I tried some iron palm training back in the day with my praying mantis (kung fu) instructor at the time. He didn’t go in for the bucket of gravel and bamboo bundle approach. Instead he used an iron palm bag with slow progressive training along with iron palm liniment. The result resulted in a slow interval strengthening of the hands without the calluses and disfigurement of the skin. I try to use the same method with the heavy bag and makiwara pad. The idea is to strengthen and condition the underlying tissue and increasing bone density without excessive callusing and disfigurement of the hand. The hands should literally be conditioned slowly and progressively from the inside out. The knuckles of the striking surface of the fist will thicken without excessive callusing. This approach will minimize the risk of arthritis in the hands and will keep them more slightly from an aesthetic standpoint. I’m sure that you want to use your hands for something other than clubs and who knows you might actually want to hold a baby or caress your significant other with those paws. In conclusion hand conditioning is like any other part of martial art training. It has to be done slowly and methodically. In the end such training and conditioning is a personal choice and must be considered carefully. You don’t just have to hit someone with a fist to put him down but if you are going to use the fist at least minimal conditioning would be advisable. Also take into consideration that there are other ways and parts of the hands that can be used as weapons. Palm heel, knife hand and hammer fist strikes are a viable option which might offer an effective alternative with less risk of injuring the hand. Learning to strike properly and perhaps striking softer targets is advisable if you insist on punching with an unconditioned hand. Just keep in mind it’s hard to win a fight with broken or injured hands. Also keep in mind that the hands would probably be better used for creating something than destroying something. But then that’s a subject for another time.
Blessings to my fellow warriors out there. Train hard but train responsibly.
