Wooden Indian Clubs Archives - www.oldtimestrongman.com

Vintage Indian Clubs

Posted on Wednesday, April 18th, 2018 by John Wood

Many examples of early Indian Clubs were custom made by club swinging enthusiasts, much like this colorful pair from the early 1900’s.

Unusual Wooden Indian Clubs

Posted on Saturday, January 6th, 2018 by John Wood

Here’s another interesting example of some unusual custom wooden Indian Clubs which were created by an enhusiast. Clubs of different shapes and dimensions offer different training experiences. It is quite understandable for someone who enjoys clubs swinging to have several different pairs, and likely the case with these.

The Textbook of Club-Swinging by Tom Burrows

Posted on Friday, January 5th, 2018 by John Wood

While Burrows was obviously pretty good at the clubs, he was definitely no one-trick pony: Burrows in addition to his club-swinging prowess, he won the light-heavyweight wrestling championship of Australia … numerous boxing competitions … swimming events … the mile run … high-jumping … broad jumping … cricket matches … gymnastic events … fencing… He was what was once referred to as an “all-rounder” because of his tremendous success in a variety of sports and activities.

Through it all, Burrows maintained that club-swinging exercises “are the finest preparation for all branches of athletics requiring stamina, agility or speed.“

I would certainly agree. While I am certainly not an expert in the magnitude of Mr. Burrows, I have been swinging the clubs for a long while now. To me, swinging Indian Clubs stands out among physical training techniques because it is not only convenient, but also a lot of fun, so “sticking with it” is not an issue like it is with some other forms of training.

The clubs are convenient, so you can do them pretty much anywhere and it is also very rewarding knowing that you are doing something good for your body when you use them.

But aside from these benefits, the clubs are a tremendous way to build strength and condition your body. Graceful Indian Club movements help keep the joints strong and supple, and they certainly build tremendous stamina and toughness, especially when done for time.

In the early 20th century, Burrows wrote several training courses on the clubs, in the hopes that others would come to understand their benefits.

A while ago, we were lucky enough to come across a copy of one of Tom Burrows’ rare club swinging courses and today, we are proud to make “The Textbook of Club-Swinging” once again available to a modern audience.

In “The Textbook of Club-Swinging” Burrows covers all the information that one would have to know to use the clubs successfully.

These include:

The basic movements, notes on form and technique, combinations, proper grip, hints for instructors (in case you want to teach others or start your own class) and even information on endurance club swinging (which Burrows was famous for.)

Our modern reprint edition is brief and to the point, clocking in at 78 pages, 4″ x 6″, fully illustrated with rare pictures and printed on heavy weight paper for the many times that you will thumb through it for information.

The glossy color cover is an entirely new design… If you are into Indian Clubs as much as we are, you simply must have The Textbook of Club-Swinging in your training library!

The Textbook of Club-Swinging by Tom Burrows:
_________ $14.99 plus s/h

This Man…

Swung a pair of 3-pound, 6-ounce Indian clubs for 100 consecutive hours… he did not sit down… he did not take a water break… he did not stop for even a second… he kept his clubs moving at an average of 80 repetitions a minute for the entire duration…

His name was Tom Burrows, but after accomplishing this amazing feat, from them on, he was known as “The King of Clubs” …

Indian Club Order Page

Posted on Sunday, September 17th, 2017 by John Wood

Indian Club Order Page

NB: Covid 19 wreaked havoc on wood suppliers and our Indian club manufacturer was a direct casualty of that — consequently we no longer sell Indian Clubs. However, a quick google search may provide options for other suppliers out there (we have no recommendations.) When you do get your clubs, you will need to know what to do with them, and we have many different Indian club courses and Information products available:

Indian Club Training Bulletin

NEW! Indian Club Training Bulletin No. 1
– Downloadable PDF –
(20 pages)

1. Indian Club Q & A #1 by John Wood
2. 1914 Indian Club Course
3. 1905 Indian Club Course
4. The Wrap Up

$12.99

Simple Indian Club Exercises Training Poster

The “Simple Indian Club Exercises” course was originally written in 1905 by noted physical culturist Staff Sergeant Alfred Moss and is now available as a high quality poster. This poster is 23 inches by 35 inches, printed on high quality heavy stock and comes folded.

Simple Indian Club Exercise Training Poster by Staff Sergeant Moss.

________________ $19.99 plus s/h

Learn The Ancient Art of Indian Club Exercises Video by Dr. Ed Thomas – Streaming Access

Learn The Ancient Art of Indian Club Exercises Video by Dr. Ed Thomas has been included with all Indian club orders placed with us since the very beginning. Initially this video was included on a DVD, but the DVDs are no longer available. Fortunately we are still able to provide this instructional material as a streaming video thanks to modern technology. The links, etc, are ALREADY included with Indian club orders, but if you would like to purchase access separately, you can do so here:

Learn The Ancient Art of Indian Club Exercises Video
by Dr. Ed Thomas – Streaming Access

________________ $19.99

Once you complete your order, you will be sent a PDF which contains a link to a password protected area, the password itself, and some other brief instructions.

James J. Corbett’s Indian Clubs

Posted on Sunday, July 12th, 2015 by John Wood

Indian Clubs used to be very popular with turn-of-the-century boxers because they will build strong and well-conditioned shoulders. This pair of indian clubs once belonged to the great Heavyweight Boxing Champion James J. Corbett who used them in his training circa 1895 (he held the championship belt from 1892 to 1897.) You can make out his name written in black ink on the left-most club. Corbett certainly looks like he trained. These clubs are 17 inches long which means they weigh around a pound each. They also once were on display in “The Ring” Boxing Museum.

Sim D. Kehoe

Posted on Thursday, April 17th, 2014 by John Wood

Sim D. Kehoe

Simon “Sim” D. Kehoe was a manufacturer of gymnastic equipment who was introduced to club swinging during his travels abroad. He observed clubs of various sized being swung by British soldiers who, in turn, had learned club swinging from their counterparts in India. …police, soldiers, wrestlers and “anyone else whose caste renders them liable to emergencies where great strength of muscle is desirable.”

Once Kehoe tried the clubs for himself he instantly understood their value. Upon his return to the U.S. in 1862, he set up shop to manufacture Indian clubs and introduce club swinging to the American public on a wider scale. His efforts certainly worked, swinging Indian clubs of various sizes became wildly popular in many circles. (no pun intended) More on Sim Kehoe and his clubs at a later date…

The Man in The Gymnasium

Posted on Thursday, December 13th, 2012 by John Wood

The Man in The Gymnasium

The Man in The Gymnasium… unfortunately his name is lost to the sands of time. We do know two things though: he had excellent taste in equipment AND was a snappy dresser. This picture was taken around 1900.

U.S. Naval Academy Gymnasium, circa 1899

Posted on Friday, November 23rd, 2012 by John Wood

U.S. Naval Acadey Gymnasium 1899

A look at the U.S. Naval Academy Gymnasium, circa 1899 …Climbing ropes …Rowing machines …Pommel Horses …Climbing Ladders …Flying Rings …Tumbling Mats …Look closely and you’ll notice that the entire back wall is covered with racks of Indian Clubs.

Club Swinging for Health by Tom Burrows

Posted on Friday, October 7th, 2011 by John Wood

Club Swinging for Health by Tom Burrows

Here’s a real treat: an extremely rare Indian Club training course from Tom Burrows, published in an issue of Health and Strength in 1905. Burrows was a champion in boxing, wrestling, fencing, gymnastics, the broad jump, the long jump, the hundred yard dash and the mile run — in fact, he won whole track meets by himself.

It was Burrows’ feeling was that swinging Indian Clubs was the finest all around exercise for health and strength.

In this particular course, Exercise 1 is for chest expansion, balance and leg development… Exercise 2 is for building the waist and arms… Exercise 3 works the trunk… Exercise 4 develops the shoulders and thigh muscles… Exercise 5 is for the abdominals… Exercise 6 works the arms, legs, trunk and thighs… Exercise 7 is for chest development and Exercise 8 is for arms, legs and trunk development.