Fist Push Ups?

[tiger7]

Greetings,

Doing push ups on your fist can be harmful or helpful for you? I work my hands(Computer Programmer) and I want to know if this would cause some health issues if performed 3 times a week during my martial arts training.

[inic]

i do 50 daily, but on a rug. and i dont make a fist persay, i keep the top part of my fingers straight. so i'm forming like an upside down 'L'. and my thing is touching just the index finger,not wrapped around.

[inic]

also try finger pushups! i do 35-40 daily. about every 5-6 weeks, drop a finger... eventually, u can do em on just thumb/index finger

[BSH]

If you use authentic Dit Da, you won't damage your hands or wrists. If you don't, expect to get calouses and expect an increased chance of arthritis in the future.

[inic]

"and my thing is touching just the index finger,not wrapped around."

thats just wrong! =)
lol, make that "thumb is touching...."

[Lice]

yes, doing pushups with your thing is really not recommended. :D

[Din Gao]

I've done knuckle/fist pushups for the past several years without any problems. In addition to Leopard fist and Tiger claw pushups, I do them all on a hard wood floor. Even without the Dit Da Jow the calloses (sp?) are very small.

I also work with computers but like I mentioned, I've had no problems. I tend not to get calloses anyway, but I am sure applying some DDJ would solve any bruising, etc.

[tri2bmt]

Hey Din Gao, what are Leopard fist and Tiger claw pushups?

[Kumkuat]

If i'm not mistaken, Leopard fist pushups are done with the joint after your knuckles on your finger. Tiger claws are finger pushups. The fingers are curved outwards rather than inward. That's pretty hardcore.

[Qi dup]

I do push ups with my hand in a fist everytime I work out and I haven't had any problems. There deffinatly my favorite kind of push up to do. I remember on a previous thread about this same issue someone said that doing push ups with your hand in a fist will flatten out your knucles which can be good for some people, especially if you have really point knuckes. I haven't noticed a difference, but they had sugested doing them on a hard floor, I just do it on carpet.

[TenTigers]

I;ve said this before: knuckle pushups and makiwara are NOT designed for building callous, they are for developing the tendons and strength in your wrists so they don't buckle when you punch-period. Callouses enable you to do more knucke pushups,and more strikes on the makiwara, but that's the only reason. Nobody needs golfballs as knuckles especially when you are punching to soft tissue. Heads snap and rock when you hit them, ribs break, hands bruise, but you get to walk home alive and heal. (oh yeah-makiwara also develops proper structure and alignment-forgot to mention) The problem is that we get uneducated, self-taught teachers,or "masters" who bought their belts, or people who while stationed in the armed forces,trained overseas and earned black belts (which is a beginner's rank) and are now "masters", and of course well-meaning instructors who only know what their "masters" taught them.

[yu shan]

TenTigers

Well said...

[Din Gao]

Sorry, I didn't check this out sooner but Kumkuat described them correctly.

The tiger claw pushups are really hard and I cannot do that many. To gear up I found it useful to do them leaning against the wall first.

Good point TenTigers. Strength in the wrist was a problem I dealt with early on in boxing & heavy bag drills. I guess that I built up that strength over time through practice and focusing on proper form/technique so I never felt any problems with the knuckle pushups.

[Hau Tien]

We do three types of pushups regularly at the school where I train:

"Tiger Claw" (Fingertip) pushups, Knuckle pushups, and the plain old flat palm variety.

Then, every once in a while we toss in a few Eagle Claw (Thumb, Index and Middle fingers), and even some Mantis ones (Wrists bent inward... I find these the most difficult).

I work with computers on a daily basis as a programmer/graphic designer, and haven't had any problems at all.

Oh... and in the winter I do my pushups on a hardwood floor in the kwoon... in the summer we often go outside, so I do them on the concrete sidewalk out there.

:)

Hau Tien

[GeneChing]

I've been working on another Chinese Military Fighting video, and they do two interesting fist pushup variations. The first is a one-fisted pushup with the other hand gripped the wrist. The second is crossing a floor by doing jumping fist pushups. Both are done one what appears to be a flattened dirt area.