Making a Tou

I’ve recieved many emails from people asking for information regarding how to build a Tou similar to the one in my dojo.  I’ve spent a fair bit of time replying to these requests individually and think it might be more helpful if I were to post some information straight onto the blog so that people can get ideas for building their own.

My own consists of a tree trunk cut to size and then stripped of the bark.  This was then cemented into a steel base which was made up of a large steel cylinder about 10 inches wide by 12 inches high.  The cylinder was then welded onto a steel base plate about 2 feet square which is then bolted into the ground.

 

This then is your basic Tou which is used in Okinawa for forearm and body conditioning.  The one at the jundokan dojo is a lot thinner than mine (about 6 inches in diameter), but out there practitioners have no shortage of training partners so don’t have quite the same requirement as me in my lonely little dojo!

 

Mine is a modified version in that it has arms and a machiwara pad at face height.  The arms are just two pieces of thick durable hose which can be found in most garden centers.  These are cut to the same length as my arms, and then bolted on at shoulder height.

 

My sensei has modified his further by drilling three holes at jodan, chudan and gedan height into which he can insert rigid wooden arms to practice blocking techniques.

He also has half a tyre attached at knee height for practicing kansetsu geri.

 

The most difficult part will be getting hold of a suitable base to be bolted to the ground.  Alternatively you could just dig a hole and cement the post straight into the ground?

I hope that this may assist some of you with creating your own version.

Good luck!