Chinese stress balls are no larger than cue balls for billiards and stimulate blood flow, improving circulation and sharpening the mental and physical health of the user.
According to Vitality Magazine, Chinese stress balls are effective at helping a person achieve mental, physical and spiritual wholeness. Created during the Han Dynasty in first century China, soldiers would rotate walnuts with the fingertips to strengthen the muscles of the hands, fingers and wrist. During the Sung Dynasty, balls were made of stone and metal, increasing the strength one gained from the exercise.
Tips On Warming Up
Begin your practice with only two balls in the right hand. This will help you ease into it and not put too much strain on the muscles in your hand. Rotate the balls clockwise for two or three minutes within your palm and then switch to a counter-clockwise movement.
After you have sufficiently mastered the above warm-up, try rotating the balls without the two coming apart and clashing together again. As a tip, start to focus on how your fingers are being used in the exercise. By accentuating the fingers you are working muscles that are rarely used and you'll have greater control over the balls.
Once you can rotate the balls smoothly with your palm up, turn your palm to face the ground and attempt to rotate them for 10 to 15 minutes at a time both clockwise and counter-clockwise. You'll drop the balls, so practice in a quiet place with carpeting or some other soft flooring. This will keep you from having to buy too many sets of Chinese stress balls.
Intermediate Level Chinese Stress Ball Exercises
Once you have mastered the art of two Chinese stress balls at once, you will notice that it's not only the muscles in your hand that are getting a workout. Surprisingly, this exercise is just as beneficial to the forearm, elbow, biceps and triceps as it is to the hand. Once you've built up some stamina in both hands, try to rotate three in your hand at the same time.
Again, attempt to rotate all three without the balls clashing or coming out of a smooth, circular motion. Once you can rotate three without the balls coming apart, try a fourth ball on the top of the three you're rotating. It should look like a rudimentary pyramid. If you're doing it correctly, the ball on top should rotate in the reverse direction as the way you're rotating the three.
Don't feel frustrated if you can't get to this step for the first few months of starting your exercises. Chinese stress ball masters say these exercises take years to master.
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