Conditioning Shins!

[Rogue Warrior]

I just wanted to know what are some of the ways that you all have learned or heard about in conditioning one's shins?

[Kotaro]

Kick stuff, alot.

[JkD187]

basically just kick the heavy bag n over time your nerves will deaden somewhat.

[EmptyneSs]

u can tap em lightly with any kind of stick. even a pencil. if dont have anything else to do and your sitting there bored, just pick up a stick and lightly tap up and down your shins. do em while watching tv. i use an escrima stick. dont hurt yourself, just tap lightly. this will help strengthen your shins. i like to do the bones on the back of my forearms too so my elbows will be devastating as well.

[seany85]

Mate listen, just kick heavy bags (ideally sand bags) and thai pads, this will deaden the nerves in you leg over time.

But dont go kicking trees, lamposts, thinking this will speed the process up. It wont, all it will give you is shin splints.

[Khun Kao]

What everyone else said about kicking the heavy bag and thai pads is true. That is the preferred/BEST method for conditioning the shins...

However, just to add a few thoughts. Everyone is mentioning "deadening" the nerves in the same thought as conditioning the shins. This is NOT the same thing!!! If you want to simply deaden the nerves, then you can do many of the exercises that ARE NOT recommended, such as tapping your shins with sticks, rolling bottles across your shin, etc.....

The reason this is not recommended is because that is ALL these methods do: DEADEN THE NERVES. This does NOT make your shin any stronger! All it does is kill your body's natural reaction/response to impact with the shin, which is not a good thing.

You want to build up your shins slowly by kicking the bags and pads because there is a compound process going on when you condition your shins. I am NOT a medical expert, so I can only speak of this in very general terms, but the actual IMPACT training sends signals to your body that cause it to toughen up the areas under stress.

If you kick with your shin all the time, the body responds by toughening up the skin, the muscle, the tendons/sinews, and the bone. Yes, the bone actually DOES toughen up! Impact training causes your bones to grow more densely from the inside out. They actually become thicker.

At the same time, your body increases your pain threshold. The pain doesn't go away, but it becomes much, MUCH more manageable, often times you don't even really notice it.

From talking to old Thai boxers, one thing I've learned to expect is that the pain never fully goes away. Even Thai boxers with HUNDREDS of fights have told me that shin clashes ALWAYS hurt.

[seppuku]

But dont go kicking trees, lamposts, thinking this will speed the process up. It wont, all it will give you is shin splints.

listen to the man. i think ive got shin splints coming on atm and im not so happy about that. no more lamposts for me, not even when angry

[Jay Singdam]

The same as Khun Kao. it takes time use the bags and thai pads. Also use no shin pads when practicing your blocks (light sparring).

[Garland]

I gots a way.
It involves four razor blades, some sea salt, and some lemon juice.

[Gunza Kicka]

sounds like a good way garland!!!
i say just use heavy bag and practice kicking...
condition your shins with your partner is another way.. kick each other and check the kick. do them as hard as you both feel comfortable with.

[EmptyneSs]

If you kick with your shin all the time, the body responds by toughening up the skin, the muscle, the tendons/sinews, and the bone. Yes, the bone actually DOES toughen up! Impact training causes your bones to grow more densely from the inside out. They actually become thicker.

isnt tapping your shin lightly with a stick doing the same?

[OctaviousBP]

isnt tapping your shin lightly with a stick doing the same?

Even if it does, why not do it in a sports specific manner? Deadening the nerves in your shin isn't going to help you kick better... kicking will do that, and your nerves will respond. No shortcuts.

[Khun Kao]

EmptyneSs...

No, tapping your shins with a stick is NOT the same thing. You are not applying ANYWHERE NEAR the same amount of force to your shin by tapping with a stick than if you are kicking.

You also have to refer back to my comment regarding the fact that this being a compound process. There is a LOT more involved in a kick than just your shin hitting something. Your entire body is involved in the kick (if you're doing it correctly).

Your entire structure gets stressed out to a certain degree each time you kick. Think of what happens at impact when you are actually kicking vs. when you are tapping your leg with something. When you make impact with your shin during a kick, you are placing physical stress on your entire body, including (but not limited to) your ankle, your knee, your hip, and your spine. Each time you kick, you are conditioning your entire structure to withstand that type of impact.

Over time, your body toughens up and all the joints, muscles, tendons/sinews, etc become stronger and denser so that your kicks become much harder.... they will strike more solidly. You will be able to kick with deeper penetration.

But, if you condition your shins by tapping with a stick, all you are doing is desensitizing the shin. It does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for your kick. All you are doing is hitting your shin so you get used to feeling something hit your shin. Seriously, what good does that do you?

[eXcessiveForce]

I use one of master Toddy's hit sticks. It is a slotted stick that allows a tremendous impact on the shin and forearms while not doing any major damage. The impact can help strengthen the bone by causing the bone to thicken.

Still I spend more time kicking than hitting myself with a hit stick.

Also a hit stick is not the same as a regular stick. So it is not the same as smacking your shin with a rattan stick or a pencil.

[ceestand]

Do you think it's a good idea to build up the Tibialis Anterior? You'd build up larger shins and protect the bone to a degree, but getting hit by a mucle wouldn't hurt as much right?