Training Tools

Sashi and Chishi

Both of these items were traditionally made of stone, but are more often found made of concrete and metal. The Sashi is basically a stone with a handle similar to a suitcase. The Chishi is a similar to a long handled hammer. Both are used to build strength in the arms, wrist and shoulders, as well as the affects on the legs and torso.

Sanshingami

Large vases or urns. While these build body strength, their primary focus is to build a very strong grip in the fingers and hands. The Sanshingami are picked up with the finger tips on the rim of the clay vessel. Adding water or sand increases the difficulty.

Tan and Kongoken

The Tan is a solid iron barbell and used in the same way, though there are some exercised that are done very differently than the typical weight lifter would do them. The Kongoken is a large oval iron ring, that was adapted from wrestling sports to provide other strength training.

Wooden Dummy

The Wing Chun Dummy is a primary focus for those training in this close in martial art. It provides a wide variety of striking surfaces and help the practitioner learn to fluidly weave and move the body and arms around the obstacles they represent.

Balance

In a number of the Chinese arts, balance is improved through the practice of stances and moves on beams or the ends of posts. I have seen martial artist perform the Naihanchi kata on beams or railings to improve balance and correct lateral movements. Training on surfaces as simple as a board on a log or even a ball or post have been used for balance for decades.

Striking

There are many arts that have traditionally practiced spear hand or finger tip strikes into buckets of sand, beans, gravel and similar materials to strengthen the hands and fingers. Other bags and certain trees have been used for both punches and palm strikes. Even buckets of water can be used to improve ones ability to perform Iron Palm strikes.

Weapons

Weapons in general can be considered as training aids in many respects. There are many weapons that have training versions that are used in place of the actual ones when working out or practicing. The additional weight of a weapon improves strength throughout the body and improves ones' concentration.

There are many ways of training and there are many aids. Some are created using modern manufacturing, plastics and other materials

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