Is body hardening a lost practice?

[DWx]

Dwx

What methods are used to train in your school? Are there tools and implements for that purpose? TKD has links to karate so something like the Okinawan makiwara is likely to be used, but perhaps different methods that are specifically Korean.

For our dojang mostly it involves striking each other i.e. taking increasing intensity strikes to ribs and stomach and forearm to forearm striking. And then things like the makiwara, jars for grip and bowls filled with sand and gravel for striking. We also regularly break boards and other breaking materials as well.

You are right that there seems to be a bit of crossover with Karate's tools. The Encyclopedia of Taekwon-Do (a 15 volume set of books written by the Founder of ITF TKD) includes instructions on the above stuff plus a few other things like wooden parallettes. Then there are a few weirder ones like the "forging pendulum" and "makgi dae" blocking apparatus. I don't think Karate has equivalents of these (but then again I don't really know anyone who actually uses these in TKD either):

https://goo.gl/photos/XdZyJ2h8mzbgd3vX8

There's also a few other more modern tools included such as stretching machine and things to actually measure power.

[Luther unleashed]

FYI, this type of training can benefit you short term and for a relatively small time into the future but eventually those hardening techniques turn to arthritic techniques. We also know more these days about our bodies and the fact is that these type of impact style of training affect your body in a negative way.

I'm 38, the last few months I have been training on a heavy bag, I started noticing about 2 months ago that I was getting hand tremors and of course I started researching it online trying to figure out what it could be, was I diabetic, was it something in my mind, I stopped hitting the heavy bag for a while and to my surprise and disappointment the tremors went away, it is my disappointment because hitting the bag is part of my training lol.

[JR 137]

FYI, this type of training can benefit you short term and for a relatively small time into the future but eventually those hardening techniques turn to arthritic techniques. We also know more these days about our bodies and the fact is that these type of impact style of training affect your body in a negative way.

I'm 38, the last few months I have been training on a heavy bag, I started noticing about 2 months ago that I was getting hand tremors and of course I started researching it online trying to figure out what it could be, was I diabetic, was it something in my mind, I stopped hitting the heavy bag for a while and to my surprise and disappointment the tremors went away, it is my disappointment because hitting the bag is part of my training lol.

Could've been carpal tunnel syndrome.

Most of the "conditioning" techniques aren't at the joints, but rather at long bones - shin, forearms, etc. The hands being the exception. What they're doing is causing micro fractures in the bones. The bones respond by laying down more compact bone to prevent it from happening again. And on and on. Same way muscle is built up during lifting. Muscles are hit too, causing them to "toughen up."

In this type of conditioning, your body is also releasing less and less pain perception neurotransmitters. You don't feel as much pain because your body isn't releasing pain chemicals in the area.

If done gradually, progressively and correctly, the chances of long-term problems is greatly reduced.

[Spartacus Maximus]

There is a method for toughening areas of the body. It is much more than mindlessly bashing one's body or limbs with a hard object and there is a safe way of doing it. The problems and injuries arise when beginners or those who use incorrect technique try to do too much, too hard and too quickly.

Full force is never, ever used when training.There is no correlation of cause and effect between these practices and arthritis or similar conditions. A well known case study was done with Mas Oyama's hands over several years. No change was noted in the internal structure of his hands, nor did he develop any cumulative injuries or problems from years of daily makiwara training. this study and the results are easily accessed through Google.

[Luther unleashed]

Sure my hands was just an example. It's different then a shin for example. There are many parts that people try to harden though, small knuckle of index finger for "eye of phoenix" or Palm for Palm strikes, often for breaking teqnuiqes. I have heard what your referring to, the micro fractures. I mostly feel that although it works, I feel it's a young man's game and not without issues getting older though.

As for my hands IDK what it was but I am a 16 year mechanic and worked with my hands as well. I quit when I opened up my program because I had thrown my back out repeatedly, 5 times in 16 years to be exact and I just had to say enough. The hands may be something like carpel tunnel idk, all I know is no issues since I quite hitting the bag so maybe it's time to leave that alone for good, was pretty scary and annoying. I hurt my knee doing a kick 2 months ago also, and have been forced to use my other leg for now, sadley I was one sided more than I'd like to admit and I hurt my "good kicking" leg. Been a rough few months lol. Getting close to 40 and feeling as if I'm close to 40, sucks.

[Wado Heretic]

I do not think body hardening as an art has been lost; but it has definitely changed. A better medical understanding of how the body works; and the propagation of full-contact combat sports has increased the amount of information that exists on what is useful for body conditioning. I would say that "hardening" now mostly consists of ensuring one has a strong core, and getting over the psychological blocks one can experience when hit with force; those are the two huge hurdles most people fall over.

I engage in Hojo Undo daily, except on Sundays (important to have a rest day), and the majority of my focus I find is on cardiovascular and strength building. I do use impact tools, but because of the weather in the UK I only really do it through the summer; a cold climate does not favour the use of impact tools when it comes to recovery. I did most of my body hardening as it were in my late teens, early 20s; since I hit 24 I do not find much use for it. The callouses that come with it are not going to fade any time soon, and I find so long as I maintain my strength levels I have retained the benefits of the impact training.

[Spartacus Maximus]

It certainly seems that such training is not a staple of martial arts as it once was. Nowadays it appears to be limited to a few older instructors who are among the last generation to have learned it. Often times these martial artist are regarded as old-fashioned.

[inventor]

In our ryu we adhere to ten basic tenents of a kuhn. The tenth one states "I can not be hit and I can not hit." We do not train to be hit, we train to not be hit. We do train on the makiwara to develop proper positioning and technique.

[armanox]

FYI, this type of training can benefit you short term and for a relatively small time into the future but eventually those hardening techniques turn to arthritic techniques. We also know more these days about our bodies and the fact is that these type of impact style of training affect your body in a negative way.

I'm 38, the last few months I have been training on a heavy bag, I started noticing about 2 months ago that I was getting hand tremors and of course I started researching it online trying to figure out what it could be, was I diabetic, was it something in my mind, I stopped hitting the heavy bag for a while and to my surprise and disappointment the tremors went away, it is my disappointment because hitting the bag is part of my training lol.

While we might not do as much as some schools do, I see plenty of people in their 50s-70s still pounding the makiwara and bags without issue to their hands.

[sensei8]

It certainly seems that such training is not a staple of martial arts as it once was. Nowadays it appears to be limited to a few older instructors who are among the last generation to have learned it. Often times these martial artist are regarded as old-fashioned.

I agree. Seems that the landscape has been altered over quick results, no matter the quality of those results, it's for the quantity instead.

Imho!!