Using just the discipline and skill of Karate, are you able to crush a coconut just by closing your hand on it? With Kung Fu as your martial art, can you grip a bamboo shoot and twist it until it breaks? With the ancient discipline of Shaolin, can you place your hand on a mans arm and, with a light squeeze, bring him to his knees?

If you aren’t able to accomplish the things I have just listed, and you study any of the martial arts I have mentioned, or other similar arts, then you should be wondering what is wrong with your martial art. After all, martial artists in ancient times could do these, and other tricks, and make them look simple. That said, let me introduce you to an Iron Grip…using an ancient training method.

One would think that an Iron Grip depends upon fantastic muscle, but, there aren’t many muscles in the hands. Truth, the muscles that activate the hands are usually in the forearms. And, yes, you are going to need iron muscles in the forearms.

To begin this method, make sure that your body is in good shape. I would recommend doing Sanchin Kata the old way, with lots of dynamic tension and sinking the weight into the ground. The power of the imagination must be strengthened through this simple discipline.

Now, this exercise is incredibly simple, but must be done every single day, and for long, boring hours. If you want the Iron Grip, you’ve got to be willing to pay the price. So if you are one of these weak willies who think that going to a class makes you an expert, cease and desist.

You must schedule at least an hour a day for this exercise, and you must complete the hour without fail. Second, you must be able to find a certain fascination of intent during that hour. You must fall in love with the long, slow breaths, and you must trust your goal, and the method I am about to prescribe.

Assume a Sanchin stance and suspend two mason jars in front of you. Your arms should have a slight bend to them, and you should use only the fingertips for gripping the jars. For the first month the jars should be empty, for the second month add an inch of sand and hold a high horse stance. Increase the inches monthly after that, and lower the stance until you are in a low horse stance.

And, when you have filled the jar, you do it all over again with an empty jar, but in a deep stance, and with the lip of the jar greased. Now, some of you think I am just fooling around, and you are the ones who are going to talk the talk, but never walk the walk, and certainly never discover the true depths of the martial arts, nor of yourselves. For those of you who are willing to discover the true depths of The True Martial Arts, however, and are willing to plumb your depths through Karate or Kung Fu or Shaolin, I offer this profound yet simple article.

Al Case has practiced martial arts for 4O+ years. He has been a professional writer for the martial arts magazines. He has practiced a variety of martial arts and training methods, and you can sample them, starting with an absolutely free ebook, at Monster Martial Arts.

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