Knuckle Hardening

[AceKing]

What do some of you do to harden your knuckles. I do knuckle push ups on hard surface, and i dont know if this helps but i also punch the bag wthout gloves. Also when i punch i use the okinawa fist not a regular fist.

[Sensei Rick]

What do some of you do to harden your knuckles. I do knuckle push ups on hard surface, and i dont know if this helps but i also punch the bag wthout gloves. Also when i punch i use the okinawa fist not a regular fist.

is that the fist with the index finger not tucked up, kinda straight, pointing back at you.

[pineapple]

I punch a rock to harden my knuckles....and I also use a fist with the index knuckle straightened.

[shukokai2000]

knuckle push ups are good , make sure you use the first two knuckles though.

[elbows_and_knees]

I punch a rock to harden my knuckles....and I also use a fist with the index knuckle straightened.

In the long run, that is not smart. all you need is a heavy bag / makiwara / bean bag (iron palm type training)

any of those three are fine. knuck pushups are good too. hitting rock is asking for trouble later in life. Just look at pan qing fu's hands...

[Jay]

Just for information why do you need to toughen up your knuckles what is the reson for doing this i cant think of a good one?

[ravenzoom]

My former BJJ instructor used to to do Knuckle push-ups where he would throw his body into the air (while doing a push-up) and land on his knuckles. Probably would hurt me like hell in the long run, but his knuckles seemed used to it.

[DragonMike]

Just for information why do you need to toughen up your knuckles what is the reson for doing this i cant think of a good one?

It really helps for brick breaking with your fists.

[ovine king]

just want to add that traditionally, the hitting of hard objects in chinese martial arts was mainly to do with training your arms, especially your forearms, to the feel of impacting against a surface that would

a, compact

b, cause damage to your skin

of course there are stories of mega hardcore people who battered their hands up into not much more than clubs but alas, dead hands aren't that useful.

working up a thick layer of callouses and dead skin on your knuckles isn't going to make your punch harder.

working up the muscles behind the punch, whihc the exercises does, will.

[TAZ]

knuckle push ups are good , make sure you use the first two knuckles though.

Although knuckle push-ups (using the first two knuckles) may be good for conditioning the knuckles, it may not be the only purpose for doing them that way. I have been taught that by doing the push-ups that way gives proper alignment for correct vertical punches which are commonly used in okinawan systems.