LatinoHeat

I started this a long time ago and found that it worked for me and had less damage to the shins than some other methods.

Start with your own hands. Sit with your legs bent at the knee. Start with slapping your shins. Up and down the shin about 100 times each.

Add 10 strikes a week for 6 months.

After you strike you can rub out any bruises with your hands, or if you have sustained a serious bruise(though you shouldn't be at the this stage) you should use a decent Dit Da Jow bruise liniment.

After the 1st six months go out and get a wiffle ball bat. No kidding. Start the same way with tapping the bat up and down your shins and the instep of your feet as well.

Do this for at least 3 months. This will sting more than slapping yourself, and you would need to use a liniment. Anytime you strike your body with something hard, you are causing microtrauma.

After that you can make or purchase something that is well known in Okinawan karate circles. A wooden stick that has been cut into quarters to give it movement. I bought an Ironarm years ago when it first came out. A nice piece of strong oak that has had the corners rounded off for safety.

I rub it up and down my shins and insteps as a warmup prior to tapping my legs. At this stage you want to use dit da jow combined with massage to heal any and all bruising that might occur.

Some people start to roll a rolling pin down their shins after the wooden stick. Helps to roll out bruises as well for some for others it is too painful.

After the first year your shins are set up for almost anything.

I do agree that kicking bags is a useful part of training. But if your not tapping your shins and rolling a stick or some kind of rolling pin down them, your not going to get the same level of conditioning.

Like most gungs, training your shins is done slow and with no excessive force. Do no harm to yourself.

Peace,

Dale Dugas

aseepish

Sigh. It was only a matter of time before another post like this came up.

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EmptyneSs

i use an escrima stick to tap and roll on my shins. it seems to work well. if im sitting at my comp or watching tv ill grab my escrima stick and start tapping. ive been doing this for a few weeks now and have already noticed a decrease in the pain i feel from having my shins tapped. ive started using the stick to tap my elbows as well to hardem them also.

LatinoHeat

How about a baseball bat for shin conditioning.
I heard Fumio Demura Uses a Heavy Hammer on his shins.
And Fumio Demura is a Karate Man.

Garland

you guys are pussies.

I go up and down my legs with a straight razor to take the skin and nerves out. Then I go out and kick heavy oak trees and concrete pillars for an hour each leg.

Why? BECAUSE I'M CRAZY, YO!!!
yeah, mess with that.
you can't touch that shit.

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homo homini lupus

Garland

but seriously, an old trainer of mine told me a way to condition my shins would be to take a damp towel while I shower and roll it up, and go over the length of my shin about 100 times each leg. This will indeed take the skin off. The guy was a bastard, and in the back of my mind, I'm positive it really didn't accomplish too much, except to kind of make me aware of how bad my shins could hurt, and hence make the kicks without this type of conditioning feel like nothing...sadistic prick probably just wanted to see if I'd actually DO it.

try it, at least once. I'm pretty positive the damage isn't permanent...but, you NEED to feel a few thai pad rounds with your shins dripping blood...

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homo homini lupus

EmptyneSs

i think my escrima stick will do fine. i like to hit my arms, legs, stomach, ribs, and back with it too, not too hard, but hard enough to toughen them up a bit. ive already noticed my shins have gotten harder from tapping and rolling the stick on them. i reccomend it. just dont be a dumbass. u shouldnt be hurting yourself, just conditioning.

OctaviousBP

Would you train to hit a baseball by baking a cake?

Garland

maybe.... if it's "punt" cake.
mwa ha ha ha fucking ha.

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homo homini lupus