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I searched for this topic before I posted. I didn’t find anything. Does anybody know the Krav Maga line on fist hardening? Most of my Krav Maga training seemed to focus on punching people in the face as quickly as possible, but fists being treated this way often break. I wouldn’t mind doing some exercises to harden my fists, but on the other hand I’d hate to be fifty years old with hands that don’t work because I trained them for a fight that never came. I use my hands everyday but I’m twenty-eight and haven’t been in a fight in fifteen years.
Re: Fist Hardening.
quote BrandonfromTampa:I searched for this topic before I posted. I didn’t find anything. Does anybody know the Krav Maga line on fist hardening? Most of my Krav Maga training seemed to focus on punching people in the face as quickly as possible, but fists being treated this way often break. I wouldn’t mind doing some exercises to harden my fists, but on the other hand I’d hate to be fifty years old with hands that don’t work because I trained them for a fight that never came. I use my hands everyday but I’m twenty-eight and haven’t been in a fight in fifteen years.Krav teaches the correct way to punch(position of wrist, two top knuckles) to protect your hands. Isn’t that fist hardening stuff just nonsense from Kung Fu movies?
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No, bones do harden. There are people out there who can punch through amazing things. I’m not a big believer in eastern martial arts mysticism. But I’m pretty well convinced that this is true. They featured it on fight science and explained how it works. But if Krav says that you can punch someone in the face as hard as you can and not break your hand I guess I’ll believe them.
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I’ll believe in fist hardening because if I recall correctly running makes your bones stronger due to the impact when your feet hit the ground.
Krav teaches you correct technique in punching but no matter how correct you punch, if your punch lands on the top of their skull (hardest part of the head) something is going to get hurt or break … or if you punch their teeth, etc. etc. I’d say punch periodically on a tombstone pad without gloves or handwraps. Your wrists will roll a few times which is pretty uncomfortable but you’ll adjust to it. If you’re really worried about breaking your hands due to a punch, use palm heel strikes. I prefer them over regular punches and I use them if I don’t have my handwraps or gloves on. Also if your opponent or attacker is bending over covering their head and the only part that is exposed is the top of their head use hammerfist or palm heel strikes… much less collateral damage to your knuckles.
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Dunno about fist “hardening” but I do believe in fist “conditioning”. And, IMO, impacting the head to scramble the computer (disrupting your opponent’s OODA loop) is a principle – how you do it, whether it be by fist, open hand, hammer fist, elbow, shoulder, head butt, etc, will depend on your training/experience and the circumstances/opportunities.
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Boyd’s OODA loop, how I love thee! Changed the way I thought about offensive and defensive scouting & patrolling, and fire & maneuver.
Re: Fist Hardening.
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I hit stuff. Fist gets harder. I have a method for periodic work without my gear. I no longer train on specific conditioning for my fist and hand on broken bricks like I did when I was younger. It’s just not needed to that degree anymore. However any instructor that says learning to punch properly alone will keep you from breaking your fist is poorly informed. This advice could lead you to either a substantial injury and/or a failure in training or ability to survive a deadly encounter.
Even Bas Rutten broke his hand in Pancras on a palm strike… And he trained with no protection because of the no-glove rule.
The more you condition yourself and work in gradual steps away from heavy training gear and onto mitts, pads, lighter gloves, and heavy bags on an occasion, the better to can help prevent an injury… but a fight is a rapidly evolving and dynamic situation. There are NO guarantees.
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I knew an old hapkido master who had callouses on top of others…it was gross….He said that the arthritis wasn’t worth it….he was a board/brink break champ
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Eh, if I am fighting for my life and break my hand, It’ll suck but I’ll deal. I’d rather jack my hand up smashing my attacker than on a rock preparing for a fight that, as stated above, may never happen.
Plus I like having soft hands. ;):
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Do not do it!
Fist hardening is fracturing the bones in your hand many times and letting it heal then doing it again. By doing this your bone takes on a different stronger structure. You’ll notice that if you break a bone it becomes harder and thicker in that place. The down side is you eventually lose your fine moter skill.
Punching is a fast and instinctual reaction but as you begin to improve you will find that the palm strike is a great alternative. It is also a great leadin to grappling.
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It is best to keep your hands intact. That is what a weapon of opportunity is for.
It could be breaking off a tree branch or picking up a rock, of course only in self defense.
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Read what Darren Levine had to say on the subject. It is a little ways down later into the article.
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I would suggest focusing on proper technique as opposed being concerned about trying anything crazy with bone conditioning. Lots of punching in your 16 oz gloves is a start, then transitioning to bag gloves or wraps when doing your bag work will condition your fists. You should be aware of your body or injuries you incur during training.
When training in kajukenbo shin and forearm conditioning can be a big part of your training. I have done thigh and hip conditioning by exchanging round kicks in Krav training. Lose the shin pads and gloves and bang on some bags and bodies a little and you will be swinging sledge hammers before long.
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Just registered to post my thoughts on this. I believe in general bone/body hardening. The school i train at also does karate and that class does specific body hardening training. Im just in the krav class, but I would say that some of the training methods we follow are designed to harden the body as well. In the level 1 class people used handwraps or small gloves for striking drills on the tombstone shield, but generally only for the first few months of their training. No one in the level two or three classes uses them anymore. We only use the gloves for focus mitts and sparring, and occasionally we hit the focus mitts bare knuckled. I think these methods have hardened my hands to some degree, as well as strengthened my wrists, which used to give me trouble but never hurt anymore. We do alot of 360 blocking/knife defense without any forearm guards. Actually in the level one class we never used them and im certain my forearms are significantly harder because of that. I do my own body hardening as well. A few different methods: I hit a hard heavy bag without any gloves initially, then switch to lightweight weightlifting lifting gloves that protect the skin but still allow for good bone contact. I also train with a hard pair of fucus mitts at home and rarely use gloves for it. While at work to pass the time I smack my hands and forearms on a brick pillar from all angles, building force from light to harder, while obviously only pushing as far as i can without sustaining injury. Have used light strikes with bamboo on the ribs and shins in the past with a training partner and would like to incorporate this again. Body hardening works. Its simply about creating microfractures that heal stronger and deadening nerve endings. Ive seen footage of pacquiaos trainer whacking his sides with a stick. I think its a useful addition for any krav practitioner, although it obviously needs to be adjusted by each individual according to their own needs and pain tolerance levels. Sorry for the long post. Its my first one and i kinda went overboard.
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