# how do you toughen your shins?



## onibaku

how do you train to make your shins tougher? because my master teaches me different martial arts and got curious on how muay thai fighters toughen their shins. I hit trees but the trees are wrapped with soft materials and I wear shin guards. but I still destroy them somehow. BUt in a real fight there are no shin guards and no mercy. how will I and fellow  muay thai beginners protect ourselves if we can't kick because our shins are full of bruises?  can you suggest ways on how to train your shins to be tougher? 


thanks


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## kosho

hello,
          I myself take a 2 foot dowel stike ( 1 inch think) and i hit my shins with it. everyday from the foot to the knee. for about 10 min.

this really makes them stronger.  you should start slow and soft and build from there/ as with anything talk to a DR. first.

Kosho

But it works


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## mini_dez

I've never tried the method above but from what I hear it's not advisable at all. Hitting or rolling your shins will kill the nerves (so less pain = "tougher") but it can also damage the bone and cause problems later in life.
I think the best way to prepare your shins is to kick a heavy bag.  Over and over and over.  You'll get bruises but that's part of the training really.
If you search for "rolling" or "shin conditioning" on this forum you'll find plenty of threads with plenty of opinions on this question.  I don't hit or roll anything on my shins because I don't want to but it's up to yourself on what you think will work for you really.


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## Kennedy_Shogen_Ryu

In my school we use a pretty basic technique.  With a partner you start hitting shin to shin very very lightly and slowly.  And as you get more advanced and the shins toughen up you can start going faster and harder.  Seems simple and possibly somewhat barbaric I know but it works for me!​


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## searcher

I had a CMA master tell me one time that they use a glass bottle and Dit Da Jow to strengthen their shins.   Roll the bottle along the shin for several minutes and then rub on the Dit Da Jow to decrease bruising.   

I do this and also "rubbing" as indicated in the post above mine.


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## ..n..

kick pads and heavy bags.  rolling and the like is not a good idea- been said over and over.


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## thaistyle

I have been training in muay thai for 13 years now and the best for toughening the shins is kicking the heavy bag (properly) and thai pads, but also light sparring can help.  The idea of sticks, bottles, rolling pins or whatever are bad ideas, but to each their own.


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## Simon42

If you turn a car tyre on its side and tie it to a brick pillar. There is a lot of give in the tyre but it is also harder than a bag.Obviously you don`t kick the brick pillar,it has worked for me and is certainly not mega painful,works for me.


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## OUMoose

I've always been told that the best way to toughen up a striking surface (fist, forearm, shin, etc) is to hit with it against gradually less forgiving surfaces.  Start with the bag, then fill the bag with rice, then beans, then pebbles, etc etc.  You should *never* strike your shins with a dowel or bottle, as that will only deaden the nerves (as others have said), and lead to disability later in life.

Dit da jow is nice to get rid of the bruises, as is massage and light heat. 

IANAPOT (I am not a physician or trainer), but I've had the best luck with just laying into heavy bags over and over for toughening.  Unless you're planning on getting in the ring with trees or cement walls... then you might have to tweak your routine.


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## tellner

Kick Thai pads a lot. Don't forget the Dit Da Jow.


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## onibaku

I've tried some of the methods all of you said. It hurts but I know it works. anyway,  thanks for helping


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## Odin

Sorry to be the one that tells you this bro, but your shins will always hurt! there is no magical technique that you can do that will completely stop the pain, all that will happen is after time your body just gets used to it and the pain will not bother you as much.

There is some truth in the deading of the nerves theory, but i think when people explain this people tend to think that you will be able to go around kicking trees and feel nothing and that is not the case.

Just Keep kicking the bag,...after awhile start kicking the heavy bag and the thai pads.

Keep doing this and dont give up and you will see the results.


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## Hills

*http://www.singto.co.uk/Myths/Myths.htm* 


I have taken these from the link above incase some of you have problems getting it to work, I hope this is relevant
It dispells some common myths 


*Myth -Thai Boxers deaden the nerves in their shins by rolling a glass bottle up and down on their legs. *
Fact - this is completely false and should not be practiced by anyone. The so called deadening of the nerves (or worse removing of the nerves) is simply not true. Nak Muay spend hundreds of hours doing repetitive kicks on heavy bags, pads and nearly as many hours sparring with a partner. This repetitive training familarise the boxer with pain, and raises their pain threshold in any one particular area (i.e. the shin). This in turn may give a sense that the nerves are deadened, they are not, they are simply a little dormant. Stay away from training for a long period of time, and see how your pain threshold will have dropped when you next clash shins. 



*Myth - Thai Boxers harden their shins by bashing their shins with a rolling pin. *

Fact - this is completely false and should not be practiced by anyone. Although shins seem hard, they are living tissue and will give a little under impact. However rolling pins are very solid and give very little in way of leeway, so continuously hitting your shins with a rolling pin will cause them to become traumatised, resulting in possible non reservable damage such as cancer. 


*
Myth - Thai Boxing can give you cancer of the shin. *
Fact - this is completely false and although the continued improper bruising and damaging of the shin may in the long term cause cancer (see above), correct training methods and proper conditioning will reduce or eliminate this myth completely. 

One thing that we can not be certain of is the future of one's body, as there are far to many possibilities, such as contagious and hereditary diseases, however we can reduce the risk of any additional un-reversable damage to the body by training safely!


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## mini_dez

good link.  Although it dispels the myth that us Thai boxers are superhuman.  Boo.


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## Danny T

Been doing Muay Thai since 1989. There is no "safe" quick way to toughen your shins. The best and long term safest way is to slowly temper the shin by kicking the heavy bag and pads. In our regular classes we do around 500 kicks per class. Many of our more dedicated practitioners kick 800-1000 kicks per day. Our beginner members are started off doing 75-100 kicks for the first 4-6 classes and the number is raised to the 500 mark. Within 4-6 weeks most are able to start taking moderated kicks against their shins. By 6th month most are able to take 3/4 to full force kicks. 

Now, we Do Not take full force kicks everyday. Once a week at most otherwise it will slow the training down considerably. As someone has already stated the shins never quit hurting there will always be some discomfort. You simply get used to the discomfort and it doesn't bother you: As much!

Danny T


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## USP45CT

whole lot of training and practice on heavy bags, sparring, suitcase pads, and thai shields.  They will just toughen in time give it a while and all will be well.


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## Harley_Ninja237

kosho said:


> hello,
> I myself take a 2 foot dowel stike ( 1 inch think) and i hit my shins with it. everyday from the foot to the knee. for about 10 min.
> 
> this really makes them stronger. you should start slow and soft and build from there/ as with anything talk to a DR. first.
> 
> Kosho
> 
> But it works


 
when i started muay thai and kicked the heavy bags my shins hurt like hell now i do it no problem


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## EMT

Wear shin protectors only when sparring (and not all the time, only until you make your shins a bit harder) and remove them for bag work/pad work. If a banana bag feels too hard for you yet then start with a boxing bag and then progress to a harder bag. Shin conditioning is a process, much like bodybuilding, don't expect to get hard shins in a matter of weeks or even a few months. Your legs need to gradually adjust to a higher pain threshold. Conditioning process will also change your shin bone structure and make it denser and tougher. This is why you should get more calcium (if you diet lacks calcium consider taking supplements) to support this process.

Effective Muay Thai - all the info you need about Thai Boxing


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## wingchun100

I hate how ridiculously sensitive shins are. I need to try the heavy bag option out. Great thread!


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## JowGaWolf

kosho said:


> you should start slow and soft and build from there


This is soooo important if the person likes to continue to have feeling in their shins and avoid permanent nerve damage.


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## JowGaWolf

thaistyle said:


> I have been training in muay thai for 13 years now and the best for toughening the shins is kicking the heavy bag (properly) and thai pads, but also light sparring can help.  The idea of sticks, bottles, rolling pins or whatever are bad ideas, but to each their own.


 I use a foam escrima stick and lightly tap my shin until the bone starts to increase in density from there, I turn the soft taps into slightly harder taps.  I continue this until I can softly tap with wood.  I don't roll anything on the shin.  That damages the nerves and doesn't increase bone density.   Heavy bags and Thai pads have the same effect as using a foam stick or a regular stick to softly tap the bone.  The only difference is that one method is more concentrated in terms of the impact, hence the reason you start with a tap.  The other way disperses the impact.   Both ways are impact conditioning.


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## JowGaWolf

tellner said:


> Kick Thai pads a lot. Don't forget the Dit Da Jow.


 Healing the bruises is so important as well.


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## sinthetik_mistik

i'm not gonna lie I used the method people said is dangerous i took a blunt object and rubbed it up and down against my shins over and over as hard as i could... then i waited for the bruises to heal... then i did it again. this is a bad excuse but I was too lazy to kick the bag 1000 times a day or however often you are supposed to kick the bag. I will say that i haven't done any shin conditioning in months and i can still kick something really hard at around 60-70% power and barely feel anything


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## sinthetik_mistik

sinthetik_mistik said:


> i'm not gonna lie I used the method people said is dangerous i took a blunt object and rubbed it up and down against my shins over and over as hard as i could... then i waited for the bruises to heal... then i did it again. this is a bad excuse but I was too lazy to kick the bag 1000 times a day or however often you are supposed to kick the bag. I will say that i haven't done any shin conditioning in months and i can still kick something really hard at around 60-70% power and barely feel anything


not just months actually more like a year


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## sinthetik_mistik

sinthetik_mistik said:


> not just months actually more like a year


before people call me stupid this was before i knew it was bad for you


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## Buka

To toughen my shins, I just have my wife yell at them.


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