Finger conditioning?

[Kante]

What are some effective finger conditioning methods preferably performed on the makiwara?

[NewEnglands_KyoSa]

well i do not have too much experience with the makiwara but i do know that before you start makiwara training you should do some basic strengthening first. for example put a few lbs of frozen peas in a bucket filled about an inch from the top and try to spear hand strike to the bottom of the bucket, repeat multiple times and until you can successfully, consistently, and painlessly. also you can do finger tip push ups and as you get good at those subtract fingers until you are on only your middle, pointer and pinky fingers only. then you can start doing basic strikes on the makiwara, thumb strike, spear hand, two-finger strike, etc. good luck, hope this helps.

[yingampyang]

What are some effective finger conditioning methods preferably performed on the makiwara?

For alot of my finger strengthening i use a bucket of frozen peas and ice cubes. hit the ice and peas with as much force as u can with ur fingers and eventually they will become strong enough to stick through wood.

[Vladko]

What people don't understand is that finger stricking and finger gripping are different conditioning. A martial arts master can break a board with fingers, but not do finger pull ups. A mountain climber can do one finger pull up, but not strike with fingers. You must train on exactly what you will do in combat or demonstration. I think finger push ups are a good conditionig, before slowly striking makeward. Slow than faster and faster, increase the power as well over time.

[Bushido-Ruach]

Kante, Vladko has a valid point...what kind of finger conditioning are you looking for? Here are my suggestions...

For straight-lead strikes (Knife hand, for example) what I do is train with a heavy bag, whether hanging or floor model doesn't matter. Make the knife-hand formation and position your hand, fingers first, against the bag, then simply push forward gently as far as you can go, then slowly back again. Rest, or work the other hand, and then repeat. Eventually you will be able to push the bag farther and farther with greater strength.

For grasping or pressure point striking strength, opening and closing the hands in isometric-type exercises are excellent, along with squeezing a hand-ball or some other squeezable ball. Hand grippers are good if you can find one that isolates each finger, because each finger has differring grasping strength. You can also work on finger strength by taking two chairs, putting a stick across the top, placing your fingers on the top of the horizontal stick and do "finger presses". Also finger curls with a hand weight.

Just some ideas...

[Vladko]

I would rather hit with a fist or a palm, when it comes down to it. But to each it's own.

[Bushido-Ruach]

I would rather hit with a fist or a palm, when it comes down to it. But to each it's own.

Most finger strikes in my experience, are either because the situation doesn't call for a killing blow but the target is open, or they are actually for pressure point attacks. Granted, you can hit certain pressure points, but most of them respond better to fingertip activation because you can grind them...that is, unless you are in dire need of deadly force, then you would want to strike them.

[PunchYourFACE]

What about finger push-ups?

[NewEnglands_KyoSa]

What about finger push-ups?

Yes, those absolutely work.

[Fast-K]

Don't eat red meat if you overwork your fingers.

Too many toxins and you'll end up with bad arthritis. This is a climber's tip, but it applies to this as well.