Baoding balls
Chinese health balls, also known as Baoding balls, are traditional exercise devices. According to the theories of Traditional Chinese Medicine they strengthen your body, while the repetitive motions exercise and strengthen your hands and forearms.
Choosing the Right Equipment
Chinese health balls are sold in pairs, often in small brocade boxes for storage. You can begin with one pair, but as you advance you may want additional pairs. You should choose balls that fit easily in your hand. In ancient times, these balls were made from solid iron, but since then they have been made from stone and other materials. Today, they are usually made from hollow chrome that rings during use. Any of these balls are fine, but avoid balls with an enamel coating; the coating will crack with consistent use.
Basic Exercises
To begin, place the balls in the palm of your hand and rotate them slowly, allowing your fingers and thumb to push the balls around in your palm: your fingers push one ball while your thumb pushes the other. When the balls are in your left hand, rotate them counter-clockwise. When they are in your right hand, rotate them clockwise. When you first begin, your movements will not be smooth and you will hear the balls click as they bump into each other. With practice, your motions will become smooth and fluid, and the only sound you will hear is the ringing of the chimes inside the balls.
Advanced Exercises
After you have begun to master the basic exercises, open up your hand and let the balls roll across your palm rather than pushing them. When this becomes a natural movement, try reversing the direction of the rotation. For example, move the balls in your right hand counter-clockwise. Once both of these exercises are second nature, you can add additional balls to the rotations. The key is smooth control of the balls at all times, regardless of how many you have in your hand.
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