Many of our Bando techniques involve keeping the wrist straight; this protects the joint when the hand or arm is involved in delivering force. The abdominals are another critical area where strength is needed to allow you to efficiently deliver your techniques. A great way to support both of these objectives is to work on the deceptively simple “plank” pose (the “up” part of a push-up).
First work on your plank – aim to hold it for at least 30 seconds, up to a minute. Notice the belly is taught (not drooping), hips are in a line between the shoulders and heels or they can be slightly elevated above that line. There’s no need to strain the neck by looking up; keep your neck position neutral.
Once you’ve got the abdominal strength and shoulder strength to hold a plank for an extended period, you can start working on your wrist stability.
Form a fist in each hand. Balance now on your fists, palms are facing each other. Ideally, you want to balance on the knuckles of your index and middle fingers.
Note that it may be difficult to start this on a hard surface – you may want to add some padding under your fists until you’re used to holding that position, and eventually reducing the padding. You can also do this one fist at a time, with one hand in a fist and the other hand flat (like in the first picture).
Interested in reviewing past Bando minutes? Check out the Bando Minute archive!