Steel hand, drumming, brick laying and pulse taking.

[Acupunk]

I am just asking some question srelating to the conditioning of the hand and pulse taking. I have been a conga and perscussion player for many years and it was once brought to my attention "doesnt that affect your pulse taking". I didnt really think of it that much as i didnt feel any decreased sensitivity(but i was playing before i was introduced to pulse taking).
NOw i have recently started a steel hand prgram as part of my martial practice.
http://www.yangmian.com/SteelHand.asp

Talking to another student he says he stays away from such training for fear of effecting his pulse taking ability. BUt This system is much softer than the hard style of makiwara conditioning used in japanese and external styles
THis made me think are there any exercises people avoid or activities. If you had to help someone fix their house would you stay away from bricks and brick laying. WHat about painting or even pastel use, which requires rubbing the pastels and causes frioction on the fingers or thumb?

I would have put this in the related topics section i just cant access it now.

ANother question i had related to steel hand(used in many chinese systems) and the fact that it makes the urine smoky brown. If one hits too hard then one can get blood in the urine. I was wondering how this effects the body both biomedically and in terms of TCM. MY master says that it builds up kidney pressure. ONe guy i spoke to said he did it so much that he got red eyes. IT seems to me it heats up the system.
Cheers

[lucy rantzen]

THis made me think are there any exercises people avoid or activities.

We were told guitar playing because it toughens the finger tips you need to be sensitive for pulsetaking.

[Acupunk]

So it would seem there would be a dillema fir the guitarist that wants to learn pulse diagnosis. MAkes sense though guitar is quite frictiony on the fingertips.

[Tim Cleary]

I was also told that guitar and pulse are mutually exclusive, but I still don't see it. (on my callused hand I find that just off the edge of the guitar-induced callus is actually more sensitive for touch than my non-callused hand.. which is the bit I use to take the pulse)

Proper rock climbing, though, is one I would avoid (wussy indoor climbing might be ok sporadically)...

Mas Oyama (iirc) used to state that makiwara training was to strengthen the hips, not the knuckles- and several Chinese arts use some pretty hefty impact training at times (Bagua, Wing Chun, and others)- full force into immovable objects can be dangerous, but either done correctly doesn't do too much damage (so they tell me)...

Brown urine= lysed blood cells from contusions passing through kidneys?
Don't really know- haven't done any Steel anything training..

Tim.

[Mark Phillips]

I had to stop guitar because it was reducing my sensitivity - it's true. Except now, after a few pulse taking years under the belt, I am back onto the spanish (nylon strings).

Iron palm is tough on the skin. If you train in hot sand or ball bearings while using the decoction, you will loose your pulse taking sensitivity totally (slap walls instead). The bleeding in urine is probably due to the large amount of aconite in the formula. Don't soak hands if you have any cuts. Better still, train brain or heart (outwit them or love them to death)

[Acupunk]

SO nylon strings are the go.
Tim i know what you mean about real rock climbing or other climbing sports such as rough tree climbing.

Brown urine= lysed blood cells from contusions passing through kidneys?

Cool, or maybe not so cool.

Iron palm is tough on the skin. If you train in hot sand or ball bearings while using the decoction, you will loose your pulse taking sensitivity totally (slap walls instead). The bleeding in urine is probably due to the large amount of aconite in the formula.

Hmm I know that different schools have different systems of steel hand. I remember in wing chun there was sand and ball bearings, but that wasfor finger developing.
IN my system we first start with a bag full of soy or mung beans. Then we progress to a bag with ball bearings, and finally rubber. The ultimate however is said to be using water as an iron palm developing tool.
MAkes me think though there must have been many herbal/acupuncture practitooners who also practiced such skills and had to decide how to balance between healing and martial study.




We do not actually use the dit da jow until the the latter stages of training, i think this is because of special exercises we do before hand which actually promote hand strength, flexibility, and qi pressure. WIth bleeding i have heard this happen in systems that both use dit da jow and those who dont so i am thinking it must be due to the lysed blood cells.

Don't soak hands if you have any cuts. Better still, train brain or heart (outwit them or love them to death)

INdeed, i think those are more noble and often more effective methods of conflict resolution. However i have been in several places and times where my fellow freinds, and companions, and I were happy that somebody knew the art of restraint or rather restraining others. A martial artist should never use their art for themselves, like you said Mark, using the brain and heart are superior, i think it is reserved for when dialogue has ended and people are only speaking with their mid brain.

The reason i am doing steel hand is actually because i have found it increases my pressure in various other exericises I am doing to develop speed, power, and snapping energy. PLus I want to snap a pebble with my fingers, that is cool