Conditioning shins

[philly]

I'm thinking of starting to condition my shins, could you tell me some basics of shin conditioning?

meaning like : how frequently, what to avoid etc

Your help would be much appreciated :)

[SaMantis]

One of my sihings used to stand outside and kick a steel support pole for 15 minutes at a stretch. He'd been conditioning his shins for years and was pretty solid.

His advice was to start out gently -- no Van-Damme-style tree kicking at first. He would strike his shins with a group of thin bamboo sticks taped together, not real hard at first.

After a few months of that, he paired up with a sparring partner and they would do shin-to-shin conditioning, both would start a front kick but would knock their shins together. This can be really, really painful for newbies so don't pair off with someone whose conditioning is ****her along. If you don't have a partner, tie a thin foam pad around a pole/tree and tap your shin on that just to the point where it's uncomfortable.

What to avoid -- avoid deep bruises (you'll get small bruises from the shin-to-shin conditioning, especially at first); massage the shins very well after every session (use jow if you've got it), and only condition about twice a week to give the area time to heal.

It's pretty involved and takes more dedication than the average American student wants to deal with. I haven't reached anywhere near my sihing's level of conditioning. This is just the advice he gave me.

[Liokault]

I run a a 2" thick steel bar up and down my shin and also use it to tap my shin lightly.

It has taken away almost all feeling from the front of my shin and no longer hurts.

When I first started doing it it hurt like hell but after a few times (and ripping out lots of leg hair) it stoped hurting so I pressed harder till it hurt again....and so on.

[Wilson]

Kick heavy thick Thai pads with a partner or long banana bags. This will provide enough shin conditioning if you're kicking hard enough. Kicking trees or steel poles will just get you hurt. I also used to roll a ratan stick up and down but I've heard that isn't too good for you in the long run either.

[IronFist]

Some general rules that I've been told:

1. Proper conditioning will leave you able to take or deliver strong blows, but will not "deaden" the area. You're not trying to kill the nerves. Even if you can break baseball bats on your shins, you should still be able to feel a tiny bug crawling on your shin.

2. I know it's unavoidable, but I've also been told that if you bruise, you're trying to progress too fast. In other words, if every day you have a bruise up and down the entire length of your shin, you're going about it wrong. A small bruise here and there is pretty much unavoidable, but bruising is not the goal of your training. Start soft, and progress slowly.

3. Use a liniment to help heal. Massage it on the conditioned body part after every session. After you finish training, walk around for a little bit before you sit down to help the blood flow. Not too long, just a couple hundred steps.

4. If it hurts, don't continue until it's better. For example, if your shin is bruised and sore from yesterday, don't train today.

Finally, don't kick trees. Thai Boxers in THAILAND used to kick trees, because they had banana trees with rubbery bark. They did not kick trees with rough bark. Get a heavy bag or something and kick that.

Why did you decide to do shin conditioning?

Good luck.

IronFist

[TkdWarrior]

kicking trees won't help much...
take a 1 inc(in diameter) stick about 1.5 feet long... n start hitting ur shins with it(start off mildly) n keep doing ....
u can do this kind of hitting for hours...
if u r kicking pole(cylindrical) then after some time u should rub that area quite good to ensure good flow of blood...
-TkdWarrior-

[philly]

Thanks to all of you for your answers :)

Ironfist. I'm not looking to use my shins as a weapon I'm just tired of the shin pain that I get from sparring. Yes I do know I'm doing things wrong If I get kick to my shins but hey I'm not Yip man :)

[Former castleva]

Just a small add-on.Besides of course being careful with this type of training (shins to me,are more like vulnerable target areas,which can be used for offense) in which dit da jow use might do good I just thought that if you rather include shin oriented kicking drills in your normal work-out,you get both decent amount of conditioning for both shin(s) and rest of you instead of just hammering one´s shins.
Completely thinking loudly,just my idea. :)

BTW,there was a discussion on this around here http://www.fightingarts.com/forums/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000035.html which gained some attention,you might benefit from it maybe.

[Shisio]

If you want to know the best ways to harden your shins, watch those with the hardest shins train- i.e. Thai boxers. Ever go to a Thai school and kick the bag? It's not hard, but soft. They harden their shins by kicking with them a whole lot. It's the best way to kill 2 birds with one stone, harden your shins (without hurting your legs), and improve your kicks.