how do i harden my knuckles?
i want to be able to punch and break, 2x4's and blocks and such for the purpose of becoming a better martial artist.
now how do i do that? give me the step by step detail. thank you.
i want to be able to punch and break, 2x4's and blocks and such for the purpose of becoming a better martial artist.
now how do i do that? give me the step by step detail. thank you.
Frank the tank
Favorite Answer
One way is to do knuckle push-ups.
Hard knuckles will not make you a better martial artist though.
?
punch, punch, punch..start with something firm but not too hard and then work your way up in hardness gradually over time...a good start is a hard sand heavy bag/punching bag and that should last you for years, as your knuckles harden you can try tightly wrapping rope around a board made of strong wood that's about 4-6 inches wide, at least 2 inches thick (so it won't break easy) and maybe 8 feet long...bury it halfway in the ground with the rope tightly wrapped around the top to middle but make sure the rope doesn't overlap, it has to be flat against the board and each strand below one another...that will be your punching area. The rope will not only soften the blow a little it will also help your knuckles callus as it will wear on them and probably make them raw the 1st few times( i heard soaking your hands in vinegar is supposed to help after puching but i'm not sure). I know this sounds extreme but it works, i've seen a man who punches and kicks such a board daily to the point where his hands and feet are hard as a rock and the nerves are numb where he no longer feels the blows.
I've also seen a older chinese man who's been employing such techniques so long that now he punches a piece of steel hard everyday, needless to say his knuckles are huge and it looks like his punch will feel like getting hit with lead gloves.
FYI hard knuckles won't help you break boards any better, they'll just help you feel it less but if done right you shouldn't really feel the board anyway
diel_delorung
its rather simple and self-explanatory...simply put, tap a surface/object(s) several times (100-500x) then massage thoroughly and apply some kind of muscle and skin liniment or ointment creme. The key word is TAP, it is rather stupid and uninformed when training for knuckle conditioning to slam your fists into hard objects...you may get the results faster, but in the long run you will come across painful arthiritis and loss of dexterity in your fingers = useless hands; clubs.
Use the 10% method as you do with stretching, there should only be slight pain (10%)...continue with the same impact force until no pain is felt, then increase the force.
As for the liniment, I would suggest some sort of Dit Da Jow (hitting wine) to treat the surface being conditioned. You can find it at any martial arts supply website (if you can actually find one now) lol. WWW.WLE.COM has some that I know for sure for a reasonable price. You can even look up how to make your own online...just do the research.
For the object or hitting surface, get a canvass bag and fill it with either fine grain sand (local Toys R Us carries that or home improvement store) or Mung Beans (which can be found at any asian market). The Mung beans are said to coat the hands/body part and also has beneficial effects on conditioning of the skin and muscles tissue.
Striking hard surfaces can deaden the nerves, but why damage your body in a negative way...the use of sand/punching bags prevents the deadening of nerves and any damage to the nerves in your hands for energy transfer, which is very important for what you are trying to accomplish. As with any weapon, if you cannot "feel it" it becomes a useless tool to be weilded by cavemen. The truely skillful use their weapons like the surgeon and his scalpal.
Good luck and be smart...Crawl (tap) before you can Walk (break) lol.
Anonymous
Proper technique is the best way to increase your punches effectiveness. Hand conditioning like you are talking about only leads arthritis. Making your hand or knuckles "harder" is unnecessary. The Makiwara or Maki is NOT for conditioning anything, it is for developing better technique, it should also only be used under supervision of a competent qualified instructor. Any conditioning that is required, will be accomplished through normal training and drills. Punching a wall is NOT Bright! Besides tearing up the wall you run the risk of breaking your hand if you hit one of the wall studs. Now there is a technique called Iron palm but it is almost impossible to find a qualified instructor and the training is prohibitively expensive.
Anonymous
You can harden your knuckles by punching a Makiwara stand.
Makiwaras are padded striking posts that originated in Okinawa for striking in Karate that are used to condition a person's fist to make the person's knuckles harder.
What you do is punch them repeatedly, and your nuckles will start to produce small microfractures, in time these microfractures will heal over and new more jagged bone will replace what was there, making your knuckles harder and more dangerous.
Also punching things like Makiwaras and trees, rock and and even beer bottles (as my friend once did in Kyokushin Karate) deadens the nerves in your hand so that you don't feel any pain from striking things.
In conclusion, striking things period can make your fists very powerful weapons. However, precision striking and technique are far more helpful in breaking boards in my opinion.
If you were thinking of taking a martial art that has knuckle hardening exercises, various forms of Okinawan karate, Shotokan and Kyokushin karate and some forms of Kung-fu all excel at fist conditioning.