Shin conditioning

[IronMonkey]

I read that you can only have real strong shins is if you deaden your nerves. I know thats true, but isnt that bad for you or what? I dont really wanna start doing this kind of conditioning until I find out some info on it.

[Toby]

Just do it :p.

Seriously though, I started shin conditioning after reading a thread on the main forum. I roll a piece of galvanised pipe up and down my shins, 20 "reps" at a time. 6 sets on Tuesday nights, 9 sets on Friday nights. I'm up to 9.4kg now. It's definitely helped my shins toughen up. I can take a pretty mean strike on them. Is it good for them? Who knows. I'm doing it as an experiment.

[mickey]

Hi IronMonkey,

There are two ways to go about it -- the hard way or the soft way. The hard way involves using something like this:

http://www.sol3web.com/IronArm/ironarmhome.html

A softer than hard way involves something like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=36281&item=7131435117&rd=1


I have tried both with good success. What a lot of people do not realize is that the shin bone is not a straight piece of bone. It has a slight spiral to it. You will find this out if you use the ironarm device. Purpose of this info: you have to vary the angle of the strike so that you are always striking on a flat surface of the bone.

mickey

[IronFist]

Originally posted by mickey
Hi Ironfist,


No dude, that was IronMonkey.

[Pork Chop]

Kick your heavybag...
Kick your friends....
Kick your friends' heavybag...
Spar.
Drink milk for calcium.

Forget the crazy shin conditioners.

[Water Dragon]

I kick the bag, kick my training partners shins (kick checks) and roll my shins. The trick to rolling shins is to not put pressure on the rolling pin and masage the shins afterward.

[IronFist]

Originally posted by Water Dragon
The trick to rolling shins is to not put pressure on the rolling pin and masage the shins afterward.

What are you putting pressure on, then?

[mickey]

Oops,

Made the edit. That is what happens when you are reading woth one eye open.

mickey

[Toby]

Originally posted by mickey
There are two ways to go about it -- the hard way or the soft way.The 1st one - we've got those in our kwoon. The 2nd one - I reckon you'd end up with a bunch of crushed rice and mung beans :p.

[Mo Lung]

Repeated light trauma causes the body to try to protect the area, like a guitar player developiong callouses on his fingertips. By constant rolling and tapping, especially coupled with dit da jow, the body responds by building greater density in the bone and toughening skin, myalin, etc. If you just go hard, you'll only injure yourself. It's the low level repetition that works. Obviously, as you get "more iron" you can go a bit harder and continue to improve.

Just like anything else in the martial arts, it's a lot better and a lot safer to have good teacher show you these things.

[SevenStar]

extensive conditioning really isn't necessary - rolling, tapping, etc. just kick the bag. Between kicking the bag and blocking leg kicks, your shins will get hard enough.

[Water Dragon]

Originally posted by IronFist
What are you putting pressure on, then?

Nothing, just roll the pin up and down your shin very lightly a couple hundred times.

[Mo Lung]

Originally posted by SevenStar
extensive conditioning really isn't necessary - rolling, tapping, etc. just kick the bag. Between kicking the bag and blocking leg kicks, your shins will get hard enough. Rolling and kicking combined will give you better results.

[IronFist]

I don't get the "only kick the bag and pads" crowd. I don't have the experience personally, but I don't see how kicking a (relatively) soft bag or pads could toughen your shin up to the point where you can go shin to shin with someone's hard, pointy shin. I mean if they say it I believe it, but kicking a bag, even a hard bag, is nothing like hitting a sharp shin.

[Pork Chop]

Who said the pads and bags are soft? LOL

I say it more agrees with the chinese method of repeated tapping to increase density all the way through; versus trying to get some surface level hardness.

Allz I know is that i used to do a lot of crazy shin conditioning things back in high school (bottles, metal rods, rattan sticks), but didn't do much pad or bag work, and even slight shin clashes would have me in agony.

these days I kick big bags and small bags; thai pads and belly pads- and I can spar a good level of contact, without shin guards, have the odd shin on knee or elbow clash, and not have to stop.

last thursday when i turned my toe on the mat, i was sparring suntzu's boney behind, without shin guards; he can probably vouch whether or not i was using any force.

[Suntzu]

i'm not bony......... i'm trim :) ..... also what some people forgot about bone on bone contact during a fight is that you have the added benefit of adrenaline........ with that said even during sparring i'll catch a shin or an elbow ..... it still hurts.... not cryin for mamma agony but it still smarts a bit....

[Water Dragon]

So what your saying is you were sparring Sun Tzu and kicked his bony behind with no shin pads?

Banga, didn't I tell you to wear protection if you were gonna tap dat ass?

[Pork Chop]

well if we're talking literal "boney behind", might i remind you that it was his boney behind that cracked my ribs in june?

that being said, no it was his boney knees and elbows that i was tappin... i mean if you watch my latest fight clips, you'll see what kinda man i am... here (http://www.muaythailand.com/content/video/mazzarlose.wmv) I beat a guy with shorter hair than me...

[Water Dragon]

Originally posted by BMore Banga


that being said, no it was his boney knees and elbows that i was tappin...

That's pretty sick Bro. But if that's your thing, go ahead and unleash the furry.

[Chief Fox]

Originally posted by BMore Banga
that being said, no it was his boney knees and elbows that i was tappin... i mean if you watch my latest fight clips, you'll see what kinda man i am... here (http://www.muaythailand.com/content/video/mazzarlose.wmv) I beat a guy with shorter hair than me...

The only true way to settle disputes is by having a dance off!

[norther practitioner]

speaking of battles, I think we'll be having another one in a month or two.. lol

just like kick stuff, then they will get hard, every once in a while kick a steel post to remind yourself that you don't actual have iron shins.