Macebells
The mace, or bludgeon as it’s sometimes referred to, is an ancient weapon of warfare that dates to sometime in the Late Stone Age. Originally developed from a rudimentary wooden club, the mace evolved to become a blunt weapon with a heavy head consisting of stone or metal with a long wooden or metal shaft. The mace was used by different cultures throughout the course of history from several peoples of Europe, the Middle East, Asia and in the Americas. Over time, maces became more ornate and eventually became symbols of power and authority. Still today they are used as symbolic props in military and religious ceremonies.
(Pehlwani wrestling legend The Great Gama)
n the Indian subcontinent, the mace is known as the gada. The gada is culturally and spiritually important to Indians because it is often associated as being the weapon of the Hindu gods Hanuman and Vishnu. It is also the weapon of choice of various Hindu warriors in the Sanskrit epics. Gada-Yuddha is the martial arts practice of fighting with the mace and it is still practiced today. Like mugdars, gada training is still an essential part of Indian pehlwani wrestling culture.
The use of gada or gada type tools for training purposes isn’t only found in India. It is also used by practitioners of Silat martial arts in Southeast Asia and Karate fighters in Japan.
Gada training is still practiced today in India and other parts of the world. Modern macebells are inspired by the Indian gada, however they are produced using different materials. Where the traditional gada is made by casting a bamboo shaft into concrete, macebells are used by welding diecast spherical weights onto metal shafts. Aside from using the traditional exercises found in Indian gada training, modern macebell training also has expanded its repertoire of exercises to include “steel mace flow” that combines multiple movement patterns into one prolonged sequence.
Benefits:
- Much like club swinging, the benefits for macebell swinging are numerous:
- Increased strength and mobility of the shoulders
- Increased strength of the upper back, biceps, triceps
- Increasing grip and forearm strength
- Improved core strength and stabilization
- Rehabilitation and injury prevention
- Improved cardiovascular health and muscular endurance
- Increasing strength of ligaments and tendons
- Learning new movement patterns to benefit brain function
The ability to move weight in circular patterns in all the planes of motion is something you cannot do with a standard barbell. For this reason, macebell training is unique, addictive and most of all FUN.