Bamboo Gada and Steel Mace Review

Exploring the differences between a Bamboo Gada and a Steel Mace following my trip to India.

Clay Pot Bamboo Gada

The Bamboo Gada has been made in the traditional Clay Pot method, where a Clay Pot is used as a mould, rather than a basketball or anything else.

Bamboo Pole

A bamboo pole is pushed into wet concrete which is then allowed to dry and cure, then the Clay Pot is smashed with a hammer removing the mould and leaving the formed shape of the Gada head.

Choosing a flat bottomed Clay Pot will mean that the Gada will stand upright.

Steel Mace

The Steel Mace weighs 12kg, the handle has been painted red with white stripes copying the natural markings of bamboo.

Why you may well ask?

In performing a 10-2 swing, for example, I try to get my shoulder into the upper red level, therefore making sure that my arms straighten to full extension in the front position, which acts as a rest position albeit a very short one. Same with 360s, the top stripe on the mace tracks across my eyes when the mace passes through the front, giving me the knowledge that my arms are straightened and resting.

Grip Speculation

It’s worth mentioning here that there seems to be a lot of speculation as to which is the correct way to grip a mace and swing 360’s, comments stating that one hand grip is better and easier than another, personally I don’t agree with all these comments.

A 360 is a precursor to doing a correct 10-2

When you perform a 10-2 you swing one way and then the other way, and you can’t change your hands in-between swings. So if you start swinging left over right, you should then change over to right over left and carry on thus ensuring even skill development.

The white stripe at the end of the Steel Mace handle shows the two-handed grip position, if you are just starting with the mace, hold (choke) the handle a bit further up in the red area, the white stripe gives you a reference point as to where you are going to hold the mace, then as you gradually get better you can work you hands down the handle of the mace. The choked mace head makes a smaller circle which is easier to swing, the movements are also quicker offering intense cardio.

I intentionally made the Bamboo Mace 4’6″ long to match the Steel Mace at 4’6″.

I tried to make the mace head about the same size

The weight of the Bamboo Mace is 10kgs and the Steel Mace is 11.5kgs plus 0.5kgs of shot loaded in the head to bring it up to 12kgs. Even though there is a 2kg difference between the two, you still get a very good idea of how they swing.

Heavy Handle

The Steel Mace has a lot of weight in the handle itself, which you can feel when you push the mace up. The Bamboo Mace is completely different, all the weight is in the head of the mace and nothing in the handle.

Speed

This means that when you push the mace up to the top, and then as it falls behind you, it starts accelerating a lot quicker than the Steel Mace, and as it comes to the opposite side, the momentum generated by the drop should be picked up by your shoulders on the ascent as the mace head reaches the point of exchange or maximum height, before dropping into the next swing.

Conventional Start or Indian Floor Launch

Conventional start – by holding the mace in the front of your body, pushing up and then dropping it behind you into a backswing.

Indian Floor Launch – one arm holds the mace handle at the end, the other hand holds the mace handle just below the mace head,

Perform a kettlebell style swing between the legs and launch the mace head up to the shoulder, then immediately allow it to drop into a backswing.

The Indian Floor Launch is done to the left and right and is used for 10-2’s and 360’s.

The Heavy Mace Launch, Swing and Rack

RACK – Mace tests on shoulder and back of the neck

GRIP – Mace is choked at full arm length

DROP – Mace is cast from the neck RACK by the arms and body twist (no upward push)

180 DEGREES – Mace Swings 180 degrees and is caught in the neck RACK position on the opposite shoulder, landing on the upper front chest and then sliding into the RACK position.

Long Mace Handles or Traditional Handles

Another debate to my mind concerns long mace handles, many manufacturers are promoting this as a beneficial feature. I am starting to honestly wonder if there is any sense in this, if you think about the scope of the circle made by the mace, the bigger the circle the slower the mace will travel.  I did not see any long handles in India, they were all around about 4’6″ long which leads me to think that this is a happy medium, offering a massive lateral core workout combined with intense cardio. A mace measuring 4’6″ means that the head of the mace will pass the back of your knees and there is little chance hitting your calves.  This is really important for learners. Slowing a mace down by making it with a long handle seems to defy the purpose of the sheer intensity of mace swinging using a traditional length handle.

One-Handed Mace Swinging

One-handed swings using the Steel Mace were always a challenge for me, I just found the mace too heavy at 12kg, the Bamboo Mace on the other hand seemed very comfortable at 10kg, admittedly 2kg lighter, but the difference in weight distribution made a one-handed swing approachable and straight forward to master.

Master the Basics, Two-Handed 360’s and 10-2’s

It has to be said that you have to completely master two-handed 360’s and 10-2’s before attempting one-handed mace swinging.

Learning to Swing Single Handed

To begin with, swing two-handed and find your rhythm. Then release the upper hand, when the mace comes up catch the handle and return the mace with both hands and repeat. After a few repetitions do the other hand. If you started with a left over right grip, change and to the same right over left. Note that you have to master a much greater lateral movement to bring the mace up.

You will find that tracking the mace flight path is difficult and requires good control, if you feel it’s going wrong engage your free hand to bring it under control and then try again. Once you have experimented and got the feel of each hand separately, you should be able to put it together and swing alternate left and right one-handed mace swings.

Triceps Extension Test

The general mace swinging technique covering all disciplines in India was amazing. Each swing was done with perfect form, constant focus on full triceps extension, elbow up and hand at neck level or lower at the back. You can test this very easily without a mace, here’s how. Straighten one arm up above your head, the other hand is placed on the biceps of the first arm, then slowly start dropping the upper hand behind your head bending it at the elbow, you will feel the biceps engaged, as your hand reaches the lowest point and the triceps fully extends, your biceps will disengage, this is the correct position for mace swinging.

Sports Car and School Bus

Summing up, even though there is a 2kg difference, the Bamboo Mace is fast and feels like a sports car, whereas the Steel Mace feels like you are driving an old school bus. I am not knocking either one, both have advantages and I like them both and am planning to make a heavier Bamboo Gada in the near future.