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We've all seen the Shaolin monks practice the Iron Palm on television.  One strike and presto, broken bricks.  The most incredible has to be the "Iron Palm Slap" technique  by which Shaolin monks are able to annihilate stacks of brick using a seemingly tender touch.  The technique detailed below was taught to me by a friend many years ago. While not equivalent to years of Iron Palm training, this will exponentially increase your breaking power.  It is very satisfying and requires little care and attention to detail. And of course, you will need patience.

Warning: The information below is purely for educational purposes and under no circumstances should be attempted by a novice.  Improper technique or hand care can result in permanent damage to bones, soft tissue and nerves.  The following should only be attempted by a skilled martial artist and at that under strict surveillance.  This is simply what worked for me; it may not work for everyone.  Stop the exercises all together if you notice any sharp pains, weakness, numbness, or restriction of movement.  You have been warned.

Now with all that gobbledygook out of the way......

What You Will Need:

• One 15 - 20 lb burlap or cloth sac
• One roll of duct tape
• 15 - 20 lbs of sand
• 3 foot by 2 foot slab of stone (preferably granite)
• One towel
• One container of  muscle and joint cream: Tiger Balm, Flex All, and  Bengay. Thai Liniment or White Crane ointment are good... the best is Dit Dat Jow Iron Palm liniment.

The Exercise :

1. Fill the bag with sand and duct tape it shut.

2. Place the stone slab on a surface parallel to an imaginary line drawn between your belly button and the upper part of your pelvis.  One can use a sturdy table or if available, the top of a wall or a counter top.  This part is very important.

3. Place your bag of sand on the slab of stone and cover it with the towel.

4. Now massage you hands with the ointment... stretch the small muscles and joints.  Continue this process until your hands are relatively numb, stretched, and relaxed.

5. Now stand in front of the bag of sand and raise your right hand up to shoulder height in front of  you.  Now this next part is extremely important. Drop, NOT slam down but drop your hand onto the bag palm down as if you were slapping the bag.  I repeat, do not hit the bag but drop your hand onto it with a palm strike.  Actually hitting the bag may cause an injury.  Repeat this 30 times dropping your right hand.

6. Switch hands and repeat the process with your left hand.

7. Stop and massage your hands; apply ointment and stretch and massage the fingers and palms.

8. Remove the bag of sand and place the towel on top of the slab, covering it.

9. Repeat the palm drops as stated in step 5 for 30 drops... now onto the surface of the slab.

10. Switch hands and repeat the process with your left hand.

11. Stop and massage your hands; apply ointment, stretch, and massage your fingers and palms.  Rest your hands because you are done for the day.

Repeat this process everyday for 30 days and you should see a dramatic increase in your breaking capability.

Variations:

This process can be applied to any striking surface: knife hand, ridge hand, heel palm, ox jaw, and knuckles, as long as care is taken to drop the hand and not hit the bag. Of course careful hand care is important before and after the exercises.

Later the bag can be filled with coarser material: small stones, ball bearings, marbles, steel shot.

Use those at your discretion.

In Conclusion:

I hope that this training technique yields the same results for you that it did for me.  Coupled with finger push ups, dowel push ups, ring and bar exercises, finger weight training, and grip pull ups, this exercise should greatly increase your hand strength and breaking capability. Those interested in learning authentic Iron Palm should be able to hunt down many training tools.  The training offered by Master Brian Gray has been very rewarding for many (www.briangray.com).  Breaking is a great confidence builder for a martial artist.  Proper breaking techniques coupled with correct striking mechanics can be equated to a martial artist walking around with hands that are always loaded with lead but light and quick as a breeze.

Here is a Little Inspiration:

And a Bit More Info: