Anybody here have bad or fragile hands?

I ended up having to leave the sport because I was continually getting hand injuries and it was frustrating me and incredible amount. In the end I couldnt spar 4 rounds without hurting either hand, and couldnt punch through with my right hand.

But, such is the hand (pardon the pun!) we are dealt. Some of us just dont have the 'little' assets that are often over looked.. like nice, strong hands.

 

What exerises do you guys do to strengthen your hands?

I know that repeatedly squeezing a tennis ball is good for strengthening the back/outer muscles of your hand.Gene Tunney liked doing that whenever he had any free time in the day.

In this respect,going to the gym and pinch gripping a couple of plates,is a useful progressive exercise.
Here is the weightlifter John Davis pinch-gripping two solid 35 lb plates

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Also good for developing the outer part of your hand is thick-bar barbell work.You can improvise by wrapping a towel round a barbell and doing deadlifts and curls or reverse curls.When you do thick-bar lifting,not only are you training your grip but your forearm muscles are seriously engaged as well.

Sports store gippers are also useful for all over-conditioning the muscles in your hands.If you want,you can get some from ironmind that go to seriously heavy poundages.
http://www.ironmind.com/ironmind/opencms/ironmind/Main/captainsofcrush.html


Personally,I have found that using an adjustable sports store gripper is useful for practising your pinch-grip.
http://www.goldsgymdirect.co.uk/hand-grip-exercisers/adjustable-power-squeezer.html

As for wrist strength, a cable or pulley machine would be effective.Cable curls,reverse curls,hammer curls and tricep pull-downs to your body away from the machine, would strengthen your wrists in all dimensions.

 

I know this goes against everything anyone has been told but I used to always hurt my hands and wrists sparring, hitting the heavy bag etc. Then I started conditioning my hands by hitting the heavy bag lightly without any protection for a few rounds every once in a while. It really helped after a time and toughened up my knuckles, helped me keep my fists tight, and trained me to hit without sloppy form.

I know everyone will say this is the wrong thing to ever do

 

Hmmm....sounds like a martial artist repeatedly striking a hard surface to toughen his hands and feet.:huh

 

It does, and that's where I got the idea. The body responds in time and need to different stresses placed on it in life. If you rely on wraps and protection then your hands will never adapt to the new demands being put on them by hitting bags and sparring.

Anyway, it worked really well for me and I haven't had problems for years.