How to Warm Up Your Hands

It’s pretty cold in Australia right now because it’s wintertime. On a cold morning, there is nothing more important than warming up your hands before you swing Indian Clubs. One of my most favourite exercises warms up all the knuckles and it is called a Finger Fan.

Finger Fan

A Finger Fan starts with your palm open, and the forefinger comes into the palm as if to create a fist. However, you do not create a proper fist as you overlay your fingers one over the other, with the pinky coming in last. To open the fan you lead out with the pinky followed by the other fingers, the forefinger is the last to straighten, and immediately you begin closing your fist leading with the pinky and stacking your fingers in reverse.

For a summary, if the pinky leads out to open your hand, it has to lead in, to close your hand. And in reverse, if the forefinger leads out, then it has to lead in, to close your hand.

It is very important that you do not do this exercise too fast, the finger fan will warm up your knuckles and get all the synovial fluid is going. It’s a good idea to repeat this movement about 10 times.

The finger fan will really help you in handling your clubs with fast grip changes, by making your hands very mobile and agile.

The first version I shown the video is synchronous, and once you have mastered this you can try the asynchronous version.

Wrist Roll

Start a Wrist Roll by interlacing your fingers right over left and hold your arms straight out in front of you. Rotate your wrists so that the right is above the left, push forward with the upper arm and pull back with the lower arm. Roll your wrists over and reverse your arms. Now reverse everything by pushing forward with your left and pulling back with your right. Do 10 reps.

Next interlace your fingers left over right, now you’re going to pull with the top arm and pull from the bottom. Same as before you will roll your wrists over and reverse your arms. Immediately start pulling away from the bottom with the outstretched arm.

Finger Pull

To perform a Finger Pull, hold one arm straight out in front of you with your palm facing forward, take hold of your fingers with your other hand and gently pull them back towards you, and hold for a few seconds. Then reverse and do the other arm.

Wrist over Thumb

To perform a Wrist over Thumb, hold one arm outstretched and place the thumb of the opposite hand underneath the wrist and gently pull back the fingers towards the ground. Then repeat on the other side.

Pick up a Club

How to Warm Up Your Hands…

Start by holding the club upright using the hammer grip, then drop the club forward away from the body and changed to the sabre grip. Then lift the club back upright and lay it down on your forearm by releasing the middle finger, ring finger and pinky, and holding the club between your thumb and forefinger. Repeat up to 10 times.

Now if you’re confident you can try making a circle by dropping the club forward then down to the ground and raising it behind your elbow to the upright position. Please make sure you watch the video for a demonstration. It is really important that you practice releasing the middle finger, ring finger and pinky, and holding the club between your thumb and forefinger.

Do not let the club slide in your hand so that you hold it by the pommel.

Next, reverse the circle and swing it into the body using the same technique.

Pick up two clubs

How to Warm Up Your Hands…

Repeat the exercises using both clubs, rolling them away from the body first, and then into the body. Once you have become more confident with this exercise, you can try making the clubs go in opposite directions. One to the front and one to the back, and then, of course, reverse it.

Now that you’ve done your warm-ups, you’re ready to swing clubs. Enjoy and thanks for watching.