Baoding balls
Bǎodìng balls are metal balls small enough to hold in one hand. They’re also known as Chinese "balls for ball practice" exercise balls, Chinese health balls, Chinese meditation balls, and Chinese medicine balls. Baoding balls are used by rotating two or more balls repeatedly in the hand. Intended to improve finger dexterity, relax the hand, or aid in the recovery of muscle strength and motor skills after surgery, Baoding balls work similarly to Western stress balls.
The first Baoding balls were likely created in Hebei, China, during the Ming dynasty. Formerly, they were usually called "iron balls", as they were originally made of iron. Baoding balls continue to be produced there.
As metalworking advanced, "iron balls" became more popular. Construction methods varied. Most Baoding balls consist of a pair of hollow spheres, each containing a chime that rings when an inner ball strikes the outer sphere.
The basic exercise consists of holding a pair of Baoding balls in the palm of one hand, rotating them (switching the relative position of the two balls) while maintaining constant contact between them.
Once this technique has been mastered, the rotation speed can be gradually increased until the balls separate in the hand. Eventually one hand can learn to rotate them completely without the balls making contact with each other. Exercises have been developed involving more balls, where the main technique is to avoid contact with the other balls. This requires using a finger, usually the index finger, as a divider.
The area of the hand exercised can be varied, altering the part of the hand they rotate over, or changing the orbit of the balls so that more force is exerted on a particular finger or finger joints.
Well-known strongmen such as John Brookfield used shot put balls as Baoding balls, rotating them to develop forearm muscles and improve their grip.
Though unsupported by scientific evidence, baoding balls are thought to exercise hand muscles, improve brain function and reduce stress when used as alternative medicine to stimulate the acupuncture points on the hand.
Baoding balls are also used in physical therapy to exercise the soft tissues of the hand, wrist, and arm.
I tend to use them as a relaxation technique when doing sitting meditation, or during simple “quiet sitting and thinking time” with the gentle rattling bell sound, as well as a hobby-based symbolic reminder of Zen philosophy.
Boading balls are easy to find, inexpensive and have many uses!
Please visit www.toddszen.com for more
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