Does kicking hurt? What about shin conditioning?
Early on it stings, mostly because of bad technique. Shins toughen from normal pad and bag work. Nobody here is rolling bottles on them.
A bit at first, and it is usually your technique rather than your shins. A kick landing on the foot, or thrown without turning the hip over, arrives wrong and stings. Turn the whole body through and it feels solid.
The bone toughens with normal pad and bag work, over months. You do not need the old stories, no bottles and no trees. Deliberate damage to bone is how people end up with problems for life.
Early kicking belongs on pads: when you need shin guards. The sting goes as the kick gets better: how long before you can kick properly. Tender spot means stop for the day, and a lump is a doctor’s call: is it safe for beginners.
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