Been hardening my knuckles...

[StrictlySP]

Hi Clubber et al,
First off, the herbal liquid Andre is referring to is Dit Dow Jow. There are different kinds, so it's best to go to a herbal store, be it in a Chinatown, Little Tokyo, and what have you, to purchase it. But you know what? You don't need it. Vigorously rubbing your hands in hot water after conditioning serves the same purpose as dit dow jow.

Personally, I'm not an advocate of hand conditioning...anymore. In my younger days, I did spend some time doing so, but when it comes to bare-handed fighting, I'm all about using palms instead of fists nowadays. Anyway...

If you are going to go down this hand-toughening path, do so in a gradual, progressive way. There are various methods you can pursue, some of which have been detailed in this thread. The bottom line to hand conditioning is to hit something dense. Some "experts" advocate hard materials that give a bit like sand, beans, iron pellets, steel shots, etc. packed in leather or canvas bags, while others, advocate hitting solid objects like a block of steel, iron, hardwood, etc. Some also advocate both. In all cases, start off easy, and I mean easy. Pick one or more of the above, and start hitting them with ALL parts of the hand (not just the forefist area) in a light, easy manner like tapping. As far as initial reps are concerned, start off with 20, that's right, 20 reps and again, do them easy. You may think/feel you can skip over this stage BUT DON'T. Oh, as far as sets are concerned, in the beginning, stick with one set for each part of the hand (forefist, palm, fingers, and back-of-the-hand). Don't worry about using proper boxing-based (or whatever fighting system you're studying) body mechanics as you are hitting the object(s)/material(s) of choice; just focus on "tapping" the hand on them.

To reiterate, start off SLOW. One set of 20 reps to the four parts of the hand (with each hand) every other day is a safe, conservative way to start off. After completing your sets/reps, RINSE/RUB your hands under hot water (or dit dow jow if so desired), as hot as you can take it for at least 20 seconds. Dry off your hands by dabbing them gently.

As far as progression goes, move up by five-rep increments in two-week (some say one-month) intervals. Set-wise, stick with one set until you reach 100 reps for each part of the hand. With the addition of another set, start at the beginning again with 20 reps and gradually work your way up again. Work your way up to three sets (some say five or more) of 100 reps. For me, three sets of 100 reps with each part of the hand was more than enough, especially time-wise.

In terms of intensity, power used in the "tapping," VERY GRADUALLY increase that too. Some guys work their way up to blasting the object/material they're hitting with almost full-power. From what I've learned and done myself, this is not necessary. Working your way up to mid-level power (around 50% or so) is more than enough when it comes to "hardening" your hands. Remember, you're not working power here, you're working on toughening up your hands (i.e. bones, ligaments, and tendons).

As I mentioned earlier, I did engage in this practice for awhile many years ago. My hands did toughen up and over 20 years later, I show no signs of arthritis in either hand. In street fights where I was still using fists, I never broke my hands BUT did lacerate them pretty badly on a few occasions. While I never fractured any bones in my hands from the fights I engaged in with fists many years ago, I eventually switched to palms because of the ever-looming possibility that I could break them someday AND concerns about infections (HIV, hepatitis, etc) I could contract from lacerated hands being exposed to an infected adversary's bodily fluids. Switching to palms freed me up from these concerns for the most part and this has allowed me to hit full-power with impunity--no hesitation, no deliberation, no worry about breaking or lacerating my hands.

I don't recommend you doing this but if you insist on doing it anyway, do it safely and gradually. Well, I hope this helps you out...

Take Care,
Lito

[Chris Nagel]

For me, in the beginning it was interesting to learn about hand conditioning, but the more that I learned the less that I felt it was necessary. However I do feel that if taken to an extent it can be beneficial to any boxer.

Grip training as well as strengthening the fingers and forearms is important in many ways. For one, developing a strong and explosive grip will better facilitate the transfer of power as the hand must be clenched into a tight fist at the moment of impact, as well as the punching arm must become rigid. Perhaps the long term benefit is a more resilient hand since the bones and tendons become stronger over time.

To get any noticeable benefit from grip training a boxer should follow a systematic and progressive regimen that allows a boxer to develop different facets of his grip strength.

Now instead of reiterating what I've read I'll just hand you the best page on grip training that I have come across: http://www.t-nation.com/article/performance_training/old_school_grip_training It's a fantastic and fun read that covers different elements of grip training, such as developing an explosive grip, and a number of ways of strengthening the different parts of the hand, fingers and forearms. If anyone is interested in more useful exercises for strengthening your forearms and grip, my PM box is always open for questions.

[Anyways, getting back to the sort of hand conditioning that this thread has been going on about I'd like to throw my hat into the ring. First of all, I don't believe it is necessary to train to the extent that many martial artists do. A light hand conditioning regimen of knuckle pushups and light tapping against a semi-hard object can desensitize the area over the knuckles which may be of a psychological aid for the fighter who wants to hit harder. As for the toughening of the skin, it's not necessary and should be but a consequence of hand strengthening drills when using a bucket of sand.

This can help anyone that's willing to stick with it, but when it comes to protecting your hands hand, things such as using proper punching technique, being able to make a solid fist, using good equipment and safer training methods will allow you to keep punching with less chance for injury.