Quote Originally Posted by Jimbo View Post
So true.

And on the other side, there are those who see specialized hand formations (like leopard fist or Phoenix eye fist, for example) and automatically dismiss them as useless because they don't realize the training and conditioning that makes them useful.
Indeed.
My HK and SPM teacher was always very clear that forging was 100% needed for the specialized fists and we did lots of conditioning.
I was never a fan of finger strikes so I didn't trained them but did train the PE fist and dragon fist and I can hit the HB with them full force just like a regular fist.
I have used them AND I have MISSED with them and NOT hurt myself.
I know only a handful of guys that can use finger strikes and claws well and they ALL have forged them also.
One guy can bend wrenches and roll-up frying pans with his finger strength ( he uses the tiger claw very well) and the other guys can hit the HB close to full force with his finger strikes.

The harsh reality is that these specialized formations do work BUT require serious forging to be effective in a real fight.
Some think they can just hit the "right places" and the soft areas and they don't need the conditioning.
They are incorrect IMO.