Ok, so no one had an answer for my dual Tai Chi Sword info, but I wonder if someone knows about this?
Someone was telling me about a way to condition your foremarms by tapping acupressure points with a length of wires taped together. We were talking about “The Tao of Sexology” at the time, but somehow I don’t think forearm conditioning would be in that particular book…
So, and I’ve asked Sifu Abel already, anyone know anything about this? I think it’s part of Iron Body training, but again I’m not 100% sure. So if you have a link, please post it.
Never heard of using a bunch of wires. Heard of using a cane, a bunch of chopsticks, newspapers etc. but never a bunch of wires. I guess you learn something new every day
We use a conditioning exercise similar to 3 start knocking. I personally prefer partnered techniques over using something to hit your arms.
we do a 3 star knocking drill for conditioning forearms as well.
we start static then add footwork movements.
I usually teach this in the first couple of classes as it makes new people feel like they are "doing kung fu’’ right away: from their perspective they are punching, blocking and moving around in a ‘kung fu stance’ right away. which they are, they just don’t realize the importance of the basic stuff yet. I have a jow from a recipe my sifu has that doesn’t have the poisenous stuff in it so we don’t have to worry about open cuts and abrasions. so, they get to bash their arms and then put some stinky stuff on that stains their arms. kinda cheesy I know BUT they are doing good training and feeling good about it and the more they feel good about it the better chance they stick.
3-star knocking is also the 3rd ‘level’ of the iron palm I know but it is against a tree or a wooden dummy.
I also use some 2 man drills for conditioning other body parts (ribs, legs, neck) that I learned from my mantis system. they are for later on as they are pretty darn painful.
Wire bundles are an option for Iron Body/Muscle and Tendon Changing. However, it’s considered to be one of the “deeper” treatments (so it will stimulate the deep acupressure points), and you should start with a more “shallow” treatment, like soft hitting with a cane/rattan stick. Once you can do that as hard as you want, moving on to wire bundles is an option. You COULD start with wire bundles, but you CAN cause a lot of damage to your skin and muscles. Nothing permanent, but you’ll need to put off conditioning for a while, which partially negates the conditioning you’ve already done.
Never heard of wires. We do two man arm banging, and my teacher used to bang his arms against steel poles. I’m not wild enough to do that my self.
But you can get into a horse and bang your arms together. Circle your arms like your turning a huge steering wheel and bang them together when they meet. If it hurts real bad, you’re doing it right. Don’t forget to jow up and massage your arms when you’re done. I’ll do it for about 25 reps.
Originally posted by Black Jack
[B]Forearm roller-A dole rod with a rope that can be tied to free-weight plates. Roll it up and roll it down. Burns. My fav.
Behind the Back Barbell Curls- Hits deep into the meat of the forearm.
Dumbell Curls and Extensions-To hit both sides
Hammer Curls-Hits them from a different angle
Dumbell Wrist Twist-Another Angle
Partner Training [/B]
Hammer curls and forearm tolls are my faves. Never seen or tried a behind the back barbell curl. I hate twists and dumbell curls/extensions - they bore me - but I do them anyway.
I used to do two man arm banging when I was in longfist, but now that I’m grappling, I do solo arm banging or against a pole. when using the pole, I use a nice moving arm banging drill that WD showed me.
seven, did you find the 2 man arm banging usefull?
if you did, could you not sway any of your training partners to try it?
I have a steel I beam in the middle of the room I teach in. I will strike it every class w/ square fist and back fist but that’s about the extent of my 1 man hand/arm conditioning at this point. I’ll be ok with that until I get the student who doesn’t wince when I do 3 star with them. Then I reckon I’ll have to do another round of iron palm training.
Yeah, I definitely got benefit from it - I haven’t asked the guys to try it. Most of them have either a muay thai or a TMA background though, so they’d probably be open to it. They all actively compete though, and I can’t really see a case for how 3 star would help in competitions. The ones that do MMA may be interested though.
also, mook jong training and forearm ring training will condition the forearms. making them tougher.
making them stronger through lifting won’t necessarily increase their ability to serve as defensive bridges. The bridge has to withstand and prevail over the incoming strike.
you can strike the arms with a bundle of chopsticks, do 3 star blocking against an inanimate object, perform striking sets while wearing the iron or brass rings, do a lot of sau training on the dummy. You can also tap hit your arms all over using only your fists.
all these things will build up your ability to withstand the neuralgia (pain) associated with blocking or striking with the forearm.
KL,
I would say that the more muscle mass you have, the more impact you can take. The muscles will surely bruise but they will protect the bones and nerves. I’m not sure but I would also say that the tendons will get stronger and thicker as well, contributing to the ability to overall protection of the bonesand nerves.
So, a combination of conditioning and strengthening through classical means or modern weight training can only benefit you.
