Daniel Kane Pai was definitely one of the most respected and feared fighters of his time, as well as a renowned master of the iron hand techniques and training. His Iron Hand secrets were one of the most priced trainings found with in Pai Lum Tao – Bok Leen Pai Kenpo and Pai Te Lung Kung Fu!

He was highly respected for his ice-breaking demonstrations, which drew many top martial artists to him for lessons. This legendary Grand Master taught sev­eral American martial artists only some of the iron hand training, but as all great visionaries, he saved the best for a hand full of his loyal students and disciples.

Iron hand training is one of the segments of training found within the iron body discipline of Pai Lum Tao. This type of training takes dedi­cation and determination to maintain. The student develops his internal chi training to work perfectly with the external train­ing. Iron body training takes many years to develop. The hand/fist training is referred to in many systems as iron palm. Pai lum Tao teaches formulas that make the area from the wrist to the fingertips as strong as iron.

Of the many training strikes used on a training bag, the most prominent are the heel palm, crane's beak, palm of hand, backhand, willow palm and tiger claw.

 

EXTERNAL TRAINING

Iron hand training is divided into external and internal exer­cises. External exercises consist of the "pounding road" theo­ries of training. At the very core of training is striking hard sur­faces while using different hand strikes. The hand strikes are determined on the level of proficiency of the student. Students often measure their level based on how long it takes to exe­cute a certain number of strikes on the training bag.

The grueling training begins after the proper application of dit da jow herbal medicine, which is used to preserve and pro­tect the hand. Under the eye of a certified instructor, the stu­dent will begin what is known as the pounding road. This is the road that all iron hand students will travel enthusiastically.

Massaging the hands with a special dit dot jow is a vital section of iron hand training. The use of herbal medicine aids in preventing severe deformity of the hands, enhances blood flow, heals damaged areas and speeds up the recovery process. Another function of dit da jow is to assist chi flow of chi to the hands.  A student will train through three stages of schooling phi­losophy: the handbag on the table, the heavy hanging bag and the person-to-person sensitivity techniques. All three are practiced at the same time. One teaches to condition the hand; another to penetrate the power and energy into a heavy vertical mass; and yet another involves working with a partner, which is done with protective body gear and simulates a real physical encounter. This is truly the most crucial and danger­ous part of training; a mistake can result in temporary or per­manent injury to the practitioner. A student develops a certain amount of confidence once he sees the potency of the strikes.

 

TABLE BAG TRAINING

Hours of training are spent on the table bag. The training bag is filled with sand, stones or iron pellets, and a student will begin with the sand for several months. He will then move to the stone training. They may stay at this level of training for a few years, then they will spend several years conditioning and developing the technique needed to penetrate the iron pellets. This type of training will help develop the bones, skin, ten­dons, ligaments and muscle.

Ideally, the bag will be made of canvas material and filled with the required substance. It should be about 16 inches in diameter, and placed on a strong wooden table that is about mid-thigh in elevation. These requirements are important for the success of the student's training. The practitioner should maintain a high horse-riding stance during his workout.

In the beginning, training on the table bag is done once a day, three times a week. After a few months, a student will move to twice a day, three times a week, followed eventually by practice three times a day. A Pai Lum Tao student starts off with six basic strikes done on the table bag with sand for approximately six months, followed by stone for approximately six months. Then the student will strike the table bag filled with iron pellets for the duration of his training. The average time of true proficiency in his table bag training is approximately two and a half-to-three and a half years.

Table bag training is truly the "conditioning" aspect of the iron hand training, and must be cautiously pursued. Serious injury may occur if a student deviates from the proven formu­las of his training. Patience and respect for this ancient training is a must.

While traveling the pounding road, the student will condition his hands to penetrate, crush and destroy anything in the attacker's arsenal. Those who have never traveled this road of knowledge can only imagine its awesome power. So much power is developed that intermediate and advanced students must always be cognizant of safety precautions. The damage done with this training can be extremely harmful or lethal to the receiver.

 

HEAVY BAG TRAINING

While a student practices his conditioning, he will also make time to train in the heavy bag training theories. The student will practice executing the strikes to a larger, solid mass target. This allows a chance to attain a more realistic understanding of this remarkable training.

The anxious student will practice striking into the heavy bag with as much power as possible. These prac­tice routines utilize the basic six strikes of iron hand training. The body begins to resemble a whip, with the waist preceding the strike into the bag. Nothing is held back during this phase of training. With every strike comes a balance of power, move­ment, breathing and expelling.

The matching footwork is the rou­tines of the dragon and monkey. All foot pattern series are practiced in har­mony with the punching routines. After several thousands routines, there will become a marriage of motion. This motion will give the student the maxi­mum in power and penetration.

These patterns are known as the cut­ting, stomping, dotting and the slapping. Each pattern is unique. The student may become more proficient in one tech­nique over another. Particular attention is put into the training to be sure that each pattern is equal if possible.

 

PERSON-TO-PERSON TRAINING

The final discipline of external iron hand training is the person-to-person routines, which are practiced to under­stand the realism and effects with a partner. This type of training in the Pai lum tao system is known as dim hsueh, which alludes to the pinpoint targetry and accuracy of the lethal iron hand strikes.

Dim hsueh is considered to be among the most advanced training exercises in the Chinese martial arts. All parts of the practitioner's hand are uti­lized for striking. The strikes theoretically would disrupt the nervous system, inter­fere with the cardiovascular flow through the vessels, create internal bruising and ultimately render the attacker helpless. The skillful students will practice their timing, speed and accuracy during these sparring practices. Once again, great emphasis is put on safety and care for partners.

The six basic strikes of Pai Lum Tao's iron hand training are used to strike to the 15 basic target points. 

These points are:

  1. Crown of the head
  2. Throat
  3. Sternum
  4. Solar plexus
  5. Back of the head
  6. Behind the ear
  7. Seventh vertebrae in upper back
  8. Naval
  9. The groin
  10. Kidneys
  11. Arm pit
  12. Collarbone
  13. Between the biceps and triceps
  14. The wrist
  15. Top of the hand