NOTE: be sure to send email, not just a message sent from Yahoo Answers. If you send your request through Yahoo answers messaging, I'll not be able to send the text to you. My email is listed in my profile, but here it is anyway... pugpaws2@yahoo.com
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It's really for teaching alignment and the conditioning is secondary. It doesn't mean you have to have big ugly knuckles. Those are people that have gone over board.
The conditioning can help to prevent hand injury. If you actually plan on ever hitting anything (meaning another human) besides a bag it is serious benefit.
http://burrovago.com/?p=238
I absolutely hate the makiwara board. For me it is one of the dumbest things out there. The only reason people use it is to make their knuckles harder and the only reason they make their knuckles harder is because they think it's cool. And in the process they hurt themselves.
And how to use it? Does it train power? They look awesome, I'd just like some info on it.
