chop stick wringing

[jdhowland]

Anyone else do this? Grab a bundle of chopsticks and twist it like wringing a wet cloth. Repeat until the muscles fail. Good for qinna strength. Also makes you less susceptible to wristlocks.

Another conditioning exercise with these is to grab the bundle at one end and do a little self flagellation. Works great on the shins.

This was essential training in my old White Crane school and I've seen the joint twisting exercises done the same way in other schools using belts, ropes, sandbags, taiji rulers and rattan sticks.

Here's all you need: take enough chopstics (bamboo, not wood) to make about a 2" bundle and divide them in half. Put them together with each half having the taper in opposite directions--this gives a consistent diameter that won't splay out when you grab one end. Bind them in the middle with cord or a strong rubber band. I came up with an improvement on this by copying the way sushi mats and bamboo blinds are tied together. I interlaced two cords through a row of chopsticks making a rectangular mat and tied the cords at the end leaving several inches free at both ends of each cord. Then I rolled up the mat and used the free ends to secure it as a bunde. Keeps you from ending up with a collection of loose sticks in your gym bag.

If you can find the longer chopsticks used for cooking, they work even better.

Have fun.

[Oso]

wise man say: best defense for wristlock is punch in nose.

[jdhowland]

wise man say: best defense for wristlock is punch in nose.

Very wise, indeed.

It's not a very useful skill against someone who is trying to hit you though I have seen it used to subdue drunks. A few years back I had a student who was not susceptible to any sort of limb lock or pain compliance technique. He turned big wrenches for a living. He didn't need chopsticks.