Iron Hand, Body Training for Karate
by Steve Denoo
   
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Remember, training is not recommended at all for those under 16 years of age. Join a qualified school. Those individuals under 18 years of age must get permission from a parent or guardian before starting training. Always consult a physician before beginning any exercise program. Train at your own risk. These training methods only reflect personal experience, cannot be held responsible for any injury resulting from attempting to train in these techniques.



My Cadillacs'

Body Conditioning

Did you over do it?
Basic treatment of injuries

Fundamentals - The Basics

Kata Patterns and more

Special Training Ideas for better Karate

Weapons

newsletter
This month: A Story


Iron Body Training

I am putting this page together so there is a lot more coming. Check back
The secret to iron body training is proper breathing.
Now that you know the secret you can close this and go elsewhere
Proper breathing comes in Hindu or Pranayama, or Chinese or Qui Gong exercises. These are actually one and the same. Through missunderstanding certain techniques were developed that harden the body and at the same time destroy the nerves and nerve endings. This is wrong and will result in problems when you get older. Being an artist I refused to do these techniques because it would ruin my hands. Further study of Chinese texts has confirmed this to me.
The Cinese traditional martial arts taught strengthining specific nerve points to protect against Dim Mak (Death Touch).
One of the techniques involves relaxation. If you harden the body you can not counter attack quickly. You must be able to respond immediatly. As it is said, If you cut your finger, does the entire body bleed? No of course not. Why then contract all the muscles in the entire body? Qi gong exercises teach to harden only those points at impact.
Never look up to or down on your teacher or opponent. When you go into combat, you have an equal chance to win. It is your reslove that allows you to win.
You may not be better than anyone else, you must be better than you were.

How do you find good instruction?
The important thing to look for is someone that does not brag about their accomplishments, or tournament victories. There are people that can do, but not teach. (I guess it is time for you to leave me.)
How do you become invisible? By being humble, and not bragging of your accomplishments. To never exist, as if you had never come or gone. It has been said, One good man in the right place at the right time, is more effective than an entire division.
How do you make iron skin? The answer is more symbolic, to resist disease you must have healthy skin. To develop healthy skin you must breath properly, you can then change the pH in your endocrin glands which helps you remain healthy and strong. The student chooses himself.
Do not become discouraged if you do not immediatly learn, when you seek the knowledge it will come, not by wishing but by effort. Then suddenly it all falls into place. A wise man learns from his experience, and an immortal learns from the experience of others.

One of the most famous masters of the ancient iron palm, reportedly could break bricks selectively in a stack. Iron palm falls short only when it comes to breaking flexible objects (wood, baseball bats) and objects with spacers. example- the palm slap can move anything it strikes one half an inch. Since cement cannot flex, it breaks. If the object, such as wood, can flex farther than that, it will not break. As for spacers, the palm has difficulty sending energy through "hollow" area. That requires focus to drive your energy down through the objects you want to break.
There are many variations of the iron palm conditioning process and each usually has a set amount of time for the initial phase. During this first phase, training must be done daily. After that, maintenance training varies. The first phase ranges anywhere from three months to three years or more. There are also advanced levels of the iron palm as well as internal and external conditioning.
The regimen you choose will enhance your martial arts so look at it as another step in training. Start with the traditional 100 day method and combines both internal and external training. This method will produce good results. Remember that 100 days is not enough time, but it will create a hand that is dangerous enough for combat, as well as allow you to break red bricks. This regimen conditions the entire hand.
When striking for training, it is important to stay relaxed and allow your hand to drop onto the surface.
Do not tense the arm or shoulder, or exert strength while striking. Always breath out as you strike. Exerting strength or failing to breath out is said to stress the heart. Karateka pound on the makiwara without regard to this and still do not suffer heart attacks until later in life. Choose not to tempt fate and try to keep my arm relaxed as possible. You do what you like at your own risk.
Apply dit da jow to hands and massage before and after each set

PART ONE

  1. Drop your flat palm on the bag 30 times, shake out the hand, strike another 20 times, shake out the hand and flex.
  2. Drop your knife hand on the bag 30 times, shake, 20 times, shake and flex.
  3. Repeat for the palm heel surface.
  4. Repeat for the back of the hand.

PART TWO

Remove the bag so that you are now striking the cement/cinder support covered with the towel.
  1. Drop your knife hand 30 times, shake, 20 times, shake and flex.
  2. Repeat with the palm heel.
  3. Repeat with the flat palm.
  4. (optional) Strike with backfist 30 times and repeat with straight fist.

Optional training:

(Not Recommended)
You can supplement with a bucket of sand. Straight punch the sand 30 times and repeat with the backfist. Do 100 spearhand thrusts into the sand. You can also rub the sand between you hands to toughen the skin.
Some iron palm practitioners feel that it is unwise to train the knuckles of the fist because of the long term joint damage. This is fine for strict iron palm fighters, however if you must, and you want to train in any fist striking art, it may be wise to strengthen your knuckles. Chinese acupressure teaches that training the fingertips can weaken the eyes.
Different teachers advocate different numbers of strikes per session. Some use hundreds or even thousands of repetitions. Some say to train three times a day, others say you must train the exact same time everyday without missing a day. Maybe these routines are ideal. You can train whenever and even miss a day or two. The less days you miss, the better it will be for you. You should achieve impressive results after 100 days of training. At that point, you should be able to break a single patio block with a flat palm slap (use a towel padding at first).
If it helps, mark the days off on your calendar. If you don't keep a record, you may not be training as often as you think. Good Luck!

Makiwara Training


Karate conditioning, focuses primarily on the use of the makiwara. Makiwara come in various sizes and shapes, but basically consist of a slightly flexible wood post wrapped with rope. The makiwara is struck repeatedly with increasing intensity, resulting in toughened, calloused hands and enlarged (calcified) knuckles. Seiken (fore-fist) and tegatana (knife-hand) are the two primary techniques, but any surface such as palm heel, elbow, knees, and kicks may be used.
You can also do knuckle push-ups, although hundreds are required. These will strengthen the wrist as well. They will also build calloused knuckles although slower, will do so without damaging your hand.
Makiwara should be trained daily, but there is no strict set regimen. The key is not hitting the makiwara so hard that you hurt yourself or tear the skin on the knuckles, but repetition and consistency are very important. If you hurt yourself you set your training back a lot.

How to Train

When striking the makiwara during your training, it is important to stay relaxed. Allow your hand to drop onto the surface.
Do not tense the arm or shoulder, or exert extra strength while striking.
Always breath out as you strike. Exerting strength or failing to breath out is said to stress the heart.
Train at your own risk.

You should apply dit da jow to hands (available through martial arts stores) and massage before and after each set

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