You got my attention with the grip strenght lol, that´s exactly what happened to me last time i compted, my arms crapped out after holding on to a kimura grip for about 2 minutes
The great thing about Clubbells is that they pull through the hand as opposed into the hand like conventional weights (dumbbells, etc). Scott refers to this as Dynamic Grip Distraction and is perfect for learning Selective Tension(tight-not so tight-tight grip) techniques which can have a direct cross-over to grappling.
It does seem pricy though :/
Being a member of the Poor Bastards Club, I know how you feel and I have a closet full of fitness equipment that I've made myself and never use. I attempted to re-create a cheaper version of the Clubbells but when I finally got the real deal, there was absolutely no comparison. Save up if you have to, but get a set of Clubbells, Scott's video, and Doug Szoleck's books on training. It may seem like a big initial investment, but the benefits you'll get are well worth it!
I´m definetly interested if i ever would have extra 300$ to spend, but it might be a while :/ But this is something i´ll definetly try down the road. Thx for the response.
Oh ok, i was just watching those videos and they all used two at a time, assumed you needed a pair :) That does bring the price down a bit, but i´m still shit poor, saving up for college ATM, but i may be able to see off some money, but this is definetly something i want. Have no doubt i´ll order it sometime, just a matter of time.
I have not tried clubbells, but being raised by a farmer out in the backwoods of vermont, i am no stranger to grip work. As with swinging an axe, hammer, or straight crowbar (my personal favorite), the clubbell grip work seems to be in large part due to a factor of the long lever arm (the clubbells being heavier on the end, like an ax or sledge).
However, the grip for a kimura (gi OR no gi) is wider then an axe or a sledge, and im guess wider then a clubbell grip as well. A better training tool for that particular need might be a thick barbell (you can wrap a towl or something around a normal barbell as well for a cheaper version) to the desired grip (somewhere around middle finger to thumb grip).
Of course the clubbells get thicker at the end, so you could grab the desired thickness, but that would take away some of the leverage that makes the clubbells so difficult on the grip.
Isometric contractions seem to develop strength in the muscle primarily at the point of effort, so there may be better and cheaper alternatives for your particular need.
While Doug makes a good point that the grip for the Kimura might be wider than an ax or Clubbell handle, I believe that the main issue you need to address so you don't "burn out" is Selective Tension. When using the Clubbells you learn very quickly that your grip isn't 100% ON throughout the entire range of motion of any particular exericise.
A tight-loose-tight protocol is needed and, just as in grappling, your grip will fade quickly until you learn the mechanics of easing up coupled with appropriate crush-gripping. I'm sure you've rolled with rookies whose bodies are completely tensed the entire time and seen them wonder why they become exhausted so quickly. As you become more experienced, you learn that you move much better when you're relaxed and that allows you to roll for much longer periods and exert more effort in the later rounds.
The great thing about working with Clubbells is that they leave very little room for error. If you try to Gorilla Grip them the entire time, you'll quickly learn the lesson.
Yeah i´m sure that´s a big part of it, i´m usually very relaxed when grappling, but competition i spaz out a bit more, i propably should´ve eased up more.