All of us have seen those amazing feats of mind over matter, where a martial artist is breaking a stack of bricks as tall as he is. Most of us assume that he’s made of something different than we, super human perhaps. And while it may be true he has a higher tolerance for pain than many, it isn’t true that these skills are natural or in bred. They can be achieved by anyone willing to put the time in.
So exactly how does a person go from ordinary to indestructible? The key lies in hand conditioning. Hand conditioning is the secret tool used in many martial arts to prepare the body for very high impact and for combat. It conditions the bone and the nerves to withstand great trauma without sustaining injury. But it must be trained gradually and methodically if great gains are to be made.
Hand conditioning has two physiological consequences. The first is a deadening of the nerves. Pounding bone on a hard object repeatedly eventually kills the feeling in that part of the body. So when expert breakers claim to have no pain during a break that is why. They can’t feel anything but pressure. The second change that occurs is actually a strengthening of the bone itself. When bone is cracked your body released calcium to that region which later hardens and becomes new bone. This often results in big thick fat knuckles, the trademark of a conditioned striker.
So for those interested, what is the best way to train for this sort of extreme skill? Hit stuff, plain and simple. Old school Karate practitioners would smash their knuckles with a hammer and then punch a wall until they passed out. This would turn the hand into more of a mangled club, good for little else but smashing. But this is unnecessary. Most hard core breakers take a long term and dedicated approach with a little each day mentality.
If you’re learning to strike with the fore fist, or the first two knuckles, you might start with lightly punching wood a hundred times a day or so. Go until the sting is too much to bear, rest, and repeat. Eventually your hands will harden and the nerves will deaden. You’ll know when its time to move onto brick or steal, a surface that won’t be so forgiving. But keep in mind, in training; you don’t need to be using great force. Keep relaxed and go for repetition.
This training is not recommended for everyone, but if this is your art and you’re dedicated, you can make great gains in just a few months. A few minutes a day will result in a rock hard punch after just a few months. But if anything feels off consult a doctor and use common sense.