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Train fingers and toes

In the economy of typical martial arts physical conditioning (read Physical conditioning: how it works), toes and fingers are almost always ignored.

Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to attend our home study classes here Learn Kung Fu online: a beginner-to-expert course).

These parts of our body are often relegated to a sort of not-better-defined passive preparation (through other exercises), yet they:

On the one hand, they can represent a serious weakness
On the other hand, they can represent a boost to our fighting skills

It is for these reasons that it is worth dedicating them specific attention.

Why train the fingers of our hands

There are many reasons why finger conditioning is not a secondary or facultative activity, let’s see some of them.

Basic level:

To improve the grip when we create stable contact with an opponent
To limit the possibility of easy fractures
To better manage flexible and rigid martial weapons
…

Advanced level:

To be able to reach the furthest targets
To add to the strength of the muscle chain also one of the phalanges
To concentrate the full power of an attack in a small space
To gain access to even tiny targets with extreme precision (pressure points, etc.)
…

Why train the toes

Similar to the fingers of the hand, the toes also play absolutely fundamental roles, let’s see some of them.

Basic level:

To avoid easy stress due to continuous training efforts (kicks, jumps, etc.)
To be able to jump higher, kick stronger and move faster
To enhance the management of our balance
…

Advanced level:

To strike (when there are clean occasions) with the toes (again, concentrating the power of an attack and covering a bigger distance)
…

How to train fingers and toes: the goals

Now that we understand how valuable it can be to dedicate specific workout time to these parts of the body, let’s see how to work on them.

Fingers and toes should be gradually trained in terms of:

Resistance (to, avoid fractures, attack, etc.)
Flexibility (to hit more freely, limit the damage caused by eventual levers, etc.)
Agility (to improve our trapping skills, better handle weapons, etc.)
Power (grab the opponents, exalt the effectiveness of our muscle chain, etc.)

Final notes

A few conclusive thoughts:

Is it important to basically condition our fingers / toes? Yes, anyone who has ever practiced sparring without gloves from how easy it is to get hurt (read also Martial arts sparring [MINI-GUIDE])
Is it always necessary to bring finger / toes conditioning to an advanced level? No; is it useless? No, it simply widens our combat possibilities but it is not a capability that we cannot do without
…

In the next article of this series, we will see specific exercises for fingers and toes (read How to train your fingers: 4 exercises).

In-depth video courses

Basic 6 Dragons Kung Fu exercises – The basic conditioning for combat
Hand grip strength conditioning – How to improve the quality of our grip (for combat purposes)
Diamond Finger conditioning – An advanced course that explains how to convert the fingers into weapons
Muscle chain for martial arts: how to – An in-depth visual guide about the most important body mechanic

In-depth articles

My first Chin Na technique: finger grabbing – Attacking the finger is easy and effective
Conditioning check for the impact – The basic resistance to impacts of the body

Questions

Reply in the comments and share your experience:

How flexible are your toes and fingers?

Author: Master Kongling

Founder of 6 Dragons Kung Fu.

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