Iron fist training, etc., who's into this?

[ButtonMasher]

I wanna start getting into it.

I'm into boxing, wanna get into Muay Thai soon also.

But I'd also really like to get into the art of street fighting as well, just always felt like it'd be something good to know.

Anyways I'd like to know if anybody is into things like iron fist training and what not.

 

[Reyesnuthugr]

Kung Fu and Karate Styles often incorporate fist hardening methods into their training. Usually at home though. Karate styles often use Makiwara (look up how to make and use one) and Kung Fu use several varying methods, such as lightly hitting bags of sand, beans, or rice, etc.

If you're careful and don't overdo it (usually out of ego) you may be lucky enough to NOT damage your hands and get arthritis early. Most people like to feel like badasses (to compensate for the reality that they aren't) and over-do it as a result. Don't be them.

It should be light enough and repetitive so it shouldn't hurt, because this stuff builds up very slowly and gradually. If you try to rush it, you will just damage yourself (maybe not noticeably at first) like all the other idiots. It doesn't take EVEN average-level pain tolerance to injure yourself, therefore: it's not impressive. Plus, that kind of damage stays with you, and then you can't continue. Rushing it doesn't work.

Boxers could benefit from a little hand strengthening as well. Our forum mod, Sinister, uses those white round buckets of dry, uncooked rice which he has his students dig their fingers into and kneed the rice to strengthen their fingers hands and arms. There's a thread about that with vids floating around from years back somewhere on here. It gets tiring very quickly but it's a good cheap method because pickle buckets are free and cheap rice is next to free.

 

[Frode Falch]

Yes i try to keep my kung fu skills

 

[Universal Kombat]

I wanna start getting into it.

I'm into boxing, wanna get into Muay Thai soon also.

But I'd also really like to get into the art of street fighting as well, just always felt like it'd be something good to know.

Anyways I'd like to know if anybody is into things like iron fist training and what not.

I'd given this much thought. I know you can hurt your hands in the long run doing this so I actually avoid this type of training.

I work with small craftsmanship/engineering which includes the tiniest screw drivers and powerful magnifying glasses you ever saw.

You can imagine how important a steady hand is.

So, considering that I carry a gun as first defense, a knife as second defense, and my fists as third, I rather keep my hands healthy. Besides, open palm strikes work ala Bas Rutten.

And even if I had no gun or knife...theres plenty of strikes we can do that are much safer than punches.

Elbow strikes, knees, kicks, headbuts (done properly), and lest we forget, takedowns on concrete, pins and submissions.

Maybe I'm just a pussy, but I've seen enough fight videos to know two things. Any average sized normal male can score a lucky KO shot on ANYONE.

And people in the street will keep hitting you until permanent brain damage or death. For that reason I would never engage in a street fight with a stranger.

Im a big, ugly, hairy, bald headed mother trucker. If someone wanted to fight me in the street it's because they're packing a weapon or have friends standing by. They're also not going to engage me fairly, even if its one vs one.

I know I turned this into a rant I just don't want you getting hurt TS as a fellow martial artist to another. That includes your hands.

 

[Rico]

@wizcoolc

 

[fluffball]

And people in the street will keep hitting you until permanent brain damage or death. For that reason I would never engage in a street fight with a stranger.

The number of buffoons on Sherdog that think "street fighting" is a hobby for adults is unlike anything I've ever experienced. Bunch of idiots going to get themselves stabbed and then sued while they lay in the hospital.

I'd also like to add to your rant that punching someone in the mouth carries a dangerous risk of disease.

Edit: The buffoon comment is not directed at the OP, but people who think a "street fight" doesn't involve a risk of death, weapons, and multiple opponents.

Edit 2: Fuck the phrase "street fight". It's either a survival/self defense situation or you're a drunken twat.

 

[Universal Kombat]

The number of buffoons on Sherdog that think "street fighting" is a hobby for adults is unlike anything I've ever experienced. Bunch of idiots going to get themselves stabbed and then sued while they lay in the hospital.

I'd also like to add to your rant that punching someone in the mouth carries a dangerous risk of disease.

Edit: The buffoon comment is not directed at the OP, but people who think a "street fight" doesn't involve a risk of death, weapons, and multiple opponents.

Edit 2: Fuck the phrase "street fight". It's either a survival/self defense situation or you're a drunken twat.

So you're agreeing with me while being angry towards me?

 

[fluffball]

So you're agreeing with me while being angry towards me?

No I'm not angry at you haha. I was just agreeing with everything you said. Was my post so angry sounding you thought I was attacking you?

 

[Universal Kombat]

No I'm not angry at you haha. I was just agreeing with everything you said. Was my post so angry sounding you thought I was attacking you?

Yes. But that was my misunderstanding skimming through the comment. When read carefully I saw the confusion. My apologies.

 

[Azam]

Conditioning the hand is important for anything that involves throwing them at someone's face or a hard object - this goes with hand strikes as well like knife-hands.

A lot of people do damage their hands because they jump from 0 to 100 - usually it's because their instructor has no clue or they have no instructor.

Proper conditioning should aid training & daily life - not hinder it. I've been conditioning my hands for years and I've never had an issue with my hands in training period.

It's preventative care. Just like how you toughen up your shins over time for kicking.

It is surprising that a lot of arts don't really do it to the extent you see in Karate though.


That said best not to think about the art of street fighting - if you're doing martial arts training correctly & consistently you won't need to engage anyone on the street.

 

[milliniar]

I aim to plunge my fist into the molten heart of a dragon, after training in k'un-lun.



But simple using rice or even beans in a bucket as mentioned is an easy way.

 

[Beijing Power]

I've done iron palm for a year or two. When I stopped practicing regularly, I was hitting a bag of 6mm (1/4 inch) steel shot. I used two different kinds of dit da jow (跌打酒) make for iron palm.

Once u get past mung beans, it really sucks. It hurts a lot and u have to be careful to hit it correctly so u don't mess up ur hand and have to take a few days off. Also, I tried to avoid hitting it with my fingers because when I did, it would reduce what I could feel with my fingertips. I can break bricks but it will take another 5 years before I could do anything youtube worthy.

It terms of iron first, u gotta be even more careful. U need to hit with the knuckles cleanly and try not to hit with the curled up fingers. I noticed this was especially true for me with my first knuckle; the knuckle joint still a little messed up from it.

For a self-defense situation, I would try to avoid using my fists. Even an experienced striker with well conditioned hands can hit an elbow or forehead in the wrong way and injure his hand. It's a lot harder to break ur hand with open handed strikes. Plus, bruised knuckles are a clear sign to the police that u were in a fight.

That being said, street fighting is stupid.

 

[AndyTran]

Imo if it really comes down to it I would try to use teep/ low kick and elbow/ knee to protect my fists. Hands should only be used to grab/ push in street fight I think.