5 Stages Of Shin Conditioning | Get An Incredible Shin Like Tony Ferguson
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Shin to the chin is considered as the most spectacular moment in combat sports. Moreover, your shin bones are one of the prime weapons of your body for your self-defense. And if you know how to use your shin as a devastating weapon then you can be very dangerous as a fighter. But for that, along with good techniques, you need hard and strong shins too. And how will you get that? The answer is shin conditioning. Shin conditioning at home is not a very complicated process but it is a painful one.

Shin conditioning for martial arts is very important. Whether it’s a shin conditioning for Kickboxing, Taekwondo, Kung Fu shin conditioning, Karate shin conditioning, or shin conditioning for Muay Thai but it is one of the fundamental phases that every martial artist has to go through. That is why UFC fighters like Tony Ferguson and Jose Aldo focusses on shin conditioning very well. Shin conditioning is a time-consuming process and it takes years and you have to go through lots of pain during shin conditioning training to build an invincible shin. The science behind shin conditioning is that you have to create microfractures in your bone and then repair it again to get stronger bones. You can even do shin conditioning at home. In the depth of this article, we will discuss some shin conditioning drills so that you can do shin conditioning at home. For your better understanding, you can visit the following video about shin conditioning at home or you can click down below.
One of the best traditional ways that Muay Thai practitioners use to build a better shin is to hit a banana tree. That’s why the banana tree is sometimes also known as a shin conditioning tree in Thailand. But everyone doesn’t have banana plantation at home so these are the stages and steps by which you can do shin conditioning at home and make your shin harder and stronger.
Stage 1: Shin Conditioning With a Heavy Bag

Before making your shin harder you have to start with something soft. And the best thing you can start with is a punching or kicking bag.
The Shin Conditioning science behind this drill is that kicking a heavy bag kills the nerves in your shin bones that send the signals to your brain and make you feel hurt. After kicking for almost a month, you won’t feel much pain after that and your shin will be much stronger than before as well as your kicking abilities.
This should be the regular part of your schedule but make sure you are kicking with correct techniques.
Stage 2: Shin Conditioning Exercises
Internal conditioning is as much important as external. Shin conditioning exercises like running, squat, and putting yourself into a chair position for several minutes helps you to condition your shin from inside.

If you are a sportsperson then you got a huge advantage of getting a good internally conditioned shin. You can try out the advanced version of these shin conditioning exercises like jumping squat or hill running.
Stage 3: Shin Conditioning at Home With Stick
This is the most crucial part of doing shin conditioning at home and the most painful one as well. But you have to stick with it and that too for a very long time and every time you have to increase the intensity by pressing it harder. Don’t make it too intense at the very beginning. Start it firmly and gradually increase it. This will not only condition your shin but your skin too.

Make sure you are using the polished stick like bamboo sticks with a smooth surface. You can even use PVC pipes. Just take the stick, press it against your shin and rub or roll it on your shins. Increase the pressure of pressing gradually. You can even find shin conditioning sticks on amazon. If you are a big and dedicated martial artist then you may like our other posts:
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Stage 4: Hitting The Shin
This portion of your course is very sensitive and you have to keep yourself far from the stupidity. Do not try some crazy shin conditioning kinds of stuff. Do not just take the stick and hit it hard on the shin.
Just take the shin conditioning stick and start hitting slowly from lower shin above the ankle to the upper shin below the knee. Make sure you are taking a stick with a smooth surface and you are hitting every portion of your shin from tibia to fibula.
Stage 5: Icing

You can either use ice-packs which can help you with the bruises you get while hitting or you can directly rub some pieces of ice for some time on your shins. This helps you decrease the sensitivity of the nerves which ultimately helps you feel no pain.
One thing you should keep in mind is that you have to keep on practicing the previous stages even if you have mastered these. If you have reached the last stage then that means u have to practice all the 5 stages.
One more thing you should keep in mind is diet. You should include food rich in calcium and vitamin D. Calcium and vitamin D help in your bone development and make it hard and strong. So not only shin but it will also help you to build strong bones of other organs.

Always remember friends, shin conditioning is not an easy process whether it is shin conditioning at home or using shin conditioning equipment. But as we know that no pain no gain, so do not give up easily and hold on to the process because the pain will make you a believer.