Baoding balls, also known as Chinese medicine balls or health balls, work on the principle that all the body’s energy meridians can be stimulated through the hands. Even if you’re not a believer in the principles of Chinese medicine, these balls are an undeniably effective exercise in hand and finger dexterity. While there are a number of options for how to use baoding balls, mastering one simple basic technique will open the door to a wealth of benefits.
Basic Technique
Step 1
Hold two baoding balls in the palm of one hand.
Step 2
Flex your hand to slowly rotate the two balls around each other without deviating from the palm-up posture. There’s no prescribed length of time you should do this, and many people approach it as a soothing, relaxing exercise. Beginners may wish to spend a few minutes practicing the movement, while more advanced users may be ready to simply spin the balls for 30 seconds to several minutes in a given direction, working up to as long as a 15-minute exercise period.
Step 3
Rotate the balls in the other direction. Make sure to spend at least as much time working on the weaker direction as on the stronger of the two.
Step 4
Repeat Steps 1 through 3 for the other hand or, if you're feeling particularly dexterous, exercise both hands at the same time.
Advanced Techniques
Step 1
Hold two baoding balls in the palm of one hand and rotate the two balls around each other without deviating from the palm-up posture
Step 2
Spread your hand open so that the balls do not touch. Practice spinning them without letting them touch at any point during the movement. Remember to reverse direction and spend at least as much time on the second direction as you did with the first.
Step 3
Turn your hand on its side so that your palm is perpendicular to the floor; grasp the balls to keep them from falling. Continue rotating the balls in a smooth continuous motion. Reverse directions halfway through.
Step 4
Turn your hand palm-down and continue spinning the balls; ideally, they still shouldn’t touch each other at all. Again, reverse directions part way through.
Step 5
Repeat Steps 1 through 4 with the other hand.
Tips and Warnings
- Beginners should start with relatively small baoding balls--as little as 1 inch in diameter--while more experienced users will be able to move up to larger balls. If you're not sure what size baoding balls to get, err on the smaller side, as you can still challenge yourself to use the more dexterous movements from Section 2.
Things You'll Need
- 2 or more baoding balls
