Tough Fists – 5 Ways to Give You Fists of Steel
1. Knuckle push-ups – You should perform push-ups on the various fists that you use in order to make your hands more calloused and used to some minor pain. These push-ups need to be done on a hard surface, preferably a hardwood or tiled floor. If you are going to punch or strike with a certain fist, then you should be able to do a push-up on it, including fingertip strikes. Otherwise, you could seriously hurt yourself when using that strike in the real world.
2. Consistent makiwara training – Use of the makiwara will toughen your hands and callous your knuckles. Makiwara training needs to occur slowly over time and should always be stopped at the first sign of injury. You can build your own makiwara at home, or you can find more expensive models through various martial arts supply houses. When you are choosing a makiwara, make sure that you do not use a wall hung model. These are not true makiwaras, and they will not provide any bounce. You strike against a solid wall and this is a recipe for a broken hand or wrist.
3. Keep your fist tight – The quickest way to injure yourself when you punch anything is to have a loose fist. Use your thumb to press against the sides of your fingers to create a fist the feels like someone throwing a rock.
4. Do not let the punch bounce off the surface of your target- If you are practicing punching a hard surface, such as a makiwara, make sure that your fist doesn’t bounce when it makes contact. You should hit the target, striking all the way through, but sticking to the target at the same time. If you deflect your fist off of the target, you can easily split your knuckles open.
5. Periodically train with board breaking- this will also help you force yourself to make a tight fist, strike all the way through your target, and create a much faster strike. The board is not forgiving. Either you performed the strike correctly and it broke, or you didn’t and your hand will hurt.
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