Forearms

[Bon]

::edit:: Edited September 29, 2002 by Bon

[Taikudo-ka]

And that is?

 

I agree it's best to deflect rather than do a hard "block". Sometimes in the heat of sparring I've done just that, though. I have a red scrape on my forearm right where I've blocked a kick last week.

[KickChick]

I know that some people condition their shins by biffing them gently with sticks and then building this up so that they can take harder knocks (does it actually increase bone density locally, Kickchick??) so I guess you could do this with your forearm bones, though I've not tried this technique and so cannot recommend it personally.

 

No.... this "conditioning" does not increase bone density locally. Conditioning refers to the physical hardness of your arms, legs, and other body parts. (All parts of the body can be conditioned... not only the the forearms and shins, but also fingers, toes, stomach, ribs, and the legs as a whole.)

 

This hardness determines how much damage or "punishment" you can take from blocking before getting bruised. Most people get bruises for 6 months after starting to train. Shortly thereafter, bruises occur less frquently because you are getting conditioned from constant blocking.

[G95champ]

Yeah you can beat arms all day and make ti tough. Or you can invest a few bucks in some pads. My personal favorite is to work differant blocks. Yeah I know you got to do what your Sensei tells ya to do. However you may have weak bones. Lack of meant and muscle could also be part of the problem. However if it hurts Im not saying don't do it but at the same time. Don't kill yourslef when they are other blocks that serve the same purpose.