# how to make my fist stronger?



## rambo balboa (Dec 26, 2012)

*dear fighters is there any training to make my fist harder??*


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## Monkey Turned Wolf (Dec 26, 2012)

If its just to punch, work mainly on your technique. BUT, doing knuckle pushups, and/or squeezing those clips that you put at the end of bars/dumbbells to keep the weights in during your free time should help strengthen your hand and wrist. Also, just punching sandbags should help condition them, while making your punches better at the same time


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## seasoned (Dec 26, 2012)

Click here Makiwara


Learning to use the Makiwara by itself is only&#65279; a small part of the picture. If you are training in a good club under a good instructor then that's where you learn how to use the Makiwara. You can find additional information regarding the history, types of Makiwara, how to make a Makiwara yourself as well as the purpose of using the Makiwara in many areas on the web.


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## clfsean (Dec 26, 2012)

Use it. Ask your teacher for specific training regimines in your traditions' repetoire. 

Biggest thing to start with... using it.


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## mook jong man (Dec 26, 2012)

rambo balboa said:


> *dear fighters is there any training to make my fist harder??*



I find that crushing up a Viagra pill , mixing it into a paste and applying it to my fist works quite well.
The only downside of course is that it must be applied 30 minutes prior to any punching activity.


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## Tez3 (Dec 26, 2012)

mook jong man said:


> I find that crushing up a Viagra pill , mixing it into a paste and applying it to my fist works quite well.
> The only downside of course is that it must be applied 30 minutes prior to any punching activity.




Not too much though!


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## mook jong man (Dec 26, 2012)

Tez3 said:


> Not too much though!



That's right , there is the danger of overdose.
Instead of getting a harder fist , you could end up with a stiff.... umm cat.


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## rframe (Dec 26, 2012)

rambo balboa said:


> *dear fighters is there any training to make my fist harder??*



1. Make sure your technique is right, poor form will cause the wrist to collapse making your strike less effective and likely injuring yourself.  Hand wraps and stronger bag gloves reinforce the wrist but you should learn to punch correctly first...then increase intensity.
2. Fist push-ups will build strength and endurance in the wrists
3. Heavy bag with minimal gloves will condition the wrists for impact... this is different than hitting a soft target like BOB.  The bag should be firm, and...well, heavy.
4. Makiwara some liken this to heavy bag and many traditional karateka like them, though there's certainly some debate that they can actual build some negative responses... form your own opinion
5. Hand hardening exercises, there are lots of techniques to build tolerance and sort of 'deaden' the hand to impact shock...striking mild objects repeatedly, etc.  A firm heavy bag will do this, while some people punch rice bags, etc.


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## Uncle (Dec 26, 2012)

What rframe said is right on point. You want to start by making sure you have proper technique and the muscles along the kinetic chain which will support the impact are strong enough. There's no use for your hands to be hard and your shoulder or wrist not be able to withstand the impact. Next, or in the case of the knuckle pushups simultaneously, you need to gently increase the stress on the bones which will help them start to calcify. Nutrition geared to the calcification becomes a big deal here. Make sure you get your RDA of calcium.  Then you can work your way into starting to hit gentle surfaces like a heavy bag or bag filled with beans or rice. 

*NEVER* hit anything like gravel, steel shot, lead shot. The hard substances will damage your hands badly no matter how conditioned you are. And if you use beans never use soy. As it powders it will leech through your skin and is very bad for you.


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## WC_lun (Dec 26, 2012)

Unless you are prizefighting or some such, you don't need a "tougher" fist. You just need to learn the proper way to use your fist, or use other tools as the case may be.  Conditioning regimines, especially untrained or poorly trained regimines can give you issues later in life, without giving any benefit.  I'm a prime example of this.  I believed someone who had no bussiness teaching what he was teaching and I have issues with arthritus in my all my knuckles and occasional tendon problems.  On the bright side I can make my knuckles all crack by making a tight fist, impressing niave rubes and grossing out my wife   Also speaking from experience, you don't need toughened or conditioned fist to use your hands in a self defense situation and not be hurt.  You need to know what you are doing and be able to apply violence and force with your hands in a way that doesn't endanger them any more than necessary...read; good technique.

Tez, that meme is absolutely awsome!


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## Tez3 (Dec 27, 2012)

Technique is everything, I have a big problem with the 'boxercise' class that are held in many fitness places now, punching pads and bags without knowing how to do it properly. I was in the changing room recently at the gym I use, some ladies had just come in after their boxercise class, they were all moaning about their wrists hurting. I asked one who I knew what was wrong, she said when they hit the pads etc it made their wrists hurt, I asled her to show me how she hit them and it was plain to see they hadn't been shown even the basics of punching. Their wrists were bending as the fist were connecting, some too (they all joined it at this point) were punching with their thumbs tucked under their fingers. I had to show them how to punch properly, just the basics of a boxing punch, nothing fancy or of a specific technique, just to stop the damage to the wrists. I have no idea what the instructor thought lol.


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## WaterGal (Dec 27, 2012)

rframe said:


> 5. Hand hardening exercises, there are lots of techniques to build tolerance and sort of 'deaden' the hand to impact shock...striking mild objects repeatedly, etc.  A firm heavy bag will do this, while some people punch rice bags, etc.



I read an article a while back about some kung fu boarding school in Taiwan; it said they punch a tree 50 times every day with no gloves to harden their hands. Seems like you'd get an infection doing that.  Rice bags are probably a better idea, lol.


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## rambo balboa (Dec 29, 2012)

thanx all of you


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## Dragoon (Dec 30, 2012)

To Rambo Balboa,
All the information you received is solid knowledge, here is my routine I use for my knuckles and hands, my art is KAJUKENBO. First let me say when striking or punching always make sure you are contacting your index and middle finger knuckles, they have the larger bone support not having your wrist in proper alignment could cause you to strike with the smaller knuckles on your hand, result broken bones in your hand. (FIST closed) My routine; 1. I rest my two big knuckles on a board, I have a small bench maybe 8" off of the floor made from 2x8s, I stay in this position 1-2 minutes (as a beginner less time is ok) it is the same position as a knuckle push-up, I don't do knuckle push-ups because at certain motions of the push-up your allowing the weight of your body to release pressure on the knuckles. 2. I go to a full horse stance and hit a sand filled bag 250 times each hand, using a reverse punch configuration, then same amount of times in the hammer punch configuration. 3. Then I move to a stone bag and do the same amount of strikes in the same configuration. 4. I then use a concrete slab and repeat what I have done on the wood. 30 sec-1 minute break, drink water and repeat. I do this for 4 sets. When I'm finished I then tune the knuckles on a round steel pipe for 1 set, not hitting hard just steady.. The back of the hands and the palm of the hands are trained the same way, except I slap the wood and the concrete. IMPORTANT: Nothing is achieved over-night I have been training my knuckles & hands for several years, two important facts, it isn't hard as you can hit, it's steady pressure and concentrating on the strike of the knuckles make sure you are exercising the appropriate knuckles and not the small knuckles. This routine will hurt but with work and dedication you  will have Mickey Mouse knuckles, that is what my students call my knuckles. Remember breaking bones don't make the bone(s) stronger, so be careful and train well.

DRAGOON


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## rambo balboa (Jan 3, 2013)

good advice mr.dragoon thank you


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## chinto (Jan 3, 2013)

Go and get instruction on how to PROPERLY use a Makawara. that will teach you focus, technique and strengthen the bones and wrist and rest of the structures used in a punch.  BUT GET TAUGHT BY A COMPETENT INSTRUCTOR!!!  if you do not you can really hurt yourself!


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## Carol (Jan 3, 2013)

You might want to look at building up your hand and grip strength as well.  Check out the Gripmaster:

http://www.amazon.com/Gripmaster-Hand-Exerciser/dp/B0085MX3SG

These are neat tools that come in a variety of tensions.  They are small and can be carried and used anywhere...in the car, at a desk, etc. The XX-light and X-light is often used to train finger strength and dexterity (very popular with musicians, esp. guitar players!)  The firmer tensions are used to develop overall grip strength, with the heaviest tensions being particularly popular with rock climbers.


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## Em MacIntosh (Jan 3, 2013)

Obvious stuff: As everyone else says, make sure your instructor knows what he's doing, make sure your technique is correct.

That being said the first thing you need to condition are your wrists.  Doesn't matter how hard your hand is if it's attached to a broken wrist.  You won't be able to hit anything hard enough to require conditioning unless your wrists can remain aligned throughout the transfer of force.

Beyond that you have to accept that there's a price you pay for everything.  If you want really hard hands you have to increase their bone density.  This means impact and isometric micro-fractures.  The further you take it, the more risk you run of lifelong damage, whatever technique you use to get there.

Iron palm seems to be the most effective for the least damage but there's a stiff, elastic resistance to the makiwara that imitates a resisting opponent better.  

Callouses on the knuckles are highly underrated and can act as an extra shock absorber to take the impact off the bones a little more.  Try to get yourself a square bale of straw and punch it lightly, and harder as your skin toughens.  Straw has a lot of sharp edges that scratch the skin quickly and will give you quick, strong callouses.

Start light on the heavy bag and hit progressively harder as you build "wrist confidence".  The heavy bag is really good for impact training your cartilage.  Training the cartilage is mostly psychosomatic, since it has little blood supply with which to repair itself,  unlike bones.  Repeated impact stimulates the body to release more natural oils, lubricating the cartilage and tendons and easing wear and tear, like warming up the limbs increases their elasticity, warming up the cartilage and tendons reduces friction and decreases the risk of injury somewhat.

I'm a fan of knuckle push ups.  You have to do them properly though and this is really painful at first.  You support your whole body weight on the four punching knuckles, not all ten.  

You can roll your hands around in a bowl of river stones to desensitize the nerves but be gentle and take your time, don't grind your hands into it and don't overdo it.  If your hands hurt from it you've gone way too far already.

After conditioning exercises it's good to use a strong liniment.  It doesn't have to be "jow" but it should be penetrating and increase the blood flow to the hands.  Open and close your fists a lot and stretch your fingers to keep your mobility.

I wouldn't recommend hitting anything with a fist unless it's a soft target or you have gloves on.  It's not designed to hit things.  It's easy to injure even if it's well conditioned.


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## rambo balboa (Jan 15, 2013)

thanx all of you for helping me with good advices


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