The Weapon Becomes the Workout
The steel mace—sometimes called a gada in its ancestral form—is one of the oldest strength tools known to humankind. For centuries it was wielded not only as a weapon of war, but as a conditioning device that forged powerful warriors in cultures from India to Persia. Indian wrestlers (pehlwans) trained with heavy wooden or iron maces to develop rotational power, grip strength, and resilience, preparing their bodies for the rigors of combat. The mace was more than a tool for muscles—it was a ritual object that cultivated discipline, endurance, and ancestral strength passed down through warrior traditions.
Modern steel mace training revives this lineage in a form adapted for today’s athletes, martial artists, and movers. Swinging the mace develops the spine’s natural spirals, engages deep stabilizers of the core, and strengthens the shoulders through full ranges of motion. Unlike conventional gym lifts, which often isolate and compress, the mace teaches integration—linking breath, mobility, and force across the whole body.
In the Agniyana system, the mace is seen as both weapon and wisdom: a simple tool that becomes a multidimensional training practice. By rotating, swinging, pressing, and flowing with the mace, practitioners unlock mobility and conditioning in ways that dumbbells and barbells can’t provide. It’s a return to the blueprint of primal movement, a bridge between warrior mobility and modern functional training.
What You'll Learn
Training with the steel mace isn’t just about mastering techniques—it’s about learning how to embody spirals, leverage, and rhythm in every movement. In this program, you’ll explore:
Foundational Mace Techniques – From the classic 360° swing to 10-to-2s, presses, and squat variations. Each drill strengthens the shoulders, core, and posterior chain.
Rotational Power Development – Harness torque across the spine, hips, and shoulders for strikes, grappling, or athletic performance.
Mace Flows – Link movements into seamless sequences that build conditioning and mind-body awareness.
Single-Arm & Offset Loading – Learn how to stabilize against uneven loads, building resilience in the joints.
Combat-Inspired Patterns – Adapt ancient warrior conditioning into functional applications for martial artists.
Breath-Integrated Sets – Synchronize inhalations and exhalations with effort, cultivating endurance and mental focus.
Prehab & Rehab Drills – Use light mace protocols to bulletproof shoulders, spine, and grip against injury.
Beyond drills, you’ll develop a new language of movement. Mace practice isn’t about brute strength—it’s about cultivating adaptability, coordination, and ancestral strength that connects you to warrior traditions while enhancing modern performance.
Lineage & Influences
The steel mace has a direct ancestry in the gada tradition of India, famously used by legendary wrestlers like the Great Gama, who trained daily with massive wooden clubs and maces to build extraordinary strength and stamina. For centuries, pehlwans incorporated mace swinging into their akharas (training halls), blending it with wrestling, bodyweight calisthenics, and yogic breathing practices. The mace was revered as both a weapon and a spiritual implement, symbolizing discipline and mastery.
This tradition spread across cultures: in Persia, the meel and zurkhaneh arts developed similar tools, emphasizing rhythm, prayer, and flow as part of martial conditioning. In the West, modern pioneers such as Paul Taras Wolkowinski revived club and mace training for functional strength, while systems like StrongFirst and HardStyle integrated offset loading principles into modern strength coaching.
My own mace training is influenced by:
Indian Clubs Academy – rediscovering traditional swinging methods.
Combat Conditioning (Matt Furey) – blending functional tools with martial intent.
Martial Arts & Internal Power Systems – spiraling strength from Xing Yi Quan, Bagua, and Kung Fu.
Yin Yoga & Qigong Recovery – restoring fascia and decompressing joints after heavy rotational work.
The mace, then, is not a novelty but part of a living lineage of tools that prepared warriors for combat while keeping their bodies mobile and durable for a lifetime.
Why Steel Mace?
The steel mace is one of the most versatile functional training tools you can use today. Its offset load challenges stabilizing muscles that conventional lifts ignore, unlocking strength that transfers directly into martial arts, athletics, and daily life. With one simple tool, you can train:
Posterior Chain Strength – Spirals and swings develop back, glutes, and hamstrings.
Shoulder Resilience – Bulletproofs joints against stress while expanding range of motion.
Combat-Ready Strength – Builds power useful for striking, grappling, and weapon handling.
Rotational Core Power – Access spirals and torque unavailable in linear lifting.
Grip & Wrist Endurance – Essential for martial artists, lifters, and warriors of all kinds.
Flow-State Conditioning – Mindful rhythmic practice cultivates focus and presence.
Minimal Gear, Maximal Return – A single mace offers infinite variations, making it ideal for home training or minimalist gyms.
The mace connects us back to ancestral strength—the raw, functional power cultivated by warriors of old—while serving as a perfect tool for modern warrior mobility. It strengthens the body, sharpens the mind, and anchors you to a lineage that values resilience, adaptability, and balance.
Credentials & Experience
My journey with the steel mace began as part of my exploration of ancestral strength tools—methods that warriors and athletes relied on long before the invention of modern gym equipment. I’ve studied and practiced for years to understand not only the techniques of swinging the mace, but the philosophies and traditions behind it.
Long-term Practitioner of Combat Conditioning – Trained under the influence of Matt Furey, who integrated Indian clubs, maces, and Persian tools into dynamic conditioning systems that prepared both fighters and athletes.
Deep Study of Ancestral Tools – Ongoing exploration of Indian Clubs, Persian Meel, and other rotational strength implements that form the historical foundation of the modern steel mace.
Extensive Martial Arts Background – Decades of training in Kung Fu, Pak Mei, Jeet Kune Do, Kali, and Wing Chun, each of which informs how I adapt mace work into martial movement and combat readiness.
Certified Instructor – Credentials in Core Conditioning, MMA, and Functional Fitness through NESTA, ensuring my approach bridges traditional methods with evidence-based training science.
Grounded in Internal Arts – Study of Yoga, Qigong, and Internal Power Systems to balance heavy mace training with recovery, breath, and structural awareness.
This blend of lineage, certification, and lived practice means my mace teaching is not “fitness trend” hype—it is a carefully curated fusion of old-world wisdom and modern training principles.
Steel Mace is For
The steel mace is not just for strongmen or advanced athletes—it is for anyone seeking to reconnect with functional strength, warrior mobility, and ancestral roots. Its adaptability makes it suitable for diverse practitioners:
Martial Artists & Warriors – Build rotational power, grip strength, and endurance for combat applications.
Coaches & Trainers – Add a unique, cutting-edge ancestral tool to your program, offering clients something beyond barbells and machines.
Movers & Athletes – Develop spiraling strength patterns that enhance agility, coordination, and resilience.
Yogis & Bodyworkers – Reclaim natural spiral patterns in the fascia, aiding in recovery, energy flow, and balance.
Everyday Practitioners – Anyone looking to swing like a warrior and recover like a healer, cultivating strength with mindfulness.
The steel mace is truly a minimalist, maximal-return tool—requiring only one implement to unlock an infinite range of exercises, flows, and conditioning systems. Whether you train at home, outdoors, or in a gym, mace practice adapts to your lifestyle.
The time to reconnect with ancestral strength is now. If you want to develop rotational power, bulletproof your shoulders, and embody the resilience of warriors past, mace training is the path forward.
Join the Steel Mace path today. Sign up to access upcoming online courses, live workshops, and in-person training sessions. Learn how to integrate the mace into your martial arts, mobility, and fitness practice—and reclaim the timeless strength that belongs to you.