ABSOLUTE ASCENDANCY

Commencing operation . . .

Overview

There have been occasions where boxers or martial artists have been confronted on the street, the aftermath of which the trained fighter has sustained damage on their knuckles. In the heat of combat, within the whirl of chaos, it can be all too easy for a particular punch to go awry and strike an inopportune target such as someone’s forehead of their teeth.

For this reason, mainly, I do not recommend punching someone in self-defence. However, I believe it is still beneficial to condition your knuckles and toughen your fists, just in case. As a full-contact fighter who primarily strikes against body armour, it is imperative that my weapons are hardened to withstand the impact.

There are two main aspects of training that I undertake continuously to condition my striking weapons.

Knuckle Push-Ups

Regular push-ups are performed with the palm of your hands touching the surface. The knuckle push-up is a variant where you support your body with the knuckles of your hand as you perform each repetition. At first, you will want to support your weight evenly among all four of your knuckles, but as you progress, you can place more emphasis on the top two.

If you can do one-arm push-ups, you can consider performing them on your knuckles as well! Just be careful because one time I placed too much focus on the top two knuckles as I was doing single-arm push-ups, and my wrist slipped. I landed on top of it, and I think I was lucky nothing happened as I thought my wrist had become broken for a second.

Aim to do three sets of ten knuckle push-ups as a training exercise daily. 

Makiwara Striking

The makiwara is a staple training tool for Karate practitioners. I have in the past used a Sparring Bob fitted with the Anzen Bogu gear used in Koshiki Karate to condition my knuckles. The idea is to set up a hard surface to strike against to harden your knuckles. There are many ways of creating your own makiwara at home, so find what works best for you.  

I have watched videos of Muay Thai fighters kicking trees and metal poles to condition their shins! Much respect to them, but I honestly cannot recommend the practice as I have not tried it before. From a street fighting perspective, there should not be any need to possess shins of iron, though all the better if you do! 

Aim to strike the makiwara ten times with each fist daily.

Conclusion

Like with anything, the best way to get results is to apply the techniques mentioned above regularly. Practice makes perfect as they say. Even if you are not a martial arts fighter, strengthening your hands is essential as they are in constant use.

I have been asked in the past whether the knuckle conditioning I do interferes with my ability to play the piano. The basis of such questions is the implication that the training I undertake could cause damage to my hands and thereby impact my musical ability. To which I say that in contrast strengthening the fingers makes them less likely to sustain an injury through daily application. It is a contradiction that nevertheless makes sense to me. 

Give the above training exercises a try and develop rock-solid fists!

Mission complete – Overlord Drakow signing out.