Train Iron Shirt Kung Fu
Iron Body Training is a facet of Shaolin Kung Fu where the practitioner trains his body such that he is able to give or sustain heavy blows without serious injury to various parts of his body, with many sub-skills focusing on different parts of the body. This article will tell you exactly how to train your stomach area to withstand attack.
Steps
- Slap your stomach area with your palms, about 200 times. Your abdominal muscles should be tensed and breathing should be normal. Strike from different angles and cover the entire area, including sides and front, of your stomach. Repeat this everyday.
- Slowly increase the strength of your strikes every few days. When you are able to hit your stomach with considerable force without much pain, the first stage of training is complete. Be patient - this may take up to 6 months.
- Do the same as step 1, but this time with closed fists. Strike with both the knife-edge and the palm-side of the fist, covering all area.
- After another 6 months have passed, you should be able to strike with considerable force and withstand the attack.
- Now, get a bag and fill it with mung beans. This bag should be made of tough material such as denim, and sewed together with strong thread. Sew it such that it is thin and tubular in shape, and closed at one end. Once filled to maximum capacity with mung beans, one should sew up the other end to enclose the beans.
- Hit your stomach area from varying angles and covering the entire area, using the bag. As before, do this at least 200 times a day, everyday.
- After another 6 months, you can replace the mung beans with gravel, and repeat the training as before.
- Yet another 6 months later, replace the gravel with iron or steel ball-bearings, and repeat as before.
- The training is complete when you are able to strike yourself with maximum force with the bag and be able to withstand the blow.
- You can test your skill by getting your sparring partner to kick your stomach area with varying degrees of strength. If they strike you and their leg or arm hurts, you have succeeded in your training.
Tips
- Throughout your training, you should use liniment on your stomach to prevent injuries. This liniment is called Die(1) Da(3) Jiu(3) in Chinese, and commonly known to the western world as Dit Da Jow. Applying this liniment to the affected area before and after training, rubbing it in well, is thought to prevent injury later in life caused by the Iron Body Training. The liniment is obtainable from Chinese medicinal halls or off the internet. You should make sure the type you use is specifically for training Iron Body.
Warnings
- Be careful when hitting yourself - know your limit and try not to go over. Start lightly and slowly build up strength.
- This training may cause unwanted deformity such as thickened skin. Do not undergo such training without knowing the risks.
- Don't show off your skills. If you want to learn Iron Body Kung Fu in order to show off, you should re-examine your motive.
- This art is not something that can be attained quickly - it is for life. Make sure you have maximum commitment before embarking on the training.
- This information is provided for informative purposes only and should only be undertaken at your own risk.
