Hand protection?

[Laura]

I'm a JKD practitioner; we do alot of drills with the mitts: hammer fist, slap, rear cross, etc. I'm 40 and have broken my left hand last year and it frankly never recovered great so I occasionally get pain when I'm punching. I have a pair of fingerless mixed martial art gloves but it hurts to use them with the hammer strike and slap as there's not a Hell of a lot of padding. I've tried using some of my sifu's gloves but the padding on the side of the hand and by the palm is next to nothing. Are there any good boxing gloves that would offer significant padding on the side and palm areas too? Appreciate any comments or suggestions.

[Ghost]

my personal recommendation is that you dont do the ones that hurt. just use alternative punches.
Martial arts is about doing whats right for you. So if you cant do these on a pad with a glove on how are you going to do it against a human head with no glove, youll break it.
Id suggest seeing a doctor again about the hand and adapting what you do.
If you are in class simply tell your instructor and do other punches on the pad.

[Tant01]

Originally Posted by Laura

I'm a JKD practitioner; we do alot of drills with the mitts: hammer fist, slap, rear cross, etc. I'm 40 and have broken my left hand last year and it frankly never recovered great so I occasionally get pain when I'm punching. I have a pair of fingerless mixed martial art gloves but it hurts to use them with the hammer strike and slap as there's not a Hell of a lot of padding. I've tried using some of my sifu's gloves but the padding on the side of the hand and by the palm is next to nothing. Are there any good boxing gloves that would offer significant padding on the side and palm areas too? Appreciate any comments or suggestions.

Did you get medical attention for the broken bones? X-rays? Fractures are serious business.

I have some scar tissue and arthritis in my hands and knees from injuries many years ago (and old age). While I personally prefer open hand striking and grappling to punching with a closed fist and kicking I have also been taught to strike with elbows, my head, wrists and blunt or sharp objects in my hands.

I've broken small bones in both hands more than once and been stabbed through my left palm. The reality may seem bitter but the essence of (MY) "jkd" is adapting it for ME. All the same theory and principles apply, only the weapons have changed. Really, my hands are nearly shot. I have scars on my scars from many years of abuse and neglect. (see a doctor)

For myself I have found that "fist loads" (while highly illegal) tend to make for more "comfortable" punching. It proved to be much less painful for me and slightly more effective inflicting pain...

I realize that's probably NOT much help or what you're looking for. If you just want to keep punching try wrapping them and wear boxing gloves. That's what the pro's do...

[Michael Wright]

Wrap your hands. Gloves were never introduced into Boxing or Martial Arts to protect your hands, they were introduced to minimise the damage to the opponent. The way to minimise damage to the bones, muscles and skin of the hands is to wrap them correctly.

If wrapping using crepe bandages is too laborious then companies like Everlast and Lonsdale sell Handwrap Gloves that are designed to do the same thing. They are quick and easy to put on and offer good protection.

I would also echo Ghost's advice, if specific tecniques cause you consistent pain then don't do them. You need to remember that hands are delicate and were never designed to continually smash leather , we are all damaging our hands to one extent or another.

[ShawnJKD]

Wraps are a good idea. I find it hard to put regular gloves over those hand wrap gloves, but that just might be the combo of ones I have. You could take a look at the Savate boxing gloves, they are padded slightly differently than standard boxing gloves, especially around the wrist area - don't know if it would be enough of a difference.

I wonder if using a anelgesic (sp?) type rub before and after would help - or even a heat rub to increase blood flow.

...but base line would be that if it hurts don't do it.