Pahlavandle Review

Pahlavandle Indian Clubs are made by Heroic Sport.  This is an independent review discussing all the Pros and Con’s.

An independent review

I would like to thank Ron Bader for sending me samples of the Pahlavandle to try out.

A Pair of Pahlavandles

Construction of the Pahlavandle

• The quality of construction is very good.
• Made from moulded plastic.
• The screw fitting will fit most plastic water bottles.

This video was filmed on the island of Hvar, on the waterfront of a town called Jelsa in Croatia.

Make INDIAN CLUBS with Pahlavandles

In the video, the Indian Clubs were made using a pair of Pahlavandles.

A pair of Pahlavandles – with 2 x 1.5 ltr bottles half full of water, weight approx 2 lbs or 0.9 kgs each, length approx 20″ or 51 cms

Make PERSIAN MEELS with Pahlavandles

In the video, the Persian Meels were made using two pairs of Pahlavandles.

Two pairs of Pahlavandles – made with 2 x 1.5 ltr bottles full of water, weight approx 4.5 lbs or 2 kgs each, length approx 26″ or 66 cms

Make a GADA (mace) with Pahlavandles

In the video, the Gada (mace) was made by using two sets of Pahlavandles.

Two sets of Pahlavandles – with 1 x 1.5 ltr bottle full of water, weight approx 4.5 lbs or 2 kgs, length approx 40″ or 102 cms

SCREWCAP Fittings

• The bottles screwed firmly into the handles, which was reassuring.
• The bottle caps screw into the pommel and the water bottle into the other end.

Most screw caps from a plastic water bottle will fit the thread provided on the pommel. The water bottle screws into the other end.

Which WATER BOTTLE?

• The Pahlavandle and water bottle combined present the user with a choice. You can attach a variety of plastic bottles to the Pahlavandle from the smaller 500ml up to 2ltr.
• If you are a beginner then start small and increase the loaded weight slowly as you learn. You can use water, rice and sand as a filler.
• Note that not all water bottles are made with a thread that matches the Pahlavandle. There are some that are incompatible with the Pahlavandle.

SWINGING…

• The Indian Clubs swing has a hard feel because the weight is at the end of the handle making the Indian Clubs feel heavier and therefore more aggressive in motion.
• Nothing wrong with that, especially for a newcomer to Indian Clubs swinging.
• The Persian Meels swing felt more natural due to the centre of mass being at the end of the clubs.
• The Gada (mace) swing felt light, but it’s great if you do not have a Gada (mace) with you on your travels and you can just go through the motions of swinging a Gada.

POMMEL

• The pommel on a Pahlavandle is button-shaped.
• The bottle cap is designed to screw into the button-shaped pommel, and this works well.
• Nothing wrong here, however from workshop experience, a spherically shaped pommel is better for beginners learning to handle Indian Clubs.
• A button-shaped pommel is designed for speed and has a whipping action through circles which is ideal for advanced club swinging.
• A button pommel is ideal for the use of the Pahlavandle as Persian Meels as this is in the traditional style of a Meel Club.

HANDLE

• The Pahlavandle is made from moulded plastic and has a very smooth handle.
• The Pahlavandle handle is cone shaped.
• There is a problem here as the handle is wider (thicker) at the pommel end and narrower at the neck of the bottle. The nature of the cone shape affects the grip of a club in a negative way for handling in both the Indian Clubs and Persian Meels formats.
• The pommel has a very important role to play in club swinging in acting as a hinge and anchor, the handle narrows into the pommel for good reason.

This photo shows the comparison of the Pahlavandle and a standard Indian Club handle. Note the difference in the cone shapes.

FINAL THOUGHTS on the Pahlavandle

I think that the Pahlavandle is a BRILLIANT idea created by Ron Bader and Thierry Sanchez from Heroic Sport.

PRO – It is ideal for beginners and if you are planning to travel, as the Pahlavandle are lightweight and easy to carry, taking up very little space in your luggage.

PRO – The Pahlavandle makes Indian Clubs affordable to many people who may want to try swinging Indian Clubs but do not want to go to the expense of a pair of wooden Indian Clubs until they are sure they want to continue with Indian Clubs Exercise.

CON – The downside of the Pahlavandle is the reversed cone shape of the handle itself, which is very disappointing considering the effort that has obviously gone into creating the Pahlavandle in the first place.

SCORE

The score should have been ten out of ten for this great idea, if the design of the handle was correct, which is why I gave the Pahlavandle a score of 6/10.

COMMENTS FROM FACEBOOK…

T C Lee Love the unbiased review! Certainly has pros and cons as you mentioned in the blog post. I would add that it’s more kids friendly than the wooden clubs. But certainly, the feel on the wooden clubs feel more natural. For me, I leave the nice wooden clubs at the gym and bring my plastic clubs and Pahlavandle home. I don’t have to worry about my small kids abusing my nice Indian Clubs.