shin conditioning: the best method?

Question

I want to be able to kick through a baseball bat lol... anyways I'm sixteen and I'm a muay thai kickboxer. I also wrestle, which somehow always hurts my shins... anyhow, I can already break a beer bottle on my shins with minimal discomfort. But is it making my bones tougher, or just killing my nerves?

Answer 1

Don't worry about nerve damage. I have never met a real person who has suffered nerve damage in their shins from Muay Thai.

My Ajarn, Surachai Sirisute, taught us to condition our shins by beating on them with a 1" diameter, wooden dowel. It's not really about the shins though, it's training the mind to accept the pain. "Master Chai" used a hammer on his own shins. He told us that in Thailand they would kick banana trees until the tree fell over. Also, we never sparred while wearing protective padding of any kind. After hard workouts or long runs it was customary to pour cold water over our legs. I don't remember Master Chai ever telling us why we were doing it, but I assume it had to do with toughening the legs or reducing the pain. You have to get used to the pain, you've chosen a sport where that's the normal condition.

Answer 2

It's actually making your bones tougher (by increasing density), and somewhat killing the nerves to the point where they can still regenerate, so don't worry about it.

Shin conditioning is best done by kicking the heavy bag, do it many, many times. This is equivalent to traditional thai boxers kicking banana trees; they start young when the banana tree is soft, and as they grow so does the tree, it's harder but it still gives in a little. Thai camps with more money are able to buy heavy bags, eliminating the practice of kicking banana trees.

Some people would tell you to roll things down your shins, DON'T DO IT, it will damage your nerves and bones, you need to have feeling as the body needs to know if it's injured.

Again, the best method is just kicking the heavy bag over and over.

I hope this helps

good luck!

Answer 3

Somewhat both actually. While you are not actually killing the nerves you are building a tolerance for pain up and deadening them so to speak. As for the bone part what is happening is that as you break that bone down it causes calcium deposits to form on it and to repair itself becoming even stronger.

As for for the pain part and wrestling some shin pain can be caused from poor or in adequate arch and heal support. If I remember from my old high school wrestling days those wrestling shoes are flat bottom soles, non-metal eyelets and don't give your foot much support. Workout in regular athletic shoes for some of your wrestling workouts and see if that helps relieve some of your pain. If so then that's probably the answer and maybe you can fix that with heal or arch inserts in your wrestling shoes.

Answer 4

little of both

Hard core muay thai went after trees again and again and again... but it usually damages your nerves to where it'll be difficult to walk by about the age of 30.

Bones don't break in the same place twice, because they grow back stronger. So, smush down the shins with something solid and they'll grow back stronger, and probably not as well shaped as they are now.

Answer 5

You might want to use some dit da jow if you're doing any shin conditioning. It breaks up stagnated blood and can be soothing after conditioning.

Answer 6

If you do want the shins to get stronger, start gently and work your way up. start using a stick and pound it against your shins with strenght, but control. As you work your way up, going into trees which kills the nerves and takes the pain away.

Answer 7

"I am a Muay Thai Kickboxer!!""
Make me laugh!
You aint got a clue.

DO NOT KICK TREES, DO NOT ROLL THINGS UP AND DOWN YOUR LEGS.

This will all cause damage. The only way to do it, is by kicking a heavy bag repeatedly, often!!

Break Beer bottles on ya legs! BIG WOW

Bottles don't hit back!!

Answer 8

Just in case you taking totals on answers.....DO NOT ROLL OR BEAT THINGS ON YOUR SHINS. All you will do is screw up your shins. Kick the bags and pads.

Answer 9

keep hitting the bags man, do not try to roll bottles with your shins, that'll just injure you in the long run. Just keep working on the bags.

Answer 10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pant_xwqHMc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdVd4sYcXOE

There are certain kata that build up your abilities in this fashion. First video shows you some "breaking" and the second shows you a kata that develops this energy.