Iron Fist Training and Technique

Iron Fist refers to a number of traditional Kung Fu techniques designed to harden and weather the skin and muscles of the hands. Primarily used to supplement a fighter’s offensive capability and damage, the Iron Fist technique requires a considerable amount of toning in order to build the calluses and thick skin involved in both Iron Hand and Iron Palm Kung Fu. Useful for increasing your pain tolerance, as well as your ability to withstand harder impacts with your fists and palms, the Iron Fist technique offers a number of combat benefits to martial artists willing to try their hands at this ancient method.

Perform a regular schedule of knuckle push ups in order to begin hardening the skin around your knuckles. Begin by lying with your stomach flat on the floor and your hands in push-up position next to your pectorals. Tighten your hands into a fist and perform your regular push-ups as if you were literally punching the floor with both hands at once. Repeat three to five sets of this exercise each day in repetitions of 12.

Create a daily Iron Fist punching regimen by performing a number of strikes on a canvas punching bag. Begin gently with slow, gliding punches that scrape your knuckles across the bag's surface in a roundhouse punch motion. Perform three to five sets of 12 punches, stopping if you begin to feel sharp pain or to break the skin and cause bleeding on your knuckles. Douse your knuckles in hot water immediately following your exercise, and pat them dry.

Hammer ten 5-inch nails into a plank of wood so that the nails are 3/4 of the way into the wood. Grip the nails with your hands and gradually pull on them with your fingers until you pull each of the nails from the wood. While originally very difficult, this technique will allow you to tone both your individual fingers and your grip as you use your hands to pry out the nails. Hammer the nails further into the wood as your Iron Fist becomes stronger with time.

Establish a firm set of wrist and forearm muscles by performing basic dumbbell curls with your wrists. Sit or stand so that your back is erect and grip a dumbbell roughly 50 to 70 percent of one repetition maximum. Extend the weight in front of you until your arms are parallel to the floor and begin curling the dumbbell up and down with your wrist while keeping your arms still. Time your exercises until you have completed three sets of 30 to 90 seconds with each hand.

Complete your Iron Fist training with mental exercises that further develop the firmness, strength and rigidity of your punches. Punch through your target as if you were aiming for a spot directly behind your punching bag. This allows you to complete your contact with the maximum force and strength of your momentum behind the punch. Close your eyes and imagine your fists solidifying to the consistency of stone or heavy iron: unbending, sturdy and invulnerable. Open your eyes and notice the difference in your punching routine.