Learn about Rice Bucket Hand Exercises - Martial Arts Strengthening Drill

In ancient times, martial arts students would attempt to strengthen their hands by exercising them in a bucket of rice (or sand). These hand exercises were designed to improve a martial artists's gripping power and build up the muscles in their hands, wrists and forearms. In turn, martial artists thought this would improve the power behind their joint lock, punching and grappling & submission techniques. The videos below show a number of different rice bucket strengthening drills used in today in baseball, sports injury rehabilitation, etc.

All stretches and exercises should be supervised by a trained martial arts instructor in order to prevent injuries and to ensure the proper technique is utilized.

For additional stretches and exercises, please visit the main Martial Arts Warm-Up Exercises, Stretching, Conditioning and Strength Training sections.