Training the Spearhand

[JR 137]

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.

Just to give it a try, I threw a couple at my Century BOB XL. Not a chance in hell I’d throw one at anything remotely close to full force against an actual attacker. An inverted fist strike/uppercut in a sense to the liver or spleen would do me just fine. And I’d be able to hit the target a hell of a lot harder.

 

[WaterGal]

I've heard the thing about conditioning your fingers with sand, like someone else mentioned. But also, of people who've done that and still ended up with badly broken fingers, so..... to me, the "coolness" factor of breaking that way wouldn't be worth the risk of needing to have pins put in my fingers.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Just to give it a try, I threw a couple at my Century BOB XL. Not a chance in hell I’d throw one at anything remotely close to full force against an actual attacker. An inverted fist strike/uppercut in a sense to the liver or spleen would do me just fine. And I’d be able to hit the target a hell of a lot harder.

In many ways, BOB is pretty close to striking a person. But he does lack the soft vulnerable spots people have; his solar plexus and throat are the same as his ribs.

I've heard the thing about conditioning your fingers with sand, like someone else mentioned. But also, of people who've done that and still ended up with badly broken fingers, so..... to me, the "coolness" factor of breaking that way wouldn't be worth the risk of needing to have pins put in my fingers.

You don't train with sand, you build up to (and past) sand. Flour is a better material for starting. But it's not without risk even so. As I said, I don't typically teach these techniques other than as part of forms. And when we talk about application, I discuss the risks. I've shown spearhand breaks, and I've had a few students ask about conditioning. I'm willing to explain the conditioning as long as they meet two criteria (legal adult and at least 1st Dan), but always make sure they understand the risks. None of them have done the conditioning.
Much like the karate knuckle, spearhand conditioning is probably not something the vast majority of students will ever do.