Tigers Claws

[pendantz]

Anybody out there want to share the methods they use for Training and strengthening Tigers Claws.

[Shaolinlueb]

i dont want to be a jerk but try a search there is this subject that has been tlaked about before.

but to answer the question, there is always poking sand, gravel, and suck, holding the jar that is filled with only your fingers. i study eagle claw not tiger claw. both use finger strength so can train same way im sure.

[pendantz]

Hi, I posted the Question to see what sort of methods would pop up,people train in different ways,wanted to see what was out there before bursting into print,however heres one for you,would be beneficial to Eagle Claw as well.
Start by using basic four corner or 6 point sets.
Either single stance or multiple,your choice. I use multiple.as follows.Left forward Bow stance to 10 oclock Tiger Claws,roll back into reverse bow,roll forward into forward bow,move back into cat stance (all done with Tigers Claws)
Repeat to 4 oclock
repeat to 2 oclock
Repeat to7 oclock
Complete 10sets of the above.
Heres the good bit,grip a baseball firmly in each hand while doing these sets,this will execise your grip and provide tension to all your muscles and tendons to your wrists,arms,shoulders and your back.
Build up to where you can comfortably do 3 or more repititions 30 plus sets,then you can move on to the next stage.
Try to obtain from your local Athletic club or supplier 2 shotputs as used in the olympic games and slowly build up to the same numbers of repititions.(if you cant get shotputs you could use Lawn Bowls)
This will increase the power in your arms and give you a mindblowing improvement in your grip.
But beware,dont overdo it if you are struggling at any stage,back off as you could give yourself a major problem with tendonitis.
Try it,Tell me what you think,enjoy your training

[WinterPalm]

I don't really understand the method, however, my Sifu has shown me some excellent methods. Does your Sifu train you in Iron Palm because this is incredible for the tiger claws, it trains striking and grabbing as well as simple impact strength. As well, I suppose most southern styles incorporate some dynamic strength exercises that can be a great benefit.

If you do a search in the training section, I believe the topic of hand strength, in general, has been covered many times.

[Ben Gash]

Just doing tiger forms actually builds up your claw strength quite signicantly. Also gripping across the neck of a wide mouthed vase, tossing and catching a sand bag, thrusting into a sand bag etc.

[Ben Gash]

WP, if you don't understand it, how can you judge if it's excellent or not :confused:

[WinterPalm]

How? Because I don't understand it.
That being said, I didn't say it wasn't excellent, just that I didn't understand it. He also asked about what people do to strengthen their tiger claws so I gave some advice.:)

[David Jamieson]

There are several ways to increase grip strength, reaction ability with grip, force feedback acceptance, and tearing strength.

A good one is tossing and catching a heavy bean bag with a partner. grab with only one hand and use tiger claw to catch.

also, many of the exercises found for developing hand strength in Chin na are helpful.

Rapid opening and closing of the fingers. Open the hand fully, close it tightly, do it fast, do it 100 x in 30 seconds, do it with the other hand.

bundle training. Bundle some staffs together. With a partner, each grab and end and rotate the bundle with one going one way and the other going reverse to that. do it with stance training just to get extra benefit!

Tiger claw pushups. With you hand in tiger claw, do pushups. It's hard, do it right, don't let your fingers bend back, keep them bridged. you should be able to do at least 1 at first, maybe 2, with practice and time you will get your fingers to compress just right and will be doing sets of them in no time!

fill an urn with dry beans, push your hand in with a spear hand formation, open your fingers, grab a handful and squeeze. repeat as many times as you need to uintil the beans are just dust.

tear strips of newspaper, using one hand, wad up a strip into a tight ball. repeat. do left and right hand equally. (unless you only have one hand of course.)

squeeze a rubber ball.

use a grip strengthener

practice single handed weapons that weigh at least 1.5- 2 lbs (a darn dao fits this)

and of course, do you sets. do your dynamic tension exercises.

There's probably more ways, but these are a few ways to get your claw hands developed.

when you get comfortable, there is a method that involves striking and tearing bark off of trees, but this is mostly just for testing the claw moreso than training it.

anyway, that'll get ya started. not too too hard to understand.

the fu jow is for striking then tearing. it takes any student a while before they can effectively use this type of hand form. most people use fists and palms for a long long time before they can effectively use the jows or jees of kungfu styles.

cheers

[unkokusai]

Originally posted by Kung Lek
There are several ways to increase grip strength,

I can guess what yours is...........

[David Jamieson]

hey bukake kid, you got some suggestions? or you just wanna be all developmentally arrested in every thread you post to?

lol

nerd

[Yum Cha]

Bukakke Kid? Awwww come on....

rotfl...

[fiercest tiger]

Nothing like Humilation to start the day???:eek:

[Yum Cha]

I like a lot of the recommendations here, especially the heavy balls held in the hands. I like squeesing a kids plastic soccerball, about the size of a rock mellon. The issue is to use the tips, not the pads of your fingers, and to keep them concave, not convex.

The pushups Kung Lek mentioned are our prefered training method, but notably, without the fingers bow-ing, you have to remain on the finger tips, not the pads.

This is too difficult for most people, even just once, but to train up to it, do it standing against a wall, slowly increasing the distance of your feet from the wall, then on grass, then on concrete.

[Ben Gash]

WP, have you been at the single malt? ;)

[WinterPalm]

Pardon?

[Ego_Extrodinaire]

Tiger claw strength training should be done in horse stance. Put tit dar on your claws and stick it in hot rice. it will toughen the skin. Next, put more tit dar and stick the claws in hot sand. This will toughen the flesh. Following that, put more tit dar and stick your claws in fire, this will toughen the bones. Next, soak the claws in poison and sticking it into molten metal and dry ice alternately.

Your claws will be tougher then samurai swords. You can unleash poison palm, fire palm and freeze palm because of all the different energies that are stored within. Well train claws should leave a black imprint on everything that it strikes.

You should also be alble to project your chi in some sort of energy blast. But the silicates (from the sand) embedded in your bones can become the source of particles for a particle chi beam projection that can cut through armor.

[David Jamieson]

ok ego, now you're just losing it man.

your troll fu has diminished considerably I must say.

:D

[Yum Cha]

Gee, THANKS Ego, now EVERYBODY knows the secrets!!

Why do you think they call them SECRETS guy......

Overnight, my supply of dry ice has dried up! AND, there's a glut of pre-fried rice!

Sheesh!

[iron fist mike]

i would avoid jabbing the fingers into sand , beans , gravel etc . the fingertips have pressure points which correspond to the eyes and too much could cause you eye problems . better to use eagle claw grips or practise crushing apples, finger push ups, and stretches of the wrist and hands that strenthen the tendons and sinew of the hands .
if you do decide to jab in beans etc , be sure to get some good dit dat jao and soak the hands in water for 10 minutes before , apply diy dat jao after .

[David Jamieson]

Iron mike-

This information has been reiterated time and again in relation to iron skills practice with the hands.

I think so much so that it has become a myth.

In fact, there are not many meridians that begin or terminate with points in the fingertips and as well, most of teh meridians that begin or terminate in the fingers (not always the tips either) are not connected to the eyes or eyesite.

as an example these are the points and the meridians they belong to that have anything to do with the fingers. you can check these out on any acupuincture chart you may have access to and see what I'm talking about here.

PC9 (pericardium meridian) terminus in right hand middle finger.

HE9 (Heart Meridian) not at the finger tip, but in the pinky of the right hand.

LI1 (Large intestine meridian) Index finger, left hand.

LU11 (Lung Meridian) Thumb (closer to the nail, not the tip)

TE1 (Triple burner meridian) ring finger right hand.

These are the five points that are either meridian terminal points or beginning points that are found on the fingers.

None of them are connected to the eyes. I really have no idea where that information is coming from because I have looked at this time and again. I have also practiced Iron palm using direct and indirect method for about 8 years now and have suffered no ill effects to my eyes in any way and I've done plenty of finger thrusts into urns filled with beans and river stones.

So, just saying, but if anyone can show me to information that states definitively that iron skills affect eyesite, I would very much be inetrested in looking at this for the sake of understanding.

thanks, cheers

[iron fist mike]

this is a quote from Dr. yang, jwing ming in the book the essence of shaolin white crane .
* if you do not know the proper methods for conditioning the fingers, you should not do so. There are six primary qi channels in the fingers. Without the correct training methods and herbs for the training, the sensitivity of the eyes can be damaged. The reason for this is that all of the twelve primary Qi channels are connected to the eyes ( there is now a diagram of the eyes and the Qi channels ) *page 284

another quote from wong kiew kits The Art Of Shaolin Kung Fu.
*Meridians ( pathways of energy flow inside our body) in our hands are connected to the eyes and other organs. faulty practice in this jabbing exercise can cause energy blockages that may affect our eyes.* page 145

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