The most ancient weapon, the club was evolved over millennia into devastatingly effective martial arts worldwide. Many cultural martial traditions across the planet utilized the club not just for combat, but also for restorative health and developed strength: Indian Kalaripayat, Iranian Pahlavani, Okinawan Karate and Russian SAMBO.
Club Bell training can be traced to the to strongman competitions in Ancient Persia. During these times, the weight lifter, wrestler or fighter was called a Pahlavan, or club swinging strongman. This physical exercise existed even as far back as Ancient Egypt.
The most popularized international form of Club Bell training originated in India, though originally derived from Persia and ultimately from Ancient Greece.
Sim D. Kehoe brought Indian Clubs to USA from Britain. In 1862, he opened a New York shop to manufacture clubs. To spread the word, he sent free samples of his clubs to prominent individuals in the hope of securing positive endorsements. The famous Civil War era boxer, John Heenan, wrote him that, ‘as an assistant for training purposes, and imparting strength to the muscles of the arms, wrists, and hands, together in fact with the whole muscular system, I do not know of their equal.
Bornstein stated that Club Bell training was the most universal method of developing the muscular anatomy of the human body. For keeping the body in a healthy and vigorous condition there has as yet been nothing invented, which for its simplicity and gracefulness can be favourably compared with club exercise
Many turn of the century and modern strongmen such as George Jowett, Bob Hoffman, George Hackenschmidt, Paul Von Boeckmann, and Slim the Hammerman Farman, and of course, Ghul (The Great Gama) Mohammed (pictured right with his 80LBS club) used many different types of clubs (and club variations, such as the Weaver Stick, Thor’s Hammer, Fulcrum Bells, Swing Bars and even store-bought sledgehammers as substitutes.)
Circular Strength Training was implemented in the military physical training programs for both the USA and Russia. Posse (1894) stated that clubs were the oldest known implements for military gymnastics.
Wooden Clubs
Several thousand years ago, Indian wrestlers and warriors prepared themselves for battle by swinging wooden “clubs” to condition their bodies and build upper-body strength. This practice spread amongst many different countries throughout the ensuing centuries – club swinging of various forms can be found in just about every middle-eastern and Asian country.
Ranging from .5 to 5kg, their designed to train the foundational movements of club bell training and enable high repetition (100’s of reps), joint mobilization drills for preparatory warm up exercises… ‘the clubs allow you to apply resistance in a circular manner, thus improving posture, increasing blood flow, and flexibility to all joints involved. Indian Clubs will help you “open” up your chest, increasing lung capacity and your ability to breathe more efficiently’.
Iron Clubs
Starting at 3kg and increasing up to 20kg, their weight is incredibly deceptive thanks to the design of the club. Club design puts the centre of mass as far away from the handle as possible (displaced centre of mass) requiring more force to accelerate and decelerate the club.
Used for increasing strength endurance over a shorter rep / time range (20 – 25 reps), their use increases grip strength, power, mobility and blood flow to the shoulder region all while challenging the muscular and cardiovascular system.
Mace Bells
The mace has been a weapon used for thousands of years all over the world. As a weapon, it consisted of a long shaft topped by a rounded ball that often had sharp points of embedded metal or wood. The power of the mace came from swinging the shaft around to create centripetal force before the blow.
Today, however, the mace is now being used as a piece of exercise equipment that can give the entire upper body an incredible workout. Mace bells are one of the more reliable and pain free methods of increasing upper body strength, flexibility and even coordination.
Typically, the mace bells are made of a steel construction, but are often coated in a rubber or synthetic sheathing as well. The longer the shaft, the greater the amount of force being used, and typically, the harder the workout as well. In order to increase the weight of the mace bells, some models can be loaded with iron shot. This gives the athlete control over their workout and the weight.
During the mace bells workout, rhythm is essential to success, as well as good timing. In addition, the proper grip technique is absolutely essential, as losing the grip could cause the mace to swing out of control. However, by that very token, this piece of equipment will also create a tremendous improvement in grip strength and wrist flexibility as well. It is thought that the mace will also highlight any imbalance issues, as soreness after a workout is an indication that the body stance needs to be adjusted.
Benefits of circular strength training (clubs, cat, etc…)
The shoulder is by far one of the most moveable areas of the body and as a result, one of the most fragile. Furniture design, poor posture (computers) and numerous other factors often impair shoulder mobility. This impacts negatively on other joints, including the elbow and wrist. When the ball-and-socket joint of the shoulder is made strong, aligned and mobile, other joints also benefit. The circular patterns of club & mace bell swinging represent the foundations upon which all other more complex shoulder movements are derived. ‘Conventional weight training usually limits movement to simple upward and downward or forward and backward types of linear motion. The circular motion of club & mace bell swinging can be used to improve flexibility and muscle tone of these joints and muscles. It’s also useful as and exercise modality for rehabilitation.’