Da Sam Sing is one of many conditioning methods used in Hung Gar. It literally means "Three Star Striking". The regular practice of DA Sam Sing will condition/harden the forearms (bones,skin,muscle) making the practitioners arms iron like which can be used for attack and defense. Through diligent and correct practice of this drill, the practitioners forearms will get conditioned to a point where he can easily inflict pain and damage to his opponent. Although the accompanying pictures shows this exercise done with a partner this exercise can be done solo using a wooden post, tree trunk or a wooden dummy. In Hung Gar this drill is normally performed sitting in a low Sei Ping Ma - horse stance to train the lower parts of the body as well as the arms. It can also be performed in Ding Ji Ma (bow-arow stance) by shifting from left to right using the waist and striking the arms in the same manner as shown in the picture.

This method of arm conditioning is done by striking the three sides of the forearm, the top,left and right sides. When performing this drill keep both arms relaxed and avoid hitting inside of the arms. Start of by hitting the arms slowly and gently at first, getting use to the motion of arms and over all feeling of the exercise. Do not bang your arms too hard in the beginning rather give it time and let your arms build up/strengthen gradually. As your forearms get stronger you can increase the tempo of the exercise and start hitting the arms harder and faster. Remember that in order to progress and achieve your goal you must be patient,your forearms wont get conditioned/hardened overnight, it will take time.

After conditioning the arms it is always a good practice to swing your arms in a large circular motion to get the blood circulating. Do this by keeping the arm relaxed and swing it in a large circular motion as fast as you can for 15-20 times, one arm at a time. While you doing this you will feel your blood pumping down to your finger tips and due to this at the end of the exercise your hands will turn red. Now shake and flap your hands to send the blood back to your arms.

Although this method is seem quite simple, bare in mind that any type of body conditioning/hardening must be done under the guidance of a qualified teacher/sifu.

The use of traditional Chinese medicine such as Di DA Jau when doing this kind of training is very important. Gung fu and TCM goes hand in hand and often traditional gung fu masters are/were known for their skills in medicine as well as gung fu. Most traditional sifus are trained in traditional medicine and often make their own dit DA jau. You may also find dit DA jau sold in Chinese herbal shops and stores but bare in mind that most commercial dit DA jau are not very strong and may have a unpleasant effect on your skin. If you have to buy one from your local Chinese store make sure the colour and smell of dit DA jow is quite strong and it is not kept in a plastic bottle. As there are different types of dit DA jau you must also make sure what kind of dit DA jau you are buying and check to see if you can use it on open cuts or not etc.. For more information regarding Dit DA Jau and TCM in general visit the TCM section of the web site.