Traditional Indian Club Training

Traditional Indian Club Training
The swinging of "jori and gada" (heavy indian clubs and maces) holds a special place in the ancient art of Kushti - (Traditional Indian Wrestling and Physical Culture Training.)

In the akharas (wrestling gyms) these traditional impliments are decorated in many unique ways. Some are painted with lively decorative patterns, others, used only by the most skilled masters, are studded with nails. Some of these decorative indian clubs weigh as much as 35 KG.

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Traditional Indian Physical Culture Training Equipment: The Mace

The Gada, or Mace, is one of the traditional pieces of training equipment in Indian Physical Culture. The Gada consists of a heavy iron or stone ball attached to the end of a stick. Maces of various weights and heights are used depending on the athlete's strength and skil llevel. For training purposes, the Gada is swung behind the back in several different ways and is particularly useful for building grip strength and shoulder endurance.

The Gada (Mace)

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Heavy Indian Club Swinging

Swinging heavy Indian Clubs is a very intense workout and has been a part of Kushti (Traditional Indian Physical Training) for centuries where they are known as "Gadas". Indian Clubs also appear in many other ancient physical training programs including Iran, where they are known as "Meels." These Indian Clubs are about three feet long and weight 26 pounds apeice.

Heavy Indian Club Swinging

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The Encyclopedia of Indian Physical Culture

The Encyclopedia of Indian Physical Culture
Indian Physical Culture has always been a fascinating thing to me. What's puzzling is that even though this tradition goes back thousands of years, there is actually very little written about these ancient training techniques.

For years I had heard of a book written all about it called "The Encyclopedia of Indian Physical Culture" but copies were impossible to find... but one day I had the opportunity to obtain one for a handsome price.

I took that opportunity without a moment's notice and the book was every bit worth the wait -- over 700 pages of material with numerous pictures and detailed diagrams of training techniques that I never even knew existed -- all in English. (No, it's not for sale, don't even ask.)

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Traditional Indian Clubs

Traditional Indian Clubs
Their common name is Indian Clubs, but they have many names depending on where you happen to be: Meels, Gavargah, Ekka, Karela or Gada.
Regardless of what you call them, they spell a unique form of strength, stamina, endurance and flexibility that goes back thousands of years.

The picture above is from Iran where they are referred to as Meels.

These clubs are swung in a rthymic pattern around the body for hundreds of repetitions by traditional wrestlers in their workouts. Meels generally weight 10-15 pounds although may get up as high as 60 pounds.

Keep in mind that these "heavy" clubs are used in an entirely different manner than Light Indian Clubs.

Traditional Indian Clubs can be seen in action in:
The Physical Body: Indian Wrestling and Physical Culture DVD

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