Hitting your shins

Hookah Smokin Caterpillar · 06-27-2001, 10:32 AM

Is that bad? I was getting the impression from a few on this board that it was incredibly bad. My friend who trains in Muay Thai does that all the time, and its encouraged by his teacher who by the way is a Muay Thai guru who learned his craft in Thailand. He wants to know why it would be a bad thing because he says his instructor says all it does is kill the nerves there. Anyone can tell me for sure?

vortrex · 06-27-2001, 03:41 PM

well I heard it's suppose to kill all the nerves too, so your leg is like a tree trunk. doesn't seem like the smartest thing to do in my opinion. I've got a video of a guy breaking his leg literally in half at the shin from a kick. it's not a pretty site.

Hookah Smokin Caterpillar · 06-27-2001, 04:04 PM

Yeah I've seen that too, seems almost unbelievable

Maxximus · 06-28-2001, 12:23 AM

I would think that as long as you take it at a reasonable pace without trying to kill your shins, and as long as you don't take too much consistent damage, you should be fine. Of course the older you get, the more you'll have to adjust and slow it down. To be honest, I really am not familiar with any medical studies or research regarding this, but I'm often around some older practitioners who've spent years in serious thai training such as Kru Vut Kamnark and Guro Inosanto among others lesser known...their legs seem fine, or even in extremely good shape, for their age. I'm not too worried about it. At least that's my opinion.

Biker · 06-28-2001, 12:41 AM

Like previously mentioned, it's not a completely bad thing if taken at a reasonable pace. It takes the body some time to strengthen and harden the shins from the repeated contact as well as deadening the nerves. In a stand-up fight, your opponent can not fight if he can not stand. Strengthen the shins and hit your opponent hard. Let him know he's already lost with the first blow.

aseepish · 06-28-2001, 05:24 AM

There is a right way and a wrong way to condition your shins. Check out the thread from the Muay Thai forum, from last November:
http://defend.net/deluxeforums/showt...p?threadid=934

(including my naive suggestions)

-Tony

Szczepankiewicz · 07-03-2001, 10:32 AM

IMO the only real problem with using the shins (prior to conditioning) would be striking hard targets. If you strike your opponent in a "soft target" area, it wouldn't matter as much. The thighs, backside, the gut and even up into the torso probably wouldn't hurt your shins at all.

If you hit bone with your shin, that's when the pain starts. Especially shin to shin...

What are the preferred targets used in Muy Thai? As you can tell, I have had very little exposure to Muy Thai.

When we use a knee strike, we are using the muscle on the inside of the knee, (the lower quadricep) and stay far away from the knee cap as a striking weapon. This is a very quick, close range strike that can be used repeatedly, very similar to the shins (I presume). Is that the primary reason Muy Thai uses the shins?

THX
SZ

DanInNeckaha · 07-03-2001, 10:55 AM

Thai boxers have notoriously short careers and they do not retire because they are rich. Some of the hardcore training is probably not very healthy for you, especially if you are not going to be in the ring anyway. You could be setting yourself for problems as you get older.

I would start out on the banana bag, down towards the bottom the sand is packed pretty hard and will give unconditionned shins a good test.

duchman · 07-03-2001, 12:20 PM

Dan,
no offence but where do you get youre info from?

First off, there are many many thai fighters who fight for well over 15/20 years. (most off them are dutch fighters) Hoost, aerts, dekker, ballentine.
Note. Some of these guy's fought twice a week

Sand in a bag????? Never put sand in a bag it will be as hard as a brick wall.

Also thai pads and a heavy bag/banana bag is the way to go for conditioning shins, NEVER use Stickes botles and such

DanInNeckaha · 07-04-2001, 07:54 AM

OK the filling in the bag settles toward the bottom making it harder toward the bottom, it that better? I call it sand because it is small and granular like sand.

When I made referrence to the Thai boxers I meant Thais, of course they start training at earlier age.
There are also guys in the NFL who play for 15 years but the average career is one fifth of that, the aberration does not change the overall trend.

06-27-2001, 10:32 AM	#1 (permalink)
Hookah Smokin Caterpillar Novice Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Anaheim, CA Posts: 393	Hitting your shins Is that bad? I was getting the impression from a few on this board that it was incredibly bad. My friend who trains in Muay Thai does that all the time, and its encouraged by his teacher who by the way is a Muay Thai guru who learned his craft in Thailand. He wants to know why it would be a bad thing because he says his instructor says all it does is kill the nerves there. Anyone can tell me for sure? __________________ "Living is easy with eyes closed, Misunderstanding all you see, Its getting hard to be someone but it all works out, It doesn't matter much to me..." - Lennon, John

06-27-2001, 04:04 PM	#3 (permalink)
Hookah Smokin Caterpillar Novice Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Anaheim, CA Posts: 393	Yeah I've seen that too, seems almost unbelievable __________________ "Living is easy with eyes closed, Misunderstanding all you see, Its getting hard to be someone but it all works out, It doesn't matter much to me..." - Lennon, John

06-28-2001, 12:23 AM	#4 (permalink)
Maxximus Novice Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 216	its just conditioning... I would think that as long as you take it at a reasonable pace without trying to kill your shins, and as long as you don't take too much consistent damage, you should be fine. Of course the older you get, the more you'll have to adjust and slow it down. To be honest, I really am not familiar with any medical studies or research regarding this, but I'm often around some older practitioners who've spent years in serious thai training such as Kru Vut Kamnark and Guro Inosanto among others lesser known...their legs seem fine, or even in extremely good shape, for their age. I'm not too worried about it. At least that's my opinion.

06-28-2001, 05:24 AM	#6 (permalink)
aseepish Registered User Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: British Columbia Posts: 1,614	Whacking your shins There is a right way and a wrong way to condition your shins. Check out the thread from the Muay Thai forum, from last November: http://defend.net/deluxeforums/showt...p?threadid=934 (including my naive suggestions) -Tony __________________ "It was about that time I realized that searching was my symbol, the emblem of those who go out at night with nothing in mind, the motives of a destroyer of compasses." -Cortázar

07-03-2001, 10:32 AM	#7 (permalink)
Szczepankiewicz Registered User Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Meridian, ID, USA Posts: 4,109	Soft Targets IMO the only real problem with using the shins (prior to conditioning) would be striking hard targets. If you strike your opponent in a "soft target" area, it wouldn't matter as much. The thighs, backside, the gut and even up into the torso probably wouldn't hurt your shins at all. If you hit bone with your shin, that's when the pain starts. Especially shin to shin... What are the preferred targets used in Muy Thai? As you can tell, I have had very little exposure to Muy Thai. When we use a knee strike, we are using the muscle on the inside of the knee, (the lower quadricep) and stay far away from the knee cap as a striking weapon. This is a very quick, close range strike that can be used repeatedly, very similar to the shins (I presume). Is that the primary reason Muy Thai uses the shins? THX SZ

06-27-2001, 03:41 PM	#2 (permalink)
vortrex Novice Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: san francisco Posts: 188	well I heard it's suppose to kill all the nerves too, so your leg is like a tree trunk. doesn't seem like the smartest thing to do in my opinion. I've got a video of a guy breaking his leg literally in half at the shin from a kick. it's not a pretty site.

06-28-2001, 12:41 AM	#5 (permalink)
Biker Registered User Join Date: Sep 2000 Posts: 224	Like previously mentioned, it's not a completely bad thing if taken at a reasonable pace. It takes the body some time to strengthen and harden the shins from the repeated contact as well as deadening the nerves. In a stand-up fight, your opponent can not fight if he can not stand. Strengthen the shins and hit your opponent hard. Let him know he's already lost with the first blow.

07-03-2001, 10:55 AM	#8 (permalink)
DanInNeckaha Novice Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Omaha, Ne Posts: 42	shins Thai boxers have notoriously short careers and they do not retire because they are rich. Some of the hardcore training is probably not very healthy for you, especially if you are not going to be in the ring anyway. You could be setting yourself for problems as you get older. I would start out on the banana bag, down towards the bottom the sand is packed pretty hard and will give unconditionned shins a good test. __________________ KISS THE KING BABY

07-03-2001, 12:20 PM	#9 (permalink)
duchman Advanced Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: holland Posts: 1,034	Re: shins Dan, no offence but where do you get youre info from? First off, there are many many thai fighters who fight for well over 15/20 years. (most off them are dutch fighters) Hoost, aerts, dekker, ballentine. Note. Some of these guy's fought twice a week Sand in a bag????? Never put sand in a bag it will be as hard as a brick wall. Also thai pads and a heavy bag/banana bag is the way to go for conditioning shins, NEVER use Stickes botles and such __________________ Aaron "Duchman" Karels

07-04-2001, 07:54 AM	#10 (permalink)
DanInNeckaha Novice Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Omaha, Ne Posts: 42	sand OK the filling in the bag settles toward the bottom making it harder toward the bottom, it that better? I call it sand because it is small and granular like sand. When I made referrence to the Thai boxers I meant Thais, of course they start training at earlier age. There are also guys in the NFL who play for 15 years but the average career is one fifth of that, the aberration does not change the overall trend. __________________ KISS THE KING BABY

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