What Is A Traditional Swing for A Gada, Macebell Or Steel Mace? An Indian Investigation

[@absbox_]

There are broadly two purposes of Gada swinging 1) battle fight with Gada - over head swing 2) throw wrestler from behind - over shoulder swing

[@jvm-tv]

This is a good explanation. Two styles, both correct different purposes

[@miskeen01gws]

Good analysis and study. If practically said the gada is primarily a battlefield weapon. And it was used to smash the head of the opponent. So to generate the force One had to swing it over the head. Similar to what we see in today's modern high striker game at malls or carnival where we hit the spot with a hammer going over the head to generate the force and force is calculated digital on screen. Over the shoulder could be as a defence technique to shorten the swing to defend the move from the opponent. This then came for practice in traditional akhara for these warriors.

[@mathewnet123]

Boy... It's a warriors way... How to swing a sword it is his choice, how his Guru skilled it.... Both routes are pointing to one way... Warriors way.

[@roysafari1984]

To find a logical answer as a westerner is going to be difficult. These Akharas have been here for centuries and most of knowledge is passed via Guru - Shishya system, which is absent in west. A large number of these Akharas were either associated with Temples or were patronized by Royal families and had traditional Doctors ( Vaids in India) to support them, who had better understanding of body mechanics. What you see now is mostly the remnant of an ancient system which is barely breathing. With Government taking over temples and abolishment of Monarchy, most Pehlwans lost their sponsors and the places you visit are skeletons of glorious past. P.S. As many others said, it's difficult to swing heavier gada over shoulders .. Also, that's what an old man in my native village told me. And a Big Thanks for reviving my interest in Gada again. I picked up one after 25 years. May Bajrang Bali be with you all the time.

[@logicalindian8102]

I am not a wrestler but I think all r correct but target different areas of body.

[@siddarajadevangada2890]

I am from south, Karnataka. My parents and grand parents for generations we were wrestlers. The Gada has to be swung over head and once it comes front you should hold it upright. Then go for next round. Without holding upright, if you keep rotating, you won't develop wrist power and balance to hold the gada straight. Anyway thought of sharing after seeing your browser intrest in gada.

[@gamingwithamar3100]

I noticed that swinging gada over head style is 100% like swinging Sword for sword fight in kind of old Marathi movie , •Swinging over :- - Increase in radius of swing - Mechanically into More centrifugal Force - That means which final attack on your opponents will be more devastating., now a days I haven't seen such action like swinging Sword overhead or gada in our New movies after 1990s(in Marathi).

[@Ar-ye1cr]

It is variation for practitioner of mace art which suits them by different teacher. Choose whichever way our body find comfortable to practice.

[@HeroicSport]

Over the shoulder is about conserving energy (makes sense for heavier club), but it doesn't mean over the head is wrong. More range of motion, more acceleration as the club drops behind the back which might have something to do with the shape of the club and its center of mass. Tamil Karlakattai lists these variations as 3-4 different swings, plus one where the arm goes fully straight overhead before the club drops behind the back. Let's enjoy the different flavors and not be one trick ponies :-)

[@TheFlowingDutchman]

Interesting!! And I agree, enjoy the many flavors :)

[@jaymorgan3600]

11:57 basically the Traditional Akhaada system varies from place to place.. As you change the geolocation just in 150-300kms you'll find a different style of swinging.. It's because Every akhaada follows what their Gurus taught them would work best for them so theirs that. And when the Gada weight gets heavy it will obviously be difficult to swing over the head. Much love and respect from India 🙏🏼💚

[@TheFlowingDutchman]

That’s the feeling I was getting, thanks for the confirmation!

[@jaymorgan3600]

@@TheFlowingDutchman you're always welcome brother :) Dhanyawaad for Highlighting Ancient Indian workouts after watching your videos i have decided to get Mugdar and Gada myself 💥🙏🏼

[@koushikroy5901]

I'm from Kolkata, I have personal gym where I train myself for last 20 years. I practice regularly except sunday. Gada and mugdar are part of indian traditional Akhara exercise instrument. The main exercise of any akhara is Dand Baithak. Haryana and Varanasi are famous for Akhara. Style of swing depends upon individual Guru. And place of course. I think Varanasi style is the best, because its historically famous for physical culture and education. I will purchase a 10kg mugdar soon for my gym.

[@TheFlowingDutchman]

Very interesting, thank you for sharing :)

[@raymondfrye5017]

10 kg is very heavy. Unless you are 2 meters in height, it will still be heavy. Good Luck

[@saurabhsingh8686]

Several exercise has different methods to do it, mace/gada flow is one among those several exercises, this is a ancient training method, based on weapons like sword and gada, and when you move a weapon to hit the enemy, you can't really be position eccentric every time, so this uncertainty gives the gada training different methods to train, though every method is correct, given it doesn't give you an injury.

[@sameerbasrur6613]

I am Indian and i learnt so much from this videos.

[@dr_spacepirate]

Let me add the southern perspective here. Here in south india gadas are not present or they are very rare. We swing the clubs. Gadas made a very late entry into south india. Although i am not sure if it is a fact, because these information are just out of conversations with elders. Our club is karalakattai and it is so named because it is the weapon of choice of the one of the commanders of lord shiva named karalan. Sorry for the digression, back to the topic of swinging. Here in the south we always swing it over head and not the wrestling style. Classical style is swinging over the head and wrestling style is kinda sorta over the shoulders, by moving your head up and down whilst swing. I am honestly not sure as to which came first or which is better with respect to region as club/gada swinging is more famous up north. One of the southern style which has almost become nonexistent is a full swing using thoppakarala("heavy club with belly") and slamming the ground like hammer constituting 1 rep. For the next rep you use the other hand and do a full swing over head and slam it on the ground. This type of swing has become extinct as there are not many club users in south unlike northern akaras which are saving these. So yes, comcluding in the south, we swing the club over head. In fact i came to know shoulder top swing or wrestler style only few years back. Till that i was swinging over head and I have been swinging for long time. Thanks to my dad, that i have a mace and few clubs and been enjoying swinging. P.s what i told cannot be authenticated because it is just out of conversation with elders. Take it with pinch of salt. P. S. I lover your work. Thanks for showing us cool mace moves.

[@TheFlowingDutchman]

This is very cool dude. These stories from the elders are very important in understanding the history as it doesn’t seem to be written down.

[@GFD472]

Is there a video about the...... "full swing using thoppakarala("heavy club with belly") and slamming the ground like hammer constituting 1 rep." method? I have never seen or heard of this and would like to learn more. Any help appreciated!

[@Kiran1-5]

I think the way you presented it was very brilliant because there could be a different ways to do it but you showed us the ways that explains people with their perspective. Nice video. Enjoyed a lot👏👏

[@aadi_2607]

The guru didn't asked you swing over the shoulder but was asking to hold the gada in front after completing every swing....hold the posture then continue the next swing..... that's language barrier

[@TheFlowingDutchman]

ADITYA PAL SINGH aha, then he would have said it later. I had the next video too, but unfortunately that got deleted. Thanks!!

[@yashpaliiita]

I agree with Aditya, first and foremost thing is to hold a Gada before you go for a swing, that's essential to actually for a grip or hold on the Gada, once you get a hold of your Gada you can swing better and more efficiently, that also strengthen your forearms.

[@DHEERAJARYA1]

Mate you are doing a great thing. All the best.

[@TheFlowingDutchman]

Dhanyavaad!

[@DHEERAJARYA1]

@@TheFlowingDutchman Jai Shree Ram.

[@9356079]

You are really skilful in swinging mace

[@TheFlowingDutchman]

Ravi Singh thank you 🙏🏻

[@smartmonkey-acordapravida8595]

Very interesting bro! thanks for sharing knowledge!! greetings from Brazil!!

[@TheFlowingDutchman]

Glad you found it interesting, greetings from holland!

[@ravindra8087]

Hey Diego can tell some strength developing exercises from Brazil

[@keithdesantis1976]

"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense." - Buddha quote

[@TheFlowingDutchman]

Right, but learning something takes a humble position too :)

[@ravik.v9869]

I am no expert. But Gada fights are described in maha bharat. Balaram Is supposed to have taught Bheem and Duryodhan who are the legendary experts. Gada fight was an art and had lot of techniques and rules. Duryodhan had better techniques and was favourite of Balaram. But Bheem had More strength and defeated Duryodhan by breaking the rule that one is not supposed to hit below the belt even in a battle. Going by the physics, When gada is used as a weapon, aim is to use the weight of the gada head to damage . Swinging techniques are developed with an aim to use the heavier gada with less effort. Swing over the shoulder is faster and takes less effort.The dropping weight ( head of the gada) generates the force can smash carts, chariots etc. an elbow jab followed by a over the shoulder swing & smash can kill a soldier in close combat . Over head swings can deliver more force but also require more strength. Probably Suitable for delivering heavy blow with a lighter mace. Over head swings are better for exercising where aim is to strengthen the muscles and develop ability to lift heavier weights. Probably Heavier Gadas were used to excercise or to destroy things and lighter gadas were used in fighting.

[@aaloke74]

Great video, I think, Both interpretations are correct they work on the different muscle groups.. people avoid over the shoulder as some mugdars are above 20kg weight and if not swung correctly can dislocate the shoulder due to the high jerk on the shoulder blade..

[@juliancrouch1525]

So I've been swinging western steel maces for a little over a year now, and in the last couple months started to make and swing some more traditional gada. Moving from 20lb steel mace's to heavier gada, I started to develop some low back pain which to me indicates my form is way off, or I tried to jump wait too aggressively. I've watched tons of your videos and tried to emulate Indian form, as well as yours but it's still just me guessing. Would you consider making a video that really outlines proper form with back, hips, etc? Or if you have any videos that you'd recommend I'd love to look at those. Thanks!

[@TheFlowingDutchman]

Try to tuck your hips when swinging and warm up properly. I will make a video about it :)

[@juliancrouch1525]

@@TheFlowingDutchman That'd be incredible. I probably don't do either of those things as well as I could 😂

[@VeganicVerse]

As Vatsal said last year, overhead is for faster attack. It also provides protection for your face. (Kerala) Britishers outlawed heavy weaponry, so it moved underground and few heavy-practitioners exist. Overhead is like the ear-flapping of Ganapati.

[@AX-fx7ng]

The variations of 1. The starting positions 2. Range of Motion of Curves will affect the system differently & will also vary for 3. Heavier versus Lighter ones.

[@mikemikemikemikemikemeup]

From what I can tell, it seems like every person has their own way of doing it, and they think they’re right. It sounds like there’s a lot of different ways of doing it across India, and nobody quite agrees on the proper way to do it. I would say doing it. All of the different ways is probably the best. To me that seems like the best way to get different parts of your muscles. And doing it in these different ways is a cool way to learn about different regions of India, and how they use the gada

[@UnCompress_]

I agree, you should do them all. There is no good or best style imo. I started with the behind the head style (I call this a high cast) en just started with the behind the shoulder style (I call this a low cast). The low cast demand more mobility of the body and I think that is why in the West you see the high cast more often. Great video again.

[@TheFlowingDutchman]

Thanks! Not sure about the mobility part, it seems to be more related for what you’re practicing. So shoulder for wrestling and head for sword/shield.

[@roshangupta7864]

I like for Ram ram and traditional

[@manjitrupbikram]

The difference is there because in Varanasi it is wrestlers practicing to throw their opponents. Elsewhere, it is(originally) training for better weapon wielding capability.

[@Martin0815DE]

Dear @TheFlowingDutchman, I feel like a clumsy beginner, like a greenhorn looking at your videos. But, since I trained successfully yoga using KZbin videos and developed a good body awareness, I hope, that swinging the mace is a bit like it should be, depending on the style to follow. I was quite typical in wanting this great looking 360 and I managed it, but the 10-10/300 is still more challenging! I never tried to swing over the shoulder, but I'll try it these days! The one arm swing was done always by swinging over my head. I think, it's time to play more around with different "options".

[@elisabattle8456]

why does this matter? execute the maneuver according to the weight of the club/mace/gada/etc., strength of the participant, and goals set forth. do what is comfortable and manageable for me and still realize benefits from the exercise--mike

[@sidhukappy2771]

Grt video👍 n I belive yr frd saying the single handed swing should not b over the is absolutely correct apart from if a person who is lifting heavy might injure there head if they can't control it.

[@Dislocatedanonim]

Just do what your original style is....the over the shoulder is just a compensating approach to easily lifting heavier Gadhaa/maces. All in all great videos.👌👌👌

[@unnikrishnanharish4658]

The wrestlers way is to use it as an excercise type thing. The others do it as a drill to strike.

[@vatsalagarwal4055]

So let's get this the difference in techniques is because of different in usage. You'll see overhead swings while training a different muscle group than what you get while training with an over the shoulder technique. There also a difference because you'll see overhead in more muscle building usage while Varanasi style is more rooted in using the mace as a weapon per say, which means shorter but faster swings to be able to attack with it. Train both

[@fabianbrain]

Good job, very interesting video!

[@TheFlowingDutchman]

Thanks Fabian

[@jsb7225]

The one that you see towards the end was more to prepare ones shoulders and back to be able to prepare for the rigours associated with swinging heavy swords

[@apurvdhada6352]

At 5.30 minutes, guru was telling you to bring gada with your force not with the flow of swing(with flow of swing it will not put pressure on your muscle) and also bring the gada in center. Each swing completes when you come to center, gada in front of your face upwards and your hand in front of your stomach height.

[@joyoga]

Interesting documentation. I believe everyone has their own way. Like Bruce Lee said, he did not believe in the Chinese, Japenese or any other way. It is all about learning the basics and then taking it to the next level.

[@brijmohan8147]

Ram Ram Bro, you are great start

[@Boxbeat666]

Will this help with back pain and scapula winging ?

[@sardalamit]

Hello. Rather than getting into what Mr.A v/s Mr.B is doing, why not get into the bio-mechnics of it? If possible, discuss the Kinesiology of it and how it affects the Shoulder Girdle. Also if possible- is it GPP for Wrestling? In that case those movements would mostly mimic over the shoulder throws. Love your channel!

[@MrDavidTrionfi]

honestly no wrong way. do all the different kinds of movements until failure and that’s when you can tell which muscles are activated more. the different swing styles you can really feel differently in the shoulder, upper chest, or lats. Just do all of them. Some will feel harder at first but not because they aren’t safe, it’s just takes time to coordinate your brain an example would be to try to brush your teeth with your non dominant hand it feels uncomfortable until you practice enough. Just keep swinging that mace guys

[@Swiatoikadr]

Great stuff bro

[@zktube]

great informative video

[@BhupendraRaAari]

Nice sir you are doing good

[@260419921]

I like your videos good keep it up you have to come in punjab and trying to new moves in there 😉

[@nillin5472]

I am an Indian both are the diff styles , it's divorce where you go it depends the technic and there traditional teachings so every one is correct u prefferd the all styles even envent your own style 😎✌️

[@dddddddd172]

I think Japiur swing technique is to train u for heavy swords or not much heavy gadas and other weapons and gives u more agility but while Varanasi one was for heavy gadas purely ,. It's a technique for heavy gadas but less agility , more trandional . Just an opinion , I have no prior knowledge though

[@MukeshKumar-mm3gb]

Sir make a video for thigh excersice..

[@harshalkulthiya4768]

It is the same reason they stated... You try to do a mace of 50kg... You will have to go on the shoulder. But if you swing a club or a mace under 20 kg... You can go however it works for you

[@iyerzzzzz]

Can I swing a gada and mudgar at the same time do traditional gym lifts like military press, squats, bench press, barbell rows, dumbell rows? Will it hurt my shoulder rotator cuffs?

[@justgo4033]

I just ordered my first mace bell just to try it out , ive been doing kettle bells for about a year now and im just wondering if a mace bell can help my shoulders, my shoulders are so bad i have trouble bench pressing. I started kettle bells after i pulled a ligament in my back doing deadlifts and they really helped strengthen my back. Seems to me like a mace bell could help my shoulders.

[@sigmaape6264]

It seems not much of a difference except the one like difference between full squats and half or western squats. Half squats works solely for developing strength where as full squats give you full range of motion and flexibilty. Whichever suits your goal is correct for you whether be developing flexibility or developing strength.

[@jk6869]

Anyone who has studied traditional martial arts walks this path and asks these questions and gets the same kinds of answers. Bruce Lee got it right when he said to master the traditional forms to such an extent that you have metabolized their rules so you can abandon those rules to create your own form, or the “formless form.” This would largely be based on your attributes: if you’re a fast, wiry guy, don’t try to overpower your opponent; if your a big, powerful guy, don’t try yo move like the fast, wiry guy. Know your attributes. Learn what you can when you can from who you can. Make your formless form based on your own attributes.

[@ghantg]

Just like in life there is not just one right path, Gada is same, just learn technique to avoid injury. Concentrate and imagine how Lord Hanumana would have swung it....

[@TheJuan_N_0nly]

Yo it's safe to say I'm obsessed with my ball mace..

[@BlackpearlAbu]

Pls visit south-India Tamil Nadu State they call "Karlakattai" here and here there were different styles . .

[@gokuson3409]

I believe, depending on province, will dictate technique.

[@Aj-ke6un]

U can also try in Thailandu Karnataka andra

[@arulmozhivarman4967]

Hello bro well there are so many variations of swinging and each swing is for a different workout! Honestly over head and over shoulder is totally fine each has it’s own purpose! The north phalwans do it like pratay and some go over head so don’t worry 😉

[@sidhukappy2771]

The difference in opinion is cause they r from entirely different parts of the country there way of thinking n living is different n people from banaras know more cause in olden days Banaras was the epicenter of knowlege so there exercise style is very refined there but fighting style of kusti n Shastra Vidya is much much more refined in Delhi ,punjab ,haryana n rajasthan as they fought with invaders for centuries n there traditional exercise style is sculpted according to there of that era n some other facts r like they follow there traditions from there respective regions n ancestors .Hope it helps👍🙏namaskar n as iam a Sikh Sasriakal.

[@maheshtailor8134]

Jai SiyaRam

[@anjanbora7943]

U should also learn kalaripayattu. It's a great ancient martial art.

[@HeavyStoneLiftingIndia]

Nice

[@gauravsingh-ot2bq]

Ram ram bhai

[@lokeshkathi9926]

Jai Shree Raama❤️

[@BhupendraRaAari]

Please nex time one wrestling match ....in india 🇮🇳🙏 please ....ram ram...

[@TheFlowingDutchman]

Look for 'foreigner tries kushti wrestling and longot' video on my channel. I've wrestled in that video!

[@BhupendraRaAari]

Khushti is the Indians warrior talent long years ago kings and God play kushti traditional Indian wrestling culture..... and you are Indian your soul is pure.... sorry for the may bad English ..ram ram 🙏

[@larrywallace2881]

Your body will tell you right ✅️ from wrong > listen to it .

[@uoffanaan]

Many styles like opinions...

[@OmShashwat7]

recommended after 4 years

[@BhupendraRaAari]

........jay ram🙏

[@rockyjones4059]

In southern part of India vajramusti werstlers do it completely different

[@rishinachane90]

Avoid overhead swing with heavy weights to reduce risk of injury....overhead swing is a movement similar to deadlift not to be doen in high reps but max force can be exerted

[@gaurav9660]

bro if u love INDIA and INDIAN cultural and SHRI RAM G why dont u apply for indian citizenship??

[@TheFlowingDutchman]

It’s too hot in the summer 🥵 😄

[@coronavirus4056]

Cool

[@kedarkawade2482]

Ab ye angrej sikhenge aur hme batayenge tab ham ye karenge.Apno ki baat kaha mante hai ham.

[@donroy3768]

chalo isi bahane thora vyayam bhi ho jayega.

[@changbhala4361]

Bhai flowing dutchman is exploring and doing something for our old tradition,isn't it great... Thanx the flowing Dutchman

[@ayusrankawat9473]

Jai shri ram bro very nice

[@manojc4262]

Om namah shivaya

[@manojc4262]

Yoga guru lord shiva

[@MR-wb3rp]

hi i like mace i want to show my home made mace to you from japan

[@Bellaciao99rs]

Ram ram You go to hanuman akhara delhi

[@nicksoni9653]

👌👍

[@adi.studio6982]

its part of gadha youdh, nothing is wrong that all moves are variations of gadha youdh, there have more variations you have to travel south India like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana. as you said India is a diverse country.

[@KD-wp6cm]

Jai bajrangbali

[@manohars6997]

These are not for excercise. Gada is a weapon of ancient india used in warfare. Over the head or over the shoulders both may be right based on situation. It's a defensive move.

[@TheFlowingDutchman]

Partly true yes, but the main benefit of moving over the shoulders is for wrestling, not for fighting with a weapon. Like pulling someone over the shoulders.

[@manohars6997]

@@TheFlowingDutchman fending off attack from behind, similar to wielding sword. The knowledge of mace warfare is lost, but I am sure when it comes to light all this makes sense.

[@ciprianopinto7208]

a pendulum swing to get that flow

[@thebeastbox1459]

U know about pavan putra hanuman ri8

[@thebeastbox1459]

People say here he is chiranjivi means he will be here for ever means he is here now so 🙏🙏 thanks sir for making my country & culture famous

[@abhisheksinha3704]

Ram Ram

[@atri1825]

hey Lord Ram give his blessings to u

[@jigggro]

"the mace community" 🤣🤣

[@jbrawat8569]

RAM ram

[@uditarora8965]

Jai shree ram.

[@ericwalker6546]

This is not rocket science it’s not that difficult. Like body building not all of us have to have a instructor to see and fallow along.

[@rokinis88]

its s mace not a woman do whatever u want with it :D the conscious decision to say that its wrong just because you do it differently steals the pleasure of improving yourself. ps: iam not a club swinger jet but when il be il do it whatever feels right in a flowing motion...

[@veerendra3911]

Jai shree ram

[@larrywestra9305]

Thors Hammer

[@kashishmahajan3426]

jai shree ram