Shin Conditioning Techniques for Muay Thai Kickboxing

When it comes to Muay Thai kickboxing, conditioning can take many forms. Thai boxers undergo aerobic conditioning to improve their endurance, but shin conditioning is a more extreme form of training synonymous with the sport. You don't have to kick trees to condition your shins to the rigors of Muay Thai practice or competition, but a regular hard striking regimen will pay dividends when it comes time to step in the ring.

  1. The Process

    • It may seem like old school mentality to think kicking hard objects will actually improve the strength, density and durability of your bones, but there is science behind the practice. According to the New York Times, the biological process by which damaged bones heal themselves to become stronger and denser than they were before is known as Wolff's Law. Broken bones may not heal back stronger, but repetitive impacts can have long-term strengthening effects.

    Physical Conditioning

    • Professional Thai boxers in Thailand will kick banana trees and other hard objects to condition their shins, but you don't have to go that far. Keeping up a regular training routine comprised of bag work, pad work and sparring will suffice for shin conditioning. Impacts don't have to be intense to trigger the biological processes involved in strengthening your bones.

    Mental Conditioning

    • Professional kickboxers also laud the importance of mental conditioning to complement your physical work. If you can't handle the pain associated with striking a thick heavy bag with your instep, it doesn't matter how dense your shin bones are. With enough training and sparring, you'll get more comfortable your nervous system's reaction to hard striking.

    Considerations

    • If you're a beginner to Muay Thai, your focus should be on learning the basic techniques and improving your cardiovascular endurance in the first few months of training. Leave intense shin conditioning drills to amateur and professional fighters. If you do plan to strengthen your shins, be aware that there are risks involved. Injuries can range from minor cuts and abrasions to stress fractures. A study published in a 2001 issue of the "British Journal of Sports Medicine" found that the most common areas of injury for Muay Thai kickboxers were the lower extremities.