shin conditioning

[garam masala]

i'm new to MT but i have a strong TKD exp...i keep on reading you have to condition your shins to hit the roundhouse kicks, this is logical.

how do you do this?

[muaythaiguy15]

Hit the bag with your shins a lot! Dont do the kick tree thing. Just hitting the bag and pads with your shins youll get used to it. You can also rub a weight on it a little after training if you want.

[Little Apple]

I'd go with just the pads and the bag. A really heavy bag if you're gung-ho, IMHO rubbing stuff on your shins is unnecessary.

[Boxiados]

Rob Kaman onse said, just spar often with no shin protections...

[Damian Mavis]

Ya, kicking the banana bag/heavy bag/pads and spar with no shin protectors.

Damian Mavis
Honour TKD

[shirase]

gotta be careful with shin blocks then

[Boxiados]

If you can't do shin blocks with no shin pads, you simply can't fight in Muay Thai

[EmptyneSs]

Rob Kaman onse said, just spar often with no shin protections...

i dunno about that. that can get you injured easily and isnt needed. bag work and sparring with shinpads is enough. even with shinpads, your shins can take some very hard blows that will leave them bruised.

[Shard]

I'll just state the ways you can train your shins, How you use them is up to you.(btw, always get professional instruction. forums don't count)

Shin rubbing- Take a dough roller or a heavy wooden pole. Rub it in a rolling motion up and down the length of your shin. Make sure you're rubbing the boney part and not the muscle. This increase your pain endurance and your bone density.
Shin knocking- Use a light piece of wood, bamboo preferably. Use it to knock the length of your shin. Increases your pain endurance.
Kicking pads and heavy bags- Self-explatory. Just keep kicking at the pads and bags hard. Gets you accustomed to the pain and increases bone density slightly.
Sparring- What better way to train pain endurance then to actually get hit. This method requires more recovery time then the above.

[Boxiados]

there are many methods and opinions re the shin conditioning...
Try also kicking TYRES!

[Boxiados]

I have practiced Muay Thai for over 18 years, all what you said here is correct.
However, for those who want to get into competition, part (and I say PART, not all the time) of the sparring must be without the shin pads. On a psychological level, if you are not accostumed to fighting without shin pads, in the ring you do not tend to release the full power in low kicks for fear of getting hurt. Please note that the sparring without the shin pads must be light, it's just to get used to the idea. If you constantly train with shin pads, you will never be as confident as someone who is been sparring without in the gym.

As for the injuries, they can happen in any situation, even with shin pads and protections, but hey, injuries are part of the game!