Conditioning your Hand Claws

[Johnlogic121]

At the beginning of the twentieth century, it is said that Eagle Claw stylists had methods of conditioning the hands and wrists and forearms for incredible crushing power. The stories say that an expert in Eagle Claw could crush a bottle in his hand with his powerful grip. Clearly, this made grips around a puncher's bicep very painful and crippling. Clawing the throat with such fingers was deadly. Nowadays, unfortunately, these methods are either vanished or exceedingly rare, if indeed the stories are true in the first place. There are a variety of hand claw positions in Kung Fu and each is slightly distinct and suited towards a different purpose. Dragon Claws slap and drag with raking fingers, Tiger Claws twist and tear cheek bones and gouge eyes, and Eagle Claws crush captured arms. Does anybody have any really good hand conditioning techniques? Old fashioned Karate has some finger conditioning methods involving buckets of hot sand into which you thrust your spear hand and star hand, and after years of this exercise, you use a bucket of pebbles and lastly rough gravel. This seems to be especially hard conditioning that would effect the surface tissues to make them hard and not necessarily build up the muscles to make them stronger. Can anybody summarize an effective Kung Fu method that might provide "soft" conditioning to the ligaments, tendons, and muscle tissues and nerves? How do you develop a really effective hand claw? -JL

[bushido_man96]

Thats a good question. I think the more appropriate question is whether or not that kind of conditioning is worth it. What will the long-term effects of conditioning your fingers in such a way be? I think the better path to take would be to do grip exercises and forearm exercises instead. Easier to do, with faster results, I think.

[Kajukenbopr]

I have one called "Cotton Hand"

it is basically the same as doing finger push-ups, however, this one you do standing up, and using the tips of the fingertips against a wall as if cupping a small bowl in your hands(a walking push-up against a wall)

after you can hold ur weight with ease. u move on to the advanced form of the exercise.

After holding the position with all of your weight, you imagine the wall being of hot metal, you must use your fingers to not get "burnt" against the metal, without using your shoulders or ur arms to push yourself away, just ur fingers pushing ur body away from the wall and then repeating the process.

[Johnlogic121]

Thanks, that "cotton hand" exercise is precisely the kind of thing I am looking for. I found a reference to another exercise in a book after I made the original post. In the exercise I found, a practitioner would face the rising sun at dawn and make a Dragon Claw hand facing the sun and tighten every part of the hand with dynamic tension training. Dynamic tension training tenses muscles that normally oppose each other at the same time, so it is a little unnatural and takes practice to learn, but everybody who tries it can condition their nervous system to do it successfully. When the muscles that normally oppose each other in the hand and fingers tighten in opposite directions, it forms a kind of isometric exercise. The hand is gradually opened and clsed under dynamic tension several times a minute, slowly, over the course of fifteen minutes until the sun rises. The exercise is repeated at sunset facing the setting sun. The timing of the exercise is supposed to take advantage of certin natural body rythyms in a person's Chi cycles to give the most advantagoues training to the hands, and the mental focus of the power sun's disk is supposed to help train the mental focus that is demanded by a firm Dragon Claw hand. People who do this exercise continue it for years as a daily ritual, and the daily exertion gradually strengthens the hand claw for slapping and raking attacks by working on the internal muscular structure of the hand rather than just conditioning the outside tissues by slapping an object like a clay brick. I just thought that was an intersting one so I thoguht I would take the time to describe it. I would be very curious if people could describe several more of these kinds of exercises. Thanks in advance, - JL.

[bushido_man96]

Fingertip pushups would do a good job, I think.

[BlackTiger]

Good information.

The need for this type of training is indeed fading out. Here is one old Kung Fu method.

When I got into the animals that use this method we started with the 3 barrells - one sand- one uncooked beans-one small rocks- lots of Dit Da Jow is needed. Along with canvas bags filled with river sand usually 80-100 lbs. Working all of it every other day. Hit the bag with the figer tips

thumb included (along with everything else). Add training grips , tennis balls, and or rubber balls. This type of training requires patience and time- over doing it = injury.,

Add the Animal (Tiger) Form- when ever we did any Tiger moves or Forms - we tightened our fingers as much as possible and never relaxed their strength until we finished the form.

One can also increase the strength in all the Animals with these methods.

[DWx]

Would one of these work? See them advertised a lot but don't know anyone who uses them.

[BlackTiger]

IF YOU WANT TO REDUCE THE METHOD,

USE A CANVAS BAG FILLED WITH SAND- TO DEVELOPE THE POWER AND STRENGTH IN HITTING-

MOST PEOPLE PREFER THE NEW LEATHER PUNCHING BAGS AND THEY HAVE THERE BENEFITS. HOWEVER IF THERE IS AN ARMY SURPLUS STORE AROUND, BUY SOMETHING OF MADE CANVAS, HEAD TO AN UPHOLSTERY SHOP HAVE IT CUT, 5-6 FEET LONG-10" IN DIAMETER. fILL IT , LEAVE ENOUGHT TO TIE THE END AND HANG IT. IN THE BEGINNING IT WILL BE SOFT BUT AFTER SOME TIME IT WILL TURN INTO " A STONE WALL".

WORK IT VERY GENTLE FOR THE FIRST SEVERAL MONTHS. SKIN TEARS AND BLEEDS IF HIT TO HARD OR TOO OFTEN IN THE FIRST FEW MONTHS.

OTHERWISE A PIECE RUG WRAPPED AROUND A 2X4 ATTACHED TO A WALL WILL DO A GOOD JOB ALSO.

[fujau]

Word of warning before you try certain aspects of conditioning training for the fingers and forearms think of the long term effects when you are 60 odd and start getting arthritis in the fingers and so on It is easy to be enthusiastic in your training and be a bull in a china shop and try these ancient methods of hand conditioning but just understand these guys need it for survival and they didn't have the nearest gym or sports medicine around the corner to help you out regardless of having dit dat jow or not.

SO THINK FIRST REMEMBER YOU STOP BOUNCING AT 35 IT STARTS TO HURT FROM THERE AFTER

[BlackTiger]

TRUE FUJAU VERY TRUE.

IT IS WISE TO LEARN THESE THINGS ONLY WITH THE SUPERVISION OF A QUALIFIED TEACHER. I AM OVER 70 AND MY ARMS, FINGERS, KNUCKLES, ETC, ARE IN EXCELLANT CONDITION.

I WAS JUST RESPONDING TO A QUESTION.

I ALSO TEACH HEATH- M/A IS AN EXCELLANT METHOD OF PRESERVING HEALTH, GETTING HEALTHY AND STAYING HEALTHY. I HAVE A STUDENT THAT IS 94, SHE STARTED 2 YEARS AGO.

SHE DOESN'T PUNCH THE BAG

BUT SHE DOES USE HER CANE.