The theory of training for punching power using a makiwara board is that you are using your fists in such a way that you would naturally fight them on the street. There are no bag gloves in dark alleys and no padding when an attacker invades his personal space.
The makiwara board will create a denser bone structure in your fists and will create large calluses with long term use. With careful training, you can achieve iron fists that are not available with any other type of punching power training.
The idea behind the makiwara isn’t to pound your hands into bloody stumps and then hope they turn into awesome weapons. You can do a lot of damage with makiwara training if you’re not careful, and you should take it easy and stop if you ever hurt yourself.
Starting slow and building to higher intensities and reps is the name of the game. You can’t just start makiwara training and expect to have fists of steel in just a few days. However, it is possible to achieve such results over time, and you can only gain the ability with a makiwara.
The makiwara originated in Okinawa, Japan, the birthplace of karate. Karate practitioners were poor farmers who packed their makiwaras with pieces that were available to them. Following tradition, it is quite possible to create your own makiwara even as a modern martial artist.
The makiwara can also help students of boxing, MMA, and other martial arts. As long as there is punching involved, makiwara will benefit your sport.
The makiwara is basically a flexible board mounted on the floor of your dojo or practice space, and traditionally has a lightly padded target. Okinawans used rice string, but there are many options available to stuff your own makiwara board.
All in all, if you’re going to train makiwara, make sure to start slow and follow the advice of the experts. Be careful with your combat tools (your fists) and you can turn them into very serious weapons.