I punched until my knuckles bled... I'm so happy!

[SimonM]

I have been without a punching bag since I left Canada. Now I find punching bags to be a particularly relaxing and theraputic training tool so I was missing having something to punch. Well last night I was wandering in the local mall looking for Boxing Gloves (didn't find them; I'm getting tired of hearing the phrase "moyo") and I found a group of punching bags for sale. The cheapest were 25 RMB - they were not much more than large focus pads really. I tested one and after one punch with the pad held in my other hand (ie: not the best punch) the pad was already looking quite deformed. No, don't want that one.

So I looked and the next one up was a small heavy bag for 55 RMB. That had promise but what else was there?

A large canvas heavy bag with a leather base for 65 RMB. That was the ticket!

So today I came back and bought the thing. The poor girl working clerk at the store could barely lift the bag with both hands so (macho me - so sue me if I like showing off for the ladies here in China a bit - they are a bit more easy going about fat here and I have always had a touch of "yellow feaver" :p) I hefted it up onto one shoulder without even putting down my other parcels. I wrestled it into a taxi and brought it up to my flat when I realized that I had nothing to hang it from. :eek:

So I went to the corner store and bought four nails. I pounded them deep into the plaster wall and hooked up an intricate rope system to hang the bag from the nails in the wall. Then I put on some loud music and began punching.

I hit the bag with jabs and reverses until I had scratches all over my hands and one rather large cut. Fortunately the canvas is red so it shouldn't stain too bad.

One down side. The white-wash on top of the plaster has begun to flake off the wall behind the bag. I may leave the bag here for the next tenants in a few years when I move (provided I haven't destroyed it by then) since it would be a pain in the ass to ship by train and rediculously expensive to ship by post or airplane.

[SimonM]

I did it again.

Fortunately I have a big bottle of iodine and lots of bandades.

[Vasquez]

Are you training OX style kung fu?

[SanSoo Student]

It's all fun and games :) , and I used to feel the same way. Why am I using gloves :confused:

[SimonM]

I don't know. I never do. My coach did suggest I get some wraps though when he saw my knuckles. :)

[Vasquez]

If you've trained in iron hand technique you knuckles won't get bruised. My sifu used to punch the stuffing out of the bag.

[Shorin Ryuu]

I'm not trying to sound rude here, but isn't punching till your hand bleeds mean that either you doing it incorrectly or too much all at once?

Usually, initial bleeding is the result of the fist slipping along the surface of the bag upon impact.

That's just my take on it.

But if you want to be "hardcore", that's cool too.

[SimonM]

Actually the second time I did mess up the punch and a small amount of slip across the bag sheared the scab off my knuckle. The first time it was just because I way overdid it. ;)

I tend to do that most-times. ;) :p

[Vasquez]

SimonM may be a beginner and he probably is but at least he shows martial spirit and good pain tolerence to take heavy discipline

[SimonM]

Vasquez. LKFMDC can call me a beginner. He's got years of experience on me. You are just a troll so don't be so bold *******. :mad:

[Vasquez]

I'm not a troll. I have lots of experience in death arts and meditation.

[Ben Gash]

That unfortunately is the problem with canvas bags, they do tend to cut your hands up if you don't wear mitts.

[SimonM]

I'm not a troll. I have lots of experience in death arts


Earth to planet idiot. Only trolls use phrases like death arts.



and meditation.

Oooh! I'm scared now! Look I'm 26 years old and have practiced meditation since I was 6. MEDITATION IS NOT A MARTIAL ART!!! Martial artists are one of the groups of people more likely to practice meditation along with monks, priests, artists, scholars, people with high religiosity, yoga afficionados, and hippies.

[SimonM]

That unfortunately is the problem with canvas bags, they do tend to cut your hands up if you don't wear mitts.


Yeah but they are cheap, durable and if you stick at it you build nice caluses. Then the cuts stop being an issue. My problem is that I stopped training with a bag for about two months due to moving to a different continent and all. :)

[Kristoffer]

I think u got 'cut' because your knuckles aren't used to it. If it's an unsmooth bag maybe u could get some gloves? How's China btw?


oh and.. LOL
Don't feed the troll ya dimwit

[SimonM]

I believe that's basically what I said. I haven't been hitting the bag lately because I didn't have one to hit. As a result the skin on my knuckles softened up again. I resumed hitting the heavy-bag with the same intensity I always use and split a knuckle in the process. ;)

Solution? Make sure I keep practicing until my hands get used to the strain again. China's great but there isn't a boxing or bag glove to be bought in this town. On the other hand nunchaku (illegal in Canada) and 10 inch Bowie Knives are cheap and plentiful. I start training with my new Sifu on Monday. :D

[superCool]

Getting bloody knuckles punching canvass isn't being tough, it's being retarted. Chinese seem to have some wierd theories that aren't backed up by evidence. Such as breaking your knuckles, getting cuts on them, developing callauses, ect to make your hand more resistant to injury.

Are you really "toughening up" your hands? or are you making them frail and bleed more easily in the future from scar tissue.

[SimonM]

Look I wasn't bragging about how "tough" I was. I was making a point about how if a person ceases in their conditioning regimen they will have to expect set-backs when they start up again and using myself as an example. I was further commenting that I was enjoying being able to resume my conditioning regimen as it is part of martial arts practice I traditionally enjoy.

And although breaking bones would not be a wise way to condition your hands (no good Sifu would advocate this) developing caluses DOES make your hands more resistant to injury. HELL! Guitarists develop caluses on their fingertips over time and it makes them less likely to cut a finger on a guitar string.

[negativecr33p]

Earth to planet idiot. Only trolls use phrases like death arts.



Oooh! I'm scared now! Look I'm 26 years old and have practiced meditation since I was 6. MEDITATION IS NOT A MARTIAL ART!!! Martial artists are one of the groups of people more likely to practice meditation along with monks, priests, artists, scholars, people with high religiosity, yoga afficionados, and hippies.


haha, you said riligiosity and hippiesin the seme sentence. rock on

[Vasquez]

SimonM,

Bags don't punch back. I've already given you some encouragement that you have good martial spirit. It's a good start when you're a beginner. pls don't like me take it back.

FYI, I've even passed the stage when I'll go down with everyone.

[TenTigers]

Vag has passed the stage where he'll go down on everyone-is that at a rock concert? Vag is the ultimate groupie. Now he's at the stage where he will test his strength by pulling a train.

[BlueTravesty]

Getting bloody knuckles punching canvass isn't being tough, it's being retarted. Chinese seem to have some wierd theories that aren't backed up by evidence. Such as breaking your knuckles, getting cuts on them, developing callauses, ect to make your hand more resistant to injury.

Are you really "toughening up" your hands? or are you making them frail and bleed more easily in the future from scar tissue.


As we all know, the best way to make sure your hands won't be damaged by repeated impact is to keep them inside of thick gloves where the sweat will keep them nice and moist.

[SimonM]

SimonM,

Bags don't punch back. I've already given you some encouragement that you have good martial spirit. It's a good start when you're a beginner. pls don't like me take it back.

FYI, I've even passed the stage when I'll go down with everyone.


No Vasquez bags don't punch back. In fact the only type of training that punches back is called "sparring" it's important too. However I don't have any sparring partners until tomorow at the very earliest so instead of sitting on my fat ass all day I like to get up and hit the bag. I even (gasp) do some forms. :eek:

Quick somebody call the mma police. :D

Oh and Vasquez... If you are ever winding your way through China drop by Lishi and we will see who the beginner is.

[Vasquez]

Simon M, I'll be tempted to teach you a lesson. FYI I've gone past the stage of challenging fights on streets and roof tops. I'll ask sifu if he approves me of taking on a student.

[SimonM]

If I wanted to learn troll-fu I'd be able to find much better teachers than you. To be honest you have gone from an entertaining troll to a boring one. Feel free to go away now.

[Vasquez]

You're laughing at things that are serious and obviously don't understand. Why did you think the japanese pirartes underestimated shaolin monks.

[Face2Fist]

You're laughing at things that are serious and obviously don't understand. Why did you think the japanese pirartes underestimated shaolin monks.


someone is lighting up the wacky inscent again

[SimonM]

Considering that Hung Gar, Wing Chun and Hei Long all trace their roots back to Shaolin temple...

Considering that Cha'an Buddhism is one of the two pillairs of my spiritual life...

Considering that I have openly stated before that it is one of my life-long dreams to walk in the Shaolin Temple...

Don't lecture me on the Shaolin. Just because I call a horse a horse and a troll a troll has nothing to do with the seat of Cha'an.

[Vasquez]

consider that you are only a child to 1,000 years of shaolin history - the abbot will ignore you like he ignored me.

[Mr Punch]

consider that you are only a child to 1,000 years of shaolin history - the abbot will ignore you like he ignored me.Vasquez, consider that you are only a speck of **** on ten million years of excrement... that's why the abbot ignored you. That, and that you've never been!

As for the heavy bag, I've had my share at going mental on them, but now I'm more interested in trying to hit into the centre of the mass, which from any angle should negate the scuffing effect on the knuckles. It's made a world of difference to my power and understanding of rooting. And if they do get scraped, they get scraped. ;)

[Mr Punch]

Look I'm 26 years old and have practiced meditation since I was 6. MEDITATION IS NOT A MARTIAL ART!!! Think that puts you in with the hippies! :p

And be careful of answering too seriously to Supercool... that's Ralek, the original and legendary Prince of Trolls. He may have sharpened up his skills of course... by video!

[SimonM]

No, that makes my Mom a former hippy.

I'm a socialist. :D

Serious socialists have some ideological differences with hippies. First off they tend to be too libertarian.

[Vasquez]

They fight for peace. Bush is fighting for peace too, guess that makes him a hippie.

[Dale Dugas]

Fighting?

What would you know about that V?

HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA

[Vasquez]

Altrady told you that I learned death arts (wudang shaolin) and meditation. Got heaps of tapes from shaolin temple - wheel of life etc etc and hard core MMA ring contest. Been there done that with boxing, brawling and whateverrrrr.