conditioning your shins

[Starchaser107]

I hate to say this, well...maybe not..., but this is yet another conversation that just doesn't go anywhere or mean anything...

to condition your shins, or anything else, you must stress them.

at the same time, you need to be fighting regularly to actually learn to use what you know.

conditioning alone doesn't mean ****. It's not like some magic potion: "I have taken my potion of conditioning and I will beat you"

It's just a part of the equation.

so, fight more, like you mean it, against someone else who is better than you and you will get all the condtioning you will ever need.

Not saying I disagree. but assuming that you already know how to fight, or perhaps a better way to put it is, you have a grasp on fighting then extra conditioning is helpful. It can really give you the advantage.

[X-Warrior]

Just like with anything else, start slow. We started by just kicking thai pads, then the heavy bags. Depending on how much time you can set aside, these could take a couple of years of conditioning. Pro Muay Thai fighters kick wood and iron poles, but only after years of conditioning on softer objects.

And oh yes. Do fight. The important thing is not how good your tool is but how well you can use it.

-X-

[Oso]

Not saying I disagree. but assuming that you already know how to fight, or perhaps a better way to put it is, you have a grasp on fighting then extra conditioning is helpful. It can really give you the advantage.

you are right.

don't mind me, just *****ing about the stupid circles every thread takes.

And oh yes. Do fight. The important thing is not how good your tool is but how well you can use it.
-X-

[David Jamieson]

play soccer for 3 years.

but seriously folks.

methods:

1- stomping on a hard surface with a flat shoe ( this causes microfractures in the bone which in turn fills with new bone matter, over time it solidifies the 62 lower extremity bones consisting of 10 hip and leg, 14 ankle and 38 foot bones.)

2- Heavy bag kicking using instep and shin (constent repitive striking with the surface will harden it and toughen it over time. Go easy at first and build up to more force)

3- ThaiPad kicking is same purpose as above but the thai pad in many cases is a little harder on teh surface than many heavy bags. (don't bother with wave masters they are too soft, use sand filled bags that are hard if you want to toughen wave bags are not suitable to this type of conditioning)

4- sparring/drills that focus on teh lower extremities. Focus on the legs is key.

5- rolling a rattan staff up and down the leg a few times daily, or other cylinderical object. You don't need to press down hard, just enough that you can feel it. Over time you will toughen up and be able to withstand the pain associaetd with getting whacked in teh shin. the rolling will desensitize the nerves and that's why it doesn't hurt to get hit there when you do these things. Same with using the shin to strike repetitively on a bag or pad or in sparring.

6- leg knocking. Same as arm knocking or sam sing(3 star) drills. Serves the same purpose.

so there's your methods and they are only as good as your commitment to practice of them.

[Mo Lung]

play soccer for 3 years.

but seriously folks.

methods:

1- stomping on a hard surface with a flat shoe ( this causes microfractures in the bone which in turn fills with new bone matter, over time it solidifies the 62 lower extremity bones consisting of 10 hip and leg, 14 ankle and 38 foot bones.)

2- Heavy bag kicking using instep and shin (constent repitive striking with the surface will harden it and toughen it over time. Go easy at first and build up to more force)

3- ThaiPad kicking is same purpose as above but the thai pad in many cases is a little harder on teh surface than many heavy bags. (don't bother with wave masters they are too soft, use sand filled bags that are hard if you want to toughen wave bags are not suitable to this type of conditioning)

4- sparring/drills that focus on teh lower extremities. Focus on the legs is key.

5- rolling a rattan staff up and down the leg a few times daily, or other cylinderical object. You don't need to press down hard, just enough that you can feel it. Over time you will toughen up and be able to withstand the pain associaetd with getting whacked in teh shin. the rolling will desensitize the nerves and that's why it doesn't hurt to get hit there when you do these things. Same with using the shin to strike repetitively on a bag or pad or in sparring.

6- leg knocking. Same as arm knocking or sam sing(3 star) drills. Serves the same purpose.

so there's your methods and they are only as good as your commitment to practice of them.

Most of this post is pretty reasonable, but number 1 is bad advice. Not necessary, not a very reliable method and more than likely will cause injury like a stress fracture in the heel. Stick with the bag kicking and gentle shin rolling and then proceed on to light "leg knocking".

And fight more!

[David Jamieson]

mo-

number one is typical in shaolin training. Pounding river stone, pounding the mortar, dragon stepping are different names for it but what it does is effective over time.

I am sure there are a lot of people who have trained shaolin kungfu who do this type of thing.

[Mo Lung]

Sure. There are also a lot of people that have trained by smacking their heads into concrete blocks and plunging their hands into hot coals. The fact that it works doesn't mean it's the best thing to do, especially when modern methods have refined better techniques with more longevity for the result and the practitioner.

Lop off a limb and you'll lose a few kilos, but it's not the best weight loss prospect out there.

[Oso]

as most other traditional arts, we (pong lai) stamp a lot in our sets.

i make sure beginners start w/ good supportive shoes and suggest getting and extra insole. we also have the 7/8 puzzle mats down on the floor now for an even slower intro into it. traditional and a must, imo but you can certainly ease a new student into most conditioning.

my biggest concern now is that after a lull of 3 months or so I finally have a new student. Even though my older students were very nice and as soft as they could be with her as she learned her first arm drill, I had to stop the drill after a couple of minutes as she was obviously in more pain than she wanted to deal with at the time.

I explained to her that over time it would definitely get easier and that we would take it slow and gradually build her arms up.

So, now I'm letting her just do about 2 minutes a class, twice a week, a day between them. She's coming along fine.

But, the quandary is that a conditioned arm or leg is just plain hurtfull for a newbie to crash with. I'm thinking about a PVC dummy w/ pipe insulation on it for starters.

one of the other teachers in pong lai just told me of a guy that started with them recently and now has a stress fracture in his arm. he said the newbie was a weight lifter (dont' know how good a one) so wanted to and could swing hard but his bones weren't up to it.

anyway....

[David Jamieson]

It definitely must be a gradual build up in this type of conditioning.
It is not a 6-8 week plan and method. It is a steady and slow progression.
People who rush conditioning will be hurt and if the method is rushed, it's incorrect.

mo-

modern in terms of martial arts does not always equate to better or more efficient.
For goal oriented base, I would admit there are more efficient ways than a traditional path. mma is a good example of how to veer from a traditional method to produce a result in a shorter period of time. In kungfu, the same can be said of a small focused system vs a large wide and deep system.

small focus= quicker results in a given area
wide deep = more time in and results build slowly.

stress and strain - Yes
pain and injury - no

the traditional kungfu player gets stronger over time with diligent practice of not only the core art but of the augmentation exercise as well.

[Mo Lung]

stress and strain - Yes
pain and injury - no

This is a very fine line.

the traditional kungfu player gets stronger over time with diligent practice of not only the core art but of the augmentation exercise as well.

Of course. And the person that seeks answers on the internet should be given the safer method and advised to find a good teacher to supervise the diligent practice of the core and traditional aspects of the art.