3 Tactics for Effortless Steel Mace 360s

Have you ever wondered how some people make steel mace 360s look effortless? These athletes have a secret: rhythm. They’ve trained themselves to minimize the energy expenditure for each rep, enabling them to swing heavier and longer. And we can learn this strategy too!

I’m going to break down 3 specific tactics you can apply to your 360s to make them more efficient so you too can swing longer and heavier. These tips apply to 360s and 10-2s, whether you’re using two arms or one. For a detailed progression of exercises to learn single arm 360s and 10-2s, you can check out this week’s video here!

Conserve momentum throughout each rep.

When you first learn to perform 360s, it is advisable to fully arrest the momentum of the mace after each rep. This enables greater awareness and coordination, which in turn increases muscle activation and improves the movement pattern as a whole. But to make our 360s more efficient, we must apply a different tactic: continuing the momentum.

The most energy-burning parts of the 360 are the initial press and the finishing pull back to the front. We can dramatically reduce our energy consumption by allowing the mace to continue on its trajectory after we pull it back to the front. The mace doesn’t have to move very fast, in fact it’s best if it doesn’t (slower pace allows your muscles to be better oxygenated). The key is to MANAGE momentum rather than arresting it. And the next tactic will help us do that more effectively.

Optimize your mace’s position relative to your body to increase balance.

The key to managing momentum is retaining our balance so we can exert control over the mace more easily. In mace flow, our balance can be distilled into the relationship between two things: our own center of gravity and the mace’s center of gravity. Being aware of these two things grants us unparalleled control over the mace (see last week’s blog for more depth on the mace’s balance point). As it relates to the 360, there are two primary points where you can optimize the relationship between the mace’s center of gravity and your own.

1. The first is between the pull and the press. As you pull the mace over, extend your arms so your hands are around the height of your navel. This will lower the head of the mace and thus bring your centers of gravity closer together, which will give you greater leverage and control over the mace.

2. The second place to optimize the relationship is when the mace pendulums behind you. Between when the mace begins dropping behind one shoulder and as it rises above your opposite shoulder, alternately shift your body’s orientation and weight to counterbalance the weight of the mace as it swings. This technique is FAR easier to perform when you lift your heels off the ground, which is our final tactic in today’s Flow Friday.

Begin the swing in your feet. 

Yes, you read that right. It might seem crazy, but the strongest swings begin in your feet. This tactic is so powerful that sometimes it makes the upper body feel like it’s barely working at all! I’ll make a whole video on this in the future, but the high-level is this: As the mace passes vertically behind you in your 360, allow the heel on the same side as the shoulder you are PULLING over to rise off the ground. This allows your legs, hips, and core to funnel energy into your upper body so you can complete the pull without burning out the smaller muscles of your shoulders and arms. Explore this tactic with a light mace in both the 360 and 10-2 techniques. Increase your reps before you increase your weight!

3 In 1

Once you integrate all 3 tactics simultaneously, you will discover a rhythm. This rhythm will perpetuate the mace's momentum, harmonize the shift of your center of gravity with the mace's, and enable your lower body to generate far greater power. If this rhythm isn't immediately apparent to you, don't worry! It takes time and practice for it to become revealed.

Now you’re on the road to swinging heavier maces for longer! I hope you got a TON out of this blog and if you did, please share it with someone who also loves mace flow. Thanks for reading!

Carpe Diem,

Coach Lochlainn