Indian Clubs
The early history of Indian clubs is a little contentious. It is believed that Indian club swinging are exercise movement patterns that originated in Persia and spread to the Indian subcontinent during the Mughal invasion of the 16th century; but this is disputed by Indians who believed that they have always had a tradition of wooden club swinging. What we do know for certain is that they were originally developed to increase strength, agility, and mobility of combat warriors. The original Persian clubs, called meels, are heavy and large. They are performed by holding one club in each hand and swung over the shoulder where the clubs are then brought back to the original starting position. Whatever the truth as to the origins of club swinging, we know that wooden clubs were and still are an important part of Indian wrestling and fitness culture. The Indians had their own versions of the meels that were called jori, mugdar and karlakattai (Tamil version); all varying in their size and weight
(Diagram from a book published in 1866 titled: The Indian club exercise by Kehoe, Simon D)
The exercises and tools were adopted by British colonizers in the 18th century who were impressed with the fitness and physiques of Indian pehlwani wrestlers. However, the British preferred slimmer and lighter weight clubs because it gave them more ability to move the club in complex ways. It also made them more portable. These became the Indian Clubs that we know today. Exploding in popularity in Victorian England, club swinging also became an integral part of training British army troops during this period. The Brits then introduced it to the rest of Europe in the 19th century. The practice of club swinging was brought to America by German immigrants who began their own fitness clubs called “Turnvereins”. Despite being considered niche training equipment in the West today, Indian clubs were once very popular fitness tools in the late 19th and early 20th century. They were even contested at the 1904 and 1932 Olympics. For reasons that are not clear, Indian club swinging saw a dramatic dip in popularity in Europe and America in the post war era. Many people believe that this was due to the rise in organized team sports.
(Indian (British Raj) club swinging team, 1890s.)
Benefits:
Today Indian club swinging has seen a revival due its numerous benefits. Namely:
Today Indian club swinging has seen a revival due its numerous benefits. Namely:
- Increased strength and mobility of the shoulder, elbow, and wrist.
- Improved posture
- Increased grip and forearm strength
- Rehabilitation and injury prevention
- Improved cardiovascular health and endurance
- Improved coordination and balance
- Learning new movement patterns to benefit brain function
Unlike conventional barbell and dumbbell exercises that only allow you to move weight linearly and only in one plane, Indian club swinging allows the practitioner to put together multiple sequences that move the weight in all three planes of motion (frontal, sagittal, and transverse)
Indian Club swinging can also be used as a form of movement meditation allowing the user to relax and help deal with stress management.