Using a Tire to train with... Good or Bad?

Discussion in 'Health and Fitness' started by NotaMA, Nov 9, 2012.

  1. NotaMA

    NotaMA Valued Member

    That's right, I said a Tire.

    Okay so I've added a training method to my routine, and unless there are a few naysayers on MAP, I believe it's working well for me.

    I have an average car tire suspended from a chain, the top of the tire is about neck height and the bottom about crotch height. I use this in a similar way to a wing chun wooden dummy. I use it to practice kicks and however far it swings is how much more powerful my kick is getting, and sometimes I let it fly back and forth and spin and I spar with it, which I explain in detail below.

    The tire is in constant and continuous motion because when you hit it it comes back to you and spins about, and you have to hit it again or block/counter and it keeps moving, etc. so it's somewhat like fighting a basic real opponent in the sense that it's constantly moving and you have a split second to react with whatever method (Punch, kick, knee, elbow, block, etc) is most beneficial and least risky.

    If you hit the tire wrong, you won't get a good hit on it and it will jar you, so you must hit it exactly.

    I have also been using the tire for speed training, swinging it hard and letting it fly back at me and at the last second I deliver a side kick to immobilize it.

    But anyways, my main technique for developing speed, power, accuracy, and stamina is using the tire.

    I also punch it occasionally to develop power and speed in my punches as well as gradually toughen my knuckles against the hard and uneven rubber treads.

    So all in all, is the Tire a valuable piece of training equipment or a waste of my time and effort?

    EDIT: The techniques I'm using are from "Bruce Lee's fighting method". I don't know anything else so I must work with what I have.
     
    Last edited: Nov 9, 2012
  2. Grass hopper

    Grass hopper Valued Member

    That's a really good idea. Fantastic in fact, il have to remember that one!
     
  3. Allers

    Allers tricking, kicking

    well, if you are kicking and punching a tire with, i presume, bare hands and legs, this could be very bad for you if your bones are unconditioned, or if you do not take in enough calcium and vitamin D. before working on a very hard surface like a tire, you should work on bone conditioning in those areas for at least 4 years beforehand.

    i suggest you check out kwonkicker's video on conditioning, it has a lot of information;

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlKZ6_EhI5o"]Basic Shin & Instep Conditioning Tutorial (Kwonkicker) - YouTube[/ame]

    training with unconditioned bones could have very adverse effects for you in the future. watch the video, make notes, utilise the information, searching for other tutorials could also help.

    about the training itself, of course it is good for you once you are ready for it, but do not make the mistake of over-training before your body can cope with it.
     
  4. NotaMA

    NotaMA Valued Member

    Grasshopper, I find that it is a very good technique. You should try it. I also occasionally use it for Nunchaku training, seeing as it's the one part of Martial Arts I can effectively teach myself.

    Allers, when I train with the tire it's in an outside environment and I wear full clothing, meaning shoes, long jeans, and a T-shirt, and I do take lots of calcium, not sure if I get lots of Vitamin D though.

    I would not over-train because I realize that it can cause more harm than good, and thank you for your concern about my health. But I can tell you that I have wrists and shins of steel.

    I'm still working on toughening my knuckles, I broke several 1/2" thick sheetrock boards today as well as 2 stacked atop eachother. Needless to say before I go to punching the tire again my knuckles will need the weekend to recover lol. My pinky's knuckle is still pretty red even after 4 hours lol
     
  5. Fish Of Doom

    Fish Of Doom Will : Mind : Motion Supporter

    you're not conditioned enough for it, then, and you're going to destroy your hands doing that.
    get yourself a small punching bag and gloves, fill it with soft rags, have at it with gloves for a while, then get handwraps and build up to punching it with handwraps, then change the filling so a bit of sand lined with plenty of rags, repeat the same process, and gradually build up to mostly sand lined with a few rags until you can go at it with wraps. don't go without wraps or you're going to split your skin, and scars are easier to re-open than healthy skin, so you're going to bleed if you so much as look at your hands.

    and for god's sake start punching LIGHTLY.
     
  6. NotaMA

    NotaMA Valued Member

    Thank you for your concern, but I'm not stupid. :p I know that I must start slow and easy if I am to toughen my skin, and also, if a punching bag were available to me I would definately have one by now.
     
  7. Fish Of Doom

    Fish Of Doom Will : Mind : Motion Supporter

    in that case, i would suggest wrapping the tire itself with a fair amount of cloth that's not too rough. the idea is that you don't have significant compression anywhere on your hand and wrist AND that you don't screw up your skin so you don't bleed everywhere and risk getting easily re-openable scar tissue (nevermind the risk of infection). definitely get some handwraps and gloves if you can, though. spend at least three months, preferably up to a year, using the gloves before trying to go handwraps only, and don't even THINK about going bareknuckle against the bare tire, or against a heavy bag unless you have years of conditioning on you. i can do it, but i've been doing karate for almost 11 years, and i readily admit it's not exactly the smartest thing to do if you're doing full-on bagwork, and i'll almost always opt for handwraps if i have them available.
     
  8. Fish Of Doom

    Fish Of Doom Will : Mind : Motion Supporter

    and it's not the skin you have to toughen (although it will do so with time). while you may not be stupid, you are not properly informed. conditioning depends on pain tolerance (mental, not that nerve deadening crap), bone density (which increases after you recover from non-traumatic bone stress, in this case impact training) and your striking technique (ie being able to strike correctly so as not to hurt yourself). all three of those things are built up by starting with extremely light striking, focusing on correct structure and on being able to transfer force correctly to the target, and very gradually increasing the intensity until you are able to actually strike correctly with power. if you're already getting severely red knuckles and have to rest a whole weekend after each session, you are most definitely NOT doing it right, AT ALL. i actually have deformed knuckles on my right hand from improper striking, and while my case is slight and non injurious, i can honestly say i got off very luckily and could on a worst case scenario have lost the use of my main hand. my advice? try not to have that happen to you either.
     
  9. bassai

    bassai onwards and upwards ! Moderator Supporter

    This is concerning , as you're not supposed to strike with your pinky knuckle , like fish , I ruined the pinky knuckle on my right hand as a kid punching incorrectly and still suffer discomfort now.
    Take the good advice you've been given and find some way of softening the impact , if you can't afford a punch bag find any bag that will take a bit of stick and fill that with rags for now.
     
  10. Hapuka

    Hapuka Te Aho

    Tries are great for working out with and there are plenty of videos on youtube on how to get the most out of your tires. When punching anything, its important to have good form (straight wrist, punching with your two largest knuckles) and with something like a tire that's abrasive, wearing hand wraps (the longest you can find) is a good idea.
     
  11. Dead_pool

    Dead_pool Spes mea in nihil Deus MAP 2017 Moi Award

    Not good for striking,

    Save up and buy a bag.
     
  12. Hapuka

    Hapuka Te Aho

    Many full contact, striking arts use tires as a part of their training. In Muay Thai and San Shou I've seen them used for the purpose of conditioning. In Boxing, they can make a good alternative to the heavy bag. In other martial arts such as Eskrima, tires are often used to make striking dummies. For the second video, I have a link that shows how to build the same tire setup - http://homemadegymstuff.blogspot.co.nz/2009/11/car-tyre-tire-punchbag.html

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m21sf3n4aKw"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m21sf3n4aKw[/ame]

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7l9_pmVahkI"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7l9_pmVahkI[/ame]

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfph3UbLp74"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfph3UbLp74[/ame]
     
  13. LeaFirebender

    LeaFirebender Ice Bear has ninja stars

    That's probably not a good sign ... just saying.

    I'd agree with everyone else, slow it down a little :whistleblower: Though conditioning your hands and feet is a step in the right direction, injuring yourself will put you yards to miles backward, possibly for a long time. I sprained my ankle pretty bad in July 2011 (not training related - trampoline related :D ). Because my pre-black belt test was in Aug, then my black belt test in Oct, I resumed training on it the first day I could. It took probably until November to really heal, and still can start to hurt if I'm kicking a heavy bag for a long time or whatever. Injuries can leave their mark forever. Be careful.

    On the bright side, I did learn how to fight southpaw because of my ankle. :cool: I couldn't kick with my right leg, so I stood left leg in back :D
     
  14. Dead_pool

    Dead_pool Spes mea in nihil Deus MAP 2017 Moi Award

    Not for people with no coach and no background in striking.
     
  15. Hapuka

    Hapuka Te Aho

    In that case they shouldn't be hitting a heavy bag either...
    There's nothing wrong with using a tire as an alternative for a heavy bag, as long as you're wearing bag gloves with wraps underneath. Which the OP should of been doing in the first place.

    To the OP - You're not Bruce Lee, nor at his level of experience, so don't expect to train like him. The book you have 'Bruce Lee's Fighting Method' although it is a good book, its designed as supplement for those that are already doing Jeet Kune Do. If you're not doing any form of martial art, then you're probably best to use your tire for Cardio Boxing exercises, also known as 'Boxercise'. The good thing about Boxercise is that correct form doesn't matter too much, as your goal is to simply hit the target for fitness purposes. Although like in real Boxing or in any other martial art, you should be wearing wraps and gloves.

    And if you want to do the real thing, you need to go to a martial arts club and get proper coaching.

    Here's an idea of something you could do at home in the meanwhile -

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJG6pYHHTPA"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJG6pYHHTPA[/ame]
     
  16. Dead_pool

    Dead_pool Spes mea in nihil Deus MAP 2017 Moi Award

    Im a great beliver in using tools that were designed for the job in hand, and that are used by professionals the world over.

    Hitting tires before you hit bags isnt what any striking coach would have a day one student do. In fact Id be suprised if any high level pros used tires as the mainstay of their practise anywhere.

    You have to seperate things posted on youtube because they look hardcore and diffetent from highpercentage and safe functional training.
     
  17. Constant Flux

    Constant Flux Valued Member

    I'm kind of surprised that so many are against the OP's use of tires. When I didn't have a heavy bag I used tires, I also filled an old U.S. Navy sea bag with rags and used that, I once stood an old couch on its end and leaned it against a wall in the yard and punched the hell out of that, I could go on.

    Sure the OP might be better off if he used bag gloves or wrapped his hands but other than that I don't see what the big deal is.

    In a perfect world everyone would have access to a good heavy bag and a training coach but fighters on a budget use what they have.
     
  18. Dead_pool

    Dead_pool Spes mea in nihil Deus MAP 2017 Moi Award

    Hes not a fighter yet.

    Hes a newbie in need of guidence.
     
  19. NotaMA

    NotaMA Valued Member

    What can I say, I'm a redneck. I use what is available to me.

    ....Better than me hitting up on a tree, which is what I could be doing. Lol.

    ^ This
     
  20. Hapuka

    Hapuka Te Aho

    You'd probably be better off hitting air for now.
     

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