Clubs ( Club Swinging )

Club exercises have been in use for over a hundred years. They were very popular in the 1950s. The video below will give you some idea of how they are used. "The clubs are better than standard weights because they build full range of motion, rather than pure bulk, in the shoulders. Linear weights have limited value, because the shoulder was made to move in circles. [FLEX Clubs] reawaken the shoulder muscles by reestablishing full range of movement in the shoulder. That also benefits the elbows and the wrists, which move in concert with the houlder." Dr. Ed Thomas Chairman of the Dept. of Physical Fitness and Health Promotion
Troy State Univ. at Fort Benning, GA

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Maintains Joint Flexibility, Improves Range of Motion, Improves Coordination, Strengthens Muscles and Ligaments, Two 12 oz. clubs, Machined from a single piece of hardwood, Each piece is crafted to precise quality standards and is stained for a smooth finish. Includes 30 minute Instructional video Dr. Ed Thomas, kinesiologist and nationally recognized authority on health and fitness, demonstrates how to perform novice club swinging routines with slow and precise movements.

Club swinging originated in India, developed by soldiers as a method of improving strength, agility, balance and physical ability. During the annexation of India, British officers witnessed the warriors' graceful motions and noted, "besides the great recommendation of simplicity, the Indian club practice possesses the essential property of expanding the chest and exercising every muscle of the body."1

In 1914, the U.S. Army Manual of Physical Training noted, "The effect of these exercises, when performed with light clubs, is chiefly a neural one, hence they are primary factors in the development of grace, coordination and rhythm... they tend <Actinic:Variable Name = 'to'/> supple the muscles and [to articulate] the shoulders and...the upper and fore arms and wrist..."2

The shoulder girdle is one of the most moveable, but most fragile, areas of the body. Shoulder strength should be complemented by flexibility, and swinging with FLEX Clubs can improve both.

Although a lost art for a number of decades, club swinging has reemerged thanks to students at Northern Illinois University and a physical training program of the U.S. Army at Fort Benning, GA.


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1 Warman, E.B. (1921). Indian Club exercises. Spalding "Red Cover" Series of Athletic Handbooks, No. 22R. New York: American Sports Publishing Co.
2 War Department: Office of the Chief of Staff. (1914). Manual of physical training for use in the United States Army. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.