# Conditioning the shins?



## marso70 (Oct 10, 2007)

Other than practising blocking kicks (which hurts like hell!!!) what else can you do to condition the shins to toughen them up as I feel like a wimp when I have to stop after blocking a few light kicks, but its bone on bone.....ouch!


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## West Fight Company (Oct 10, 2007)

Through personal experience i can confirm this hurts like a beeatch.

Other than going into your garden and kicking down your tree im not sure of other ways to condition them.

When i trained thai our instructor told tales of his trips to thailand when the guys would line up on the beach and have logs swung at them to block with their shins - owy. I can think of better things to do in the afternoon.


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## Si-K (Jul 23, 2007)

Ignore all the hype - hours kicking a heavy bag is the only way - dont believe all the crap about rolling bottles up your shins an all the other shite you will read on the internet - I do know of a certain ex champ who told me that he had to kick iron bars - although even he admitted he only done this a)cause he was young and was told this was what the Thais did and B) because his trainer was nuts.

The only true fact outside of kicking heavy bags is that before Thai boxing took off and most gyms did not have heavy bags they would kick bannana trees - they are soft(ish) and now trying to find one is almost impossible!.

Heavy bag work will hurt a bit but not as much - plus your cardio will get a huge boost and your hips and related muscles will improve big time - get kickin':fight:


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## ezee (Apr 11, 2008)

Si-K said:


> The only true fact outside of kicking heavy bags is that before Thai boxing took off and most gyms did not have heavy bags they would kick bannana trees - they are soft(ish) and now trying to find one is almost impossible!.
> 
> Heavy bag work will hurt a bit but not as much - plus your cardio will get a huge boost and your hips and related muscles will improve big time - get kickin':fight:


read an interview with tony jaa's instructor and he said in his day they started with bags filled with sand... than added cement to the sand... then progressed to banana trees... and finally they would stand in water up to their neck and then have to kick a banana tree apart underwater...!!!

bet hes got strong shins


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## Cha$e (Dec 11, 2007)

To be honest no matter how much training and conditioning you do its always going to hurt, but as si-k has said just kick kick and kick that heavy bag.


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## marso70 (Oct 10, 2007)

Cheers lads, time to get a kicking then!!!


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## Si-K (Jul 23, 2007)

The only other things I recommend related to this thread is lots of ice after training - if you get a massive coggie whilst training - you can buy this stuff called ice cold in a tin as a spray or as a gel - I find the spray is much better apart from that lashings of arnica bring out the bruises extra quick!.


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## dave13 (Aug 2, 2008)

my previous muay thai instructor used to pair us up and get ur partner to roll sticks down the shins, damn it used to hurt! I guess he was trying to kill the nerve endings in them. Also used to knock em in with a heavy metal bangle and my shins were amazing, i broke my mates shin guard playin footy, prob cheap guards but it boosted my ego lol


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## SickShaolin (May 25, 2008)

In Hung Gar Sifu makes us do leg lifts with logs on our shins. But I agree kicking a heavy bag is better.


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## Cha$e (Dec 11, 2007)

Another old school one i have seen is to take a broom handle or bo staff and wrap a thin layer of padding round each end. Then have your pratner swing it at reasonable pace at you whilst you block with your shins * virtually wood on shin bone * it hurts but you get used to the pain.

Also sparring with very thing foam shin pads on helps too as they dont do much in the ways of proection.


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## toxo (Mar 11, 2008)

I dont use shin pads for this reason(so who ever im sparring with gets conditioned to lol). The best way is to just take it on your shins, this may sound to simple but simple is normally the best way. after a few months your legs will be carved out of stone


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## rob (Jul 4, 2008)

Cha$e said:


> Another old school one i have seen is to take a broom handle or bo staff and wrap a thin layer of padding round each end. Then have your pratner swing it at reasonable pace at you whilst you block with your shins * virtually wood on shin bone * it hurts but you get used to the pain.
> 
> Also sparring with very thing foam shin pads on helps too as they dont do much in the ways of proection.


ala Rampage and Matt Brown, id never seen that before the show. good idea


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## Si-K (Jul 23, 2007)

yeah - iv'e seen that on a few clips - what I was trying to state (not very well tho) was all other methods apart from lamping the heavy bag a couple of million times are running the risk of shin splints obviously checking kicks and putting up with it is the name of the game but as Marso wanted an alternative...

P.S I have had shin splints (lasted for about 1 year) when I over abused skipping on the crappy hard floor at Sitpinyo and it knackered my kicks for about 16 months - in this time it hurt me more that the person holding the pad plus after giving up kicking for a while my nerves got sensitive again in my shins - so back to square one!!!:growl:


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## Wandilei (Aug 12, 2008)

I kick one of those Body Opponent Bags (BOB) from Bytomic MArtial arts the one that looks like a man.

I've found that kicking it thai style really reddens and stings on my shin/instep until it is really painful to carry on. This means that i don't really improve my kicking power/speed because as soon as i get going i have to stop quite soon. I thought i was meant to toughen up!! I can kick pads til the cows come home but 20/30 kicks on BOB wrecks...

Help!


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## Si-K (Jul 23, 2007)

Did you mean kicking with the instep of your foot??, personally I would only kick a soft bag barefoot as the inside of your foot has loadsa small bones that could easily be broken especially if a low chopping (down kick) as can be a very powerful kick - either wear shoes for this or progess from softer to harder bags as you progress - same with Thai shin kicks - unfortunatley no pain no gain, I have personally had to ice my shins down and use loadsa arnica and coolice sprays to stop swelling and bruising....if you have a bag you can fill, start with soft content (i.e wrags) and as you progress change it to something harder (ie sand) etc etc - if you do anything like sticks or bottle you can cause mini fractures to your shin bones or shin splints - which will obviously wreck you in the long run.


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## Wandilei (Aug 12, 2008)

Instep kicks slap too much so i moved up to the lower shin to kick with. I found this much better but did still sting and redden.

After this advice i shall vow never to do sticks and bottles!

Thanks a lot.:yes:


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## Si-K (Jul 23, 2007)

Lol, you know it makes sense.

Going back to the inside foot do you mean a sweep kick?? so inside of arch makes contact??? - yeah, if you sweep too low against someone with a low centre of gravity or just someone much heavier - it can hurt (very sensitive area with loadsa small bones and easy to bruise) - as you say low shin - or back of calf is a good tactic - although if you can just go for inside thigh with shin - classic low thai round kick ....much better option - just mind your opponents nuggets....hint to Marc at this point!!!!!!!


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## DMcKulsky (Jan 9, 2009)

ezee said:


> and finally they would stand in water up to their neck and then have to kick a banana tree apart underwater...!!!
> 
> bet hes got strong shins


Dont this sound a bit far fetched? Or is it just me. Has anyone tried kicking underwater. Its BLOODY HARD. Yet he can kick AND destory a banana tree underwater. Think the interview was telling porkies there.


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## calmer (Apr 1, 2009)

i teach mma,but my discipline is thai,i started in the early 90's,wot i tell my students is to kick light bags,pads etc,and just about ten kicks on each leg on an heavy bag,(but not full force kicks)then do sum punches knees whilst still on hvy bag,then ten more kicks on each leg,it takes time though .but this gives u enuf time to perfect your kicks,but dont feel a wimp, the same guys who you spar with(who dont seem affected by the shin on shin)are more conditioned and they felt it in their time...a really good medicine for deep bruising,can be bought over the counter ( chemist) is hirudoid in a gel ,it brings bruises out you did'nt no existed,you'd just felt a pain,but theres a bruise there,, good luck!!!!


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