Iron Palm
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Iron Palm or Iron Hand (Chinese: 铁掌功; Cantonese: tit1 zoeng2 gung1) is a body of training techniques in various Chinese martial arts. These techniques are typically meant to condition the hands and body to allow a practitioner to deliver very powerful blows without injury to his or her body. [1] [2]
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[edit] Overview
Iron palm is a broad term, as there are various methods used to achieve these results. Some are internal and others are purely external in training methods. Martial artists who practise iron palm training are not unified in their training and techniques. Some teachers treat their iron palm methodology as a valuable secret, and only share their specific techniques, training methods, and herbal recipes with a select few. Others are very open and teach those interested in learning this program.
Iron palm is not a martial arts style unto itself, but a general training concept common to many schools of Chinese martial arts. Some non-Chinese martial arts, such as Muay Thai and many schools of karate, also emphasize conditioning body parts used for striking; however, the term "iron palm" is not normally used to describe this training.
As a general rule, iron palm training involves three primary components. [3] The first is to strengthen the entire striking limbs themselves. This can be achieved by developing the tendons and ligaments from the shoulders all the way down to the fingertips. Next you would then progress to tapping relatively hard objects enclosed in canvas/leather bags and treating the hands, usually with a medicinal aid created from plant derivatives. The benefits of some erroneous iron palm training exercises, such as intentionally breaking bones, do nothing but weaken the original structure, and should be cast off as ignorant and not worth the risk to the practitioner.
The second component of iron palm training involves using proper technique in order to strike with more force. As in other martial arts, students learn specific body mechanics which are supposed to produce a more powerful strike. Most students will learn how to relax and rid the body of residual tension in order to move faster. This is usually done with standing meditations that are designed to rid the residual tension in the body and develop whole body coordination/power.
Other training will include how to move the body as one unit rather than a collection of unattached pieces. This is actually one of the "secrets" of internal training usually ignored by the external schools.
The third component is to engage in qigong exercises in order to develop one's qi (also chi or ch'i, or Japanese ki). This training, done in conjunction with the physical training, is supposed to allow the practitioner to focus qi to improve mental focus in order to produce a more powerful strike. Some consider qi to have a mystical aspect separate from mental focus.
[edit] Method
The exercises used in iron palm training are often divided into "internal" and "external" exercises. External exercises consist of striking increasingly hard surfaces using different hand positions depending on the trainee's particular style of kung fu. In the "indirect method" the trainee strikes bags filled with beans, rock, or steel shot for conditioning the hands. In the "direct method" the trainee strikes or thrusts his hands into the containers filled with rice, sand, beans, or steel shot. In the "progressive training method" the bags are filled with increasingly resistant substances first sand or beans, then gravel, and finally steel shot. Trainees frequently measure their progress based upon how long it takes to perform a given number of strikes on the bag or the number of strikes they do in a particular training session, and the progression from one type of striking surface to another may take months or years. It is also important that iron palm practitioners have developed adult bones. It is recommended by most iron palm sifu that the student be at least sixteen years of age to prevent deformation of immature bones in the hand.
Internal iron palm exercises usually consist of therapeutic and meditative exercises, often intended to offset the potential negative effects of external exercises. Massaging the hands with an herbal liniment called dit da jow is usually considered an essential component of iron palm training. Dit da jow supposedly toughens the skin, strengthens the bones, and increases circulation of blood and chi. Trainees also usually follow their external training sessions with standing meditation, breathing exercises, and other qigong exercises. A common belief among trainees is that failing to apply dit da jow or to practise these breathing exercises after iron palm training sessions has negative effects on long-term health and psychological well-being.
[edit] Uses
Many systems of martial arts use a wide variety of open-hand strikes, and iron palm training is designed to condition the hands in order to prevent injury and make the techniques more effective. Hardening the hands is also supposed to make up for the loss of speed and strength which martial artists experience as they age.
Iron palm practitioners often demonstrate their abilities by breaking hard objects such as bricks and coconuts with their bare hands or in some cases hitting a steel object rapidly without sustaining injury.
[edit] References
- ^ Lee, Ying-arng (2007). Iron Palm in 100 Days. Yamazato Pubns; collectors edition edition. ISBN 1424328888.
- ^ Chao, H.C. (1984). Complete Iron Palm Training for Self Defense. Unitrade Company; McLisa Enterprises distributor. ASIN B000F97K2M.
- ^ Lam, Wing (2000). Ultimate Iron Palm DVD. Wing Lam Enterprises.
Iron Palm Grandmaster Brian Gray's Peviously Published Articles For Inside Kung Fu Magazine; www.briangray.com
