toughening the hand

[opr1945105]

I spend entirely to much time surfing the internet, chasing rabbits down rabbit holes.

I need to keep my focus on why I am here, health and fitness. Not fighting, competition or self defense.

Thanks.

 

[Gyakuto107]

I don’t think there’s any evidence that ‘moderate’ hand conditioning causes osteoarthritis (remember that’s caused by the loss/wearing away of cartilage lining the joints and bone rubbing against bone). Hitting a makiwara hard and often might deform bone or cause spurs etc limiting the range of motion of the delicate fingers: the hands are a marvel of evolutionary engineering by natural selection with the ‘intermediates’ viewable in our primate lineage.

The question is, why would you risk damaging your delicate hands in the modern age when there’s absolutely no need for it? I think it’s simply a macho tradition. Calloused fists are a badge of being tough, thwacking a makiwara, striped to the waist with a black obi wrapped around the waist, a romantic image. But there’s no need for it, if there ever was.

 

[Kung Fu Wang107]

I need to keep my focus on why I am here, health and fitness. Not fighting, competition or self defense.

Thanks.

Toughening the hand is for hurting other people. It's not for health and fitness.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Well I've been hitting the makiwara consistently since my teens. In my forties now. I'm not hitting it hundreds of times per hand every day, but it's been consistent over the years. My knuckles are slightly enlarged and callouses in places others don't have them but that's about it. Never had a problem with my hands so far. But then I don't want deformed hands so have been careful to stop short of that.

"so far"

 

[isshinryuronin1]

Most here seem to agree that the various types of extreme impact conditioning are not really beneficial in today's world and can lead to some injury. But in moderation, kote kitae (basically banging shins and arms and striking arms with another) and makiwara have some benefits.

We do practice a form of kote-kitae (hardening) in the dojo, but it's done lightly and infrequently, and I find it unlikely to create much in the way of permanent damage. It teaches technique as much or more than it desensitizes nerve endings

This does toughen the arms, thighs and shins, probably best utilized by the younger guys that do a lot of sparring. But I still enjoy the various kinds on arm conditioning. Like the makiwara, upon your body making contact with a non-giving target, your muscles meet resistance, causing some stress to the muscles and builds strength that is realized when, and at the point, contact it made. The makiwara will give instant feedback on your body strucdture, especially your wrist. Another benefit below:

What is useful is to prepare for the pain and shock of impact by practicing it.

Additionally, one cannot discount the "macho" factor of willfully bloodying your hands and smashing limbs against another's. What fun! I will admit, the younger you are the more fun it is.

 

[Badhabits]

I will admit the makiwara is a habit for me. After roughly 30 years of using it, it feels weird when I don't. But I still enjoy the heck out of it. There's a satisfaction in it bags don't provide. And I'm a firm believer that in pursuing karate for self defense, being able to cause maximum damage with one strike should be one of the primary goals. Makiwara work contributes a great deal to that goal.

 

[Fungus97]

Additionally, one cannot discount the "macho" factor of willfully bloodying your hands and smashing limbs against another's. What fun! I will admit, the younger you are the more fun it is.

Starting kyokushin at around 50, I feel childish and immature at times for loving it. Not only do I enjoy the feeling of throwing a well balanced and powerful ushiro geri into something, I also enjoy my own bruises and leg pain the days after. And I am not an aggresive person at all. I think am just sitting do damn much in front of the computer screen at work the fighting is a perfect reality check. Is there something wrong with me, or is it expected to go away with age?

 

[Badhabits]

With my dad practicing Kyokushin, I grew up hearing stories about Oyama. Used to hear that if he threw a punch at your ribs and you shielded your ribs with your arm, his punch would break your arm. Maybe true, maybe not, but I still think of that when practicing on the makiwara. Man, I'd love to be able to do that

 

[Wing Woo Gar41]

Lot to think about given here, most of which did not occur to me. After reflection I think I will pass on hand toughening. Thanks all.

Much enlightenment here.

No woman will want to be touched by an iron palm hand. You will not want to be touching yourself with that iron palm either.

 

[opr1945105]

Okay, point made. careful where you go with this...

 

[windwalker099106]

Toughening the hand is for hurting other people. It's not for health and fitness.

100 %

Of the teachers I've known, one had to be introduced by someone, the teacher would test a person to assess their character,
see if they were worth teaching.

In some cases, especially in the early years in San Francisco, teaching was reserved only for the local ethnic Chinese. Even then, there was a distinction between general teaching and what was known as "indoor teaching." General teaching was for the public, while indoor teaching was reserved for those who intended to use the art for its original purpose.

 

[Gyakuto107]

No woman will want to be touched by an iron palm hand. You will not want to be touching yourself with that iron palm either.

Hmmmm It’d be an interesting variation on lying on one’s arm for half an hour so it ‘feels like someone else’s’.

 

[Wing Woo Gar41]

Hmmmm It’d be an interesting variation on lying on one’s arm for half an hour so it ‘feels like someone else’s’.

We call that the Mysterious Stranger.

 

[windwalker099106]

some of the training.

note:

The video demonstrates this teacher’s method of application.

In our approach, any point of contact was considered the target, regardless of what it was.

Some of our testing involved using a U.S. telephone book placed on the person’s chest thought to protect them from internal injury.

Slapping the book would leave a handprint on their chest...pretty cool, also painful,
Probably not a healthy thing to do on a regular basis...although we did do it in testing. .

Our training known as “burning hand.”
Some of the training included heating up the dit da jow "iron hitting wine"
and soaking one’s hand in it.

 

[opr1945105]

Rice bucket training for 30 days video

 

[opr1945105]

For a different result Rice bucket training for 7 days video

 

[HighKick]

Most people use green mung beans to train iron palm. It's cold in nature that can balance the heat your body create.

View attachment 31955

I would aver most people go to work.

 

[opr1945105]

Larger Hands

 

[Wing Woo Gar41]

Larger Hands

Steroids are what’s making him pumped.

 

[Wing Woo Gar41]

Larger Hands

Without the proper coaching regimen, this is just monkey see. Be smarter than a monkey.