Quote: (04-16-2016 02:35 PM)samsamsam Wrote:
Just wondering if anyone has actively worked on toughening your hand and knuckles.
I wonder if there is any value to doing this (I think there is) and any long term issues with doing it.
Lately, when I am not at the boxing gym, but the normal one, I will go and bang the bag while I trying to warm up (along with stretching, etc) to lift weights.
I am enjoying the thuds along with knuckles turning a bit red - somehow it feels very barbaric but I enjoy it. Luckily, from boxing, the skin on my knuckles don't rip or bleed. I did experience that 18 months ago when I started boxing (one day I was fucking around and paid the price).
I know I need to be careful since my hands are not wrapped.
Anyone done anything to toughen your hands?
Thanks.
You can soak your knuckles in paraffin, supposedly. A bit of bag work in 4oz gloves to make sure hand and wrist alignment is good is worth doing. All in all though I am very skeptical about hand hardening. Having tough skin on the knuckles isn't much good to you if your hand bones go in different directions on impact with the target, and that is always going to be a matter of your genetic bone size and density. Plus I tend to think hitting hard things is going to cause problems with arthritis down the road. I do very little heavy bag work. Lots of shadow boxing, some pads, and some sparring. I think a lot of the tough guy stuff is better saved for when you actually need to do the business.