I watch the pride fighting championships and i see some of these fighters get their faces smashed with such powerfull hammerfists and punches and yet able to keep fighting.

If i where in their place, my skull would turn to pulp

I've heard of boxers strengthening their jaws and necks muscles to take the impact of punches and prevent injuries.

But in the case of mma fighters the impact is direct on the facial bones and the skull.

What kind of conditioning techniques do these fighter employ to get theirs heads so strong.

Also whats the most effective way to strengthen the ribs section against club attacks or punches

People advise using medicine ball to strengthen the abdominal area can the same be use for the ribs too

Also what exactly is dit da jow
Is it the ointments we use for muscle and joint pains....

all i know is that the neck is actually pretty importaint when u are fighting, a hard hit to the head with a weak neck can make you get knocked out.
"Turn that pencil neck into a tree stump" or somthing like that, is the name of a thread in the weight lifting forum where theres a program for the neck. other than that, i guess getting hit alot in the face and abs kind of makes you a bit harder, but im no expert.

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to learn about fitness. The biggest loser show is on nbc wensday. Only on wensday for spechil adection. Season 3 will stat soom Itis a really good sow to help over weight people transform there lives.

Dit da jow is chinese medicine used topically to treat bruises and sore muscles. Research it for more specifics.

http://www.russbo.org/vb/showthread.php?t=500

http://www.google.com/search?q=dit+d...en-US:official

A way to take abuse is to

1.) not care about getting brain damage
2.) have a strong neck
3.) be amped on adrenaline and be in a focused rage
4.) know you have good health insurance
5.) know you have good dental insurance

There are ways to toughen your head, skull, and face, but most will leave you dumber, uglier, and will take you from this earth sooner.

For body conditioning, look into "iron shirt", "iron body", and "golden bell" as well as other various gongs.

that puts some insight into the topic

"A way to take abuse is to

1.) not care about getting brain damage
2.) have a strong neck
3.) be amped on adrenaline and be in a focused rage
4.) know you have good health insurance
5.) know you have good dental insurance"

funny but sounds rational enough

the info was helpfull

but a question still remains unanswered

geting your abdominals hit by light medicinal ball strengthens them against punches can the same effect be achieved on the ribs too?

It's because they train nearly like they fight. They get used to taking hits because they get hit a lot. I can tell you from personal experience that training in MMA is a completely different animal...it's quite a rush, quite a learning experience, and can be quite painful.

MMA teaches you what works well for you, what doesn't and teaches you your strengths and weaknesses very quickly.

As the saying goes "Tap, Snap, or Nap...your choice"

I've heard a lot of this brain damage caused by full contact fighting

dont you think the risks associated with full contact far outweigh the benefits.

that kind of turns me off from going completely full contact

whats the chances of being afflicted with brain damage or other problems in full time fighters

If you're going to make it a career, then by all means, put everything in the ring. For people doing it for other reasons, they usually need their braincells for different operations.

Full time fighters will sustain brain trauma, probably 99% of the time. But you have to realize, the problems are compacted over time. If you get a concussion, and keep jolting your brain, you just get worse and worse. Example: Mike Tyson.

The ribs conditioning should not be done without compotent instruction.

As far as I know boxers actually have more of a chance with brain damage than full contact fighters. A lot of the MMA game goes to the ground so there's more wear and tear on the joints than head trauma...this is not to say there isn't any. Benefits vs risks...well, if you're not competing then there's really not a lot of risks as practice is in a very controlled environment and it's not 'balls-to-the-wall."

Like any martial art, you find one that you enjoy...if full contact doesn't appeal to you, then pick something else.

It not like full contact doesnt appeal to me

Ive always enjoyed full contact. Somehow Im addicted to the pain but not at the cost of excessive bodily damage.

Oh yeah, I am glad you brought that up, evo. I forgot to differentiate boxing and mma. Boxers will sustain brain trauma 99% of the time. That is because there is an entire element in boxing not present in mma...and vice versa. Boxers

MMA, while the kicks and whatnot are indeed more powerful, it's more common to have a submission or have it turn into a grappling match...something of this nature. However, you're still risking heavy injury while doing any combat at "full contact".

For head conditioning:
1. Do a slow head/neck rotation.
2. Neck bends, holding it for 10 secs on each sides
3. With an open hand, strike the side of neck, front and back lightly.(like your
doing a massage for a stiff neck)
3. Fold a small towel then bite it, slowly pull it up & down as you become
used to it increase the force this will strengthen your jaw.
4. Lightly, hit your jaw, cheek bone and forehead with a closed fist increase
force when you become used to it.

For body conditioning:
1. Hit your forearm, shin, legs ect with a soda bottle or rattan lightly, increase
as you become use to it.
2. Slap a telephone directory with open palm on each side of the hand.
3. Tense your abs muscles and other parts of your body.
4. Practice sanchin kata and ibuki breathing exercise.
5. Lift light weights.

Never crack your neck
Apply an coconut oil.

I hope this contribution of mine may help you.

I'd say for the face, they would really have stong neck muscles to help support the head in impact.
as for face, I'd say it's mind over matter. With their adrenaline pumping it would reduce the pain and give them strangth to fight through it.
Suppose also they grow used to it through many hours of sparring and fighting while taking shots to the head.