Training the Spearhand

[Azulx]

How do you train the spear-hand for board breaking?

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Traditional way is sand. Buckets of sand. Personally I would not do it. I use nukite on soft tissue.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

There is a special finger tips training that's used by the CMA Zimen system. You get 2 iron boards. When you sleep, you put it on both sides of your body. When you sleep on your left, you put your right hand on the iron board with finger tips touching on the board while hanging your elbow in the air. When you turn to your right, you do the same with your left hand. In theory if you sleep for 8 hours, you have trained 8 hours also.

After 2 famous CMA masters used their finger tips attacked my throat and I was still standing, I lose confidence in "finger tips striking" after that. I started that training for several months. But I didn't continue. I don't mind training hard. But to train MA while sleeping is a bit too much.

The finger tips training can be bad for your eyes.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Depends on who you ask. The way I was taught is to start with a big bin full of flour, gradually moving to sand, and then dried peas.
You also need to learn how to hold the hand. Again, the way I was trained is make a knifehand, then flex fingers so that the 2nd-4th fingers will strike together.
I don't actually recommend it. It's dangerous for you, and of limited application. I find it better to restrict finger strikes to soft targets.

 

[Finlay]

This needs technique more than power

similar to any board breaking, find a weak, padded board. Practice striking this with a finger tip strike with good form, very gentle at first. think of alignment, tension etc.

slowly strike with more force till the board, half breaks, then breaks and so on.

finger strengthening exercises like mentioned above plus finger tip push ups are also useful.

i would think that genetics also play a part in this, if you have long, slender fingers then maybe it is not the technique for you

 

[Gnarlie]

Keep your nails short.

Research the structure and how it gets its strength.

Practice the structure regularly.

Strengthen the muscles required to maintain the structure under stress.

Gradually increase striking intensity against a bag over a period of months.

You will probably injure yourself slightly, many times. Allow ample recovery time before continuing.

For a typical one inch board, you're looking at about one year's regular training based on my personal experience.

Slender fingers are not a problem. Weak forearm muscles are.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[Gnarlie]

How I started practicing. One tile for a month, then two etc.





Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[Balrog]

How do you train the spear-hand for board breaking?

I wouldn't even consider a spear hand technique for board breaking.

 

[Gnarlie]

I wouldn't even consider a spear hand technique for board breaking.

Mind if I ask why not?

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[Balrog]

Mind if I ask why not?

It's not a technique that would benefit from that level of training. Too much risk of injury. It's supposed to be used to soft body parts: jugular notch, eyes, solar plexus, etc.

 

[Gnarlie]

It's not a technique that would benefit from that level of training. Too much risk of injury. It's supposed to be used to soft body parts: jugular notch, eyes, solar plexus, etc.

I don't know...it's helped me to train it, it has really improved my grip strength and pressure point work. It carries a risk of injury if used untrained on soft areas too - it is pretty easy to accidentally hit something solid.

I just trained it for the challenge because I wasn't convinced it could work.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[Midnight-shadow]

It's not a technique that would benefit from that level of training. Too much risk of injury. It's supposed to be used to soft body parts: jugular notch, eyes, solar plexus, etc.

And yet some people train their whole lives to be able to do it:

 

[Finlay]

It's not a technique that would benefit from that level of training. Too much risk of injury. It's supposed to be used to soft body parts: jugular notch, eyes, solar plexus, etc.

Where as I agree with you in part, what are you going to be able to do to someone using spear finger to the solar plexus with unconditioned fingers?

 

[Balrog]

Where as I agree with you in part, what are you going to be able to do to someone using spear finger to the solar plexus with unconditioned fingers?

A hard spearhand to the solar plexus will do a better job than a punch of actually shocking the diaphragm and taking their wind away. The fingers don't have to be conditioned per se, just rigid with proper hand position.

 

[Finlay]

A hard spearhand to the solar plexus will do a better job than a punch of actually shocking the diaphragm and taking their wind away. The fingers don't have to be conditioned per se, just rigid with proper hand position.

I see, how do you train for that without striking objects? Or do you rely on the methods previously mentioned, buckets of sand etc?

 

[Balrog]

I see, how do you train for that without striking objects? Or do you rely on the methods previously mentioned, buckets of sand etc?

You train the proper hand position. It isn't necessary to hit anything.

 

[Gnarlie]

You train the proper hand position. It isn't necessary to hit anything.

That's what I used to think before I started hitting things with it. Even with the correct structure, the strength just isn't there to hold it, even against a soft target like a firm cushion. At least in my case it took a long time to get right and a lot of fine tuning.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[Dirty Dog]

You train the proper hand position. It isn't necessary to hit anything.

I could not disagree with this more. While you might (big IF...) be ok hitting the solar plexus, I doubt you'd be hitting full force. And what happens when your aim is slightly off and you hit the sternum?
If you do not condition the spearhand, I believe you should use it only very cautiously against soft targets. If you're going to actually use it, you really need to condition it.

 

[Finlay]

I have to say I have my doubts on this

Does anybody have experience if actually using the spearfinger against a person in the manner described?

 

[Dirty Dog]

I have to say I have my doubts on this

Does anybody have experience if actually using the spearfinger against a person in the manner described?

At the solar plexus? Sure. It's not a "go to" technique, but I've used it. Not unconditioned, though.