How do I Strengthen my hands for striking and breaking?

Question

Hi, I take Judo but I would also like to have strong striking hands, like Tae Kwon Do artists who can break bricks. What are some exercises I can do to learn this? What is the normal method of breaking? What is your mindset? Do you meditate before hand? thanks a lot for your time.

Answer 1

Breaking is 99.9% technique. It is learning fundamentals such as driving through with your hips (creates torque and power), striking with the first two knuckles (prevents boxer's fracture), and rotation of the arm/hand (creates torque). It is also based on ideologies such as driving through your target, and using speed and power. These are time tested and effective, and more importantly, must be taught and trained. Breaking is a demonstration of technique, not power and callouses.

However, to build strong striking hands, you must remember that strong hands are all a matter of bone density, built up through knuckle pushups, and strengthening drills. Some of these can be accomplished through punching into buckets of sand, or wooden beams and practice dummies, or even heavy bags. They all accomplish the same purpose, to create bone density and to kill the nerves in the knuckles, so it hurts less.

Answer 2

At minimum, you'll need a bag/bucket of rice/beans/rocks/whatever your teacher uses, and some very, very good jow. DON'T try to get by without jow, and DON'T try to get by without a teacher.
If you're going to condition your hands, you need assistance from someone who knows the process, and the safeguards. Otherwise, you can irreparably damage yourself without even knowing it. By the time you find out, it'll be *way* too late. Look, giving yourself a tattoo with a ballpoint pen and a sewing needle is a bad idea, right? So is do-it-yourself hand conditioning. Serious body modification is not something to do lightly; if you're going to do it, you'd better consult the professionals.

Breaking is a lot of fun; I've done a fair bit. You don't have to condition your hands to break; you can break boards and bricks with a palm strike. But just being able to break doesn't necessarily improve your striking; being able to wind up and land a brick-crushing blow is nice, but people don't generally hold still for a power shot that starts in the next ZIP code.

If you're going to use that kind of force practically, it has to be *casually* available. It's not what you can do that matters; it's what you can do without notice, without windup, behind your back, while drinking a cup of tea.
You have to work up to being able to break a board or brick that's not being held in place. You're looking to get to the point where you can drop the board and punch through it as it's falling to the ground. Where you can balance the brick on a fence post with no bracing at all, and break it from the side. And you'll want to train the hits at all kinds of weird angles. I never got that far with it, which is why I quit breaking -- it's not practical unless you're going all the way.

Answer 3

While taking Sambo, the instructor had us punch sand bags for two days, 4 times a day, 1 hour of repeated strikes each session. Naturally, each session was appointed to different types of strikes. Since not every strike is a "punch", it is imperative to use something with sides to it. Then we had 2 days off for minor healing. Next we moved on to cinder blocks, lightly at first, but gradually strengthening the strikes to improve strike power and durability in each type of strike. Practical breaking in an actual fight needs to be done up close and personally, when in close quarters. It takes proper technique as well as conditioning, and, unless you fight regularly to survive, is not something you really want to do anyway since doctor bills get expensive. Conditioning takes time, so don't expect tough hands overnight.

Dont worry about fighting boards or bricks... they never have an agenda and seldom argue with your positions in life. :)

Hope this helps.

Answer 4

The application of the spear hand hasn't changed. Yes people used Makiwara more in past generations. A few places still use them. It would be great f we had them and used them correctly in every dojo. Finger push ups are still being done. Gripping jars is being done in places too. Those things strengthen the fingers. I don't do this, but There is this grandmaster that break boards with 1 pinky finger. Back to the application. The application can be to eyes, ears, throat, and pressure points. One basic application is to the joint by the rotary cuff. That will make the arm useable. The average person will never use such a strike. But the harder they punch the more damage it will cause them. Other applications are grabs, traps, throws, and chokes.

Answer 5

The best way to strengthen your strikes is to have a tight fist at the point of contact. Loosen up your arms before you strike and during the strike, but, at the point of impact, tighten your fist, it gives you the great speed that would make it easier to strike through. This is what I didn't do before, I did not tighten my fist during the impact and hurted my knuckes pretty badly. And to strengthen your knuckles, do knucke push ups, from carpet to cement. And do knuckle push ups before you break. And, the safest way to do breaking is wear cloth thick or thin layer (if you think that people wouldn't be impressed).

AND ALSO, DRINK A LOT OF MILK!!

Answer 6

Breaking is Mostly technique but also it is a mindset that you need to have. If you fear the objest or you are afriad it might hurt you won't break it. Plus you have to picture your hand on the other side of the object you are breaking and just do it put your hand on the other side and it will break. Also remember this.. the most importnat this is it ONLY HURTS IF IT DOESN'T BREAK. As long as you rember your technique and that you need to go thru the object and not stop at the object you should be fine.

Matt

Answer 7

Breaking techniques are as much a mental excercise as it is a physical one.

you can do a breaking technique with the hand in several ways: palm strike, a straight punch, knife hand, ridge hand, and hammer fist are the main choices, but there are other techniques which do require strengthening techniques for better use of the technique.

you can usually start out by punching or "knifeing" (meaning using knife hand or ridge hand techniques to build the strength up for those kinds of strikes) "sugar sand" or very fine powder like sand, and gradually work up to heavier and grainier sand for more resistance and into more solid things like small gravel for added resistance.

but you have to train at it for a few weeks at a time (and at each level of resistance) to get yourself used to the feeling of it when you strike it.

As far as Mindset goes, I always think of going THROUGH the board or camfer (concrete) slab when attempting a break, instead of just hitting it, I try instead to hit the person(s) that're holding the board as if I was going to strike them and ignoring the board or slab the indivual is holding.

Answer 8

Okinawan practitioners toughen their hands and improve their technique through the use of the makiwara board.

This is a flexible board embedded in the ground that provides feedback on the strikes. Most traditional karate dojo will have several, usually one is set up for kicking, one for punching and there may be a shuto striking post also. (Shuto - 'karate chop')

Answer 9

breaking bricks is completly different then striking.

dont think u can be a good striker from breaking breaks.

Breaking is mostly for show, entertainment. and nothing more.

dont get me wrong. its fun to do. but has no real aplycation to anything useful.

meditation is pretty much, Yoga. Go take a yoga class. If your a girl.

be a man. dont do the gay stuff u see in the movies.

Answer 10

Well........You should focus on the center of your target. Then don't be afraid to strike. Pretend as though you are punching through the object. If your still not strong enough, try doing push-ups.

P.S. I have the same problem so I'm gonna start taking up boxing.