Bill Piche Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 I am not a bender and just wondering what it takes to become a good bender?? High pain tolerance for sure by watching the videos.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoggoth Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 My thoughts are: Neural strength - Getting the most muscle to fire at once Optimal mechanics Tendon/bone strength Pain tolerance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cemery Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Practice, patience and strength. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jad Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 (edited) Thick wraps and a knowledge of origami according to a certain Dr. Edited June 21, 2011 by jad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoggoth Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Thick wraps and a knowledge of origami according to a certain Dr. Hahaha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acorn Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Persistence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bencrush Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 I like what Aaron and the others said. Persistence and desire - for me - were the keys to becoming a good bender. I just kept at it until my body decided it was easier to just let me bend a few Reds than to have me constantly passing out on my garage countertop from the effort of trying... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
climber511 Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Since I am not a real bender and Ben and Aaron etc are - I would believe what they say. The mistake I see is that guys "test" too much and "train" too little on the bending and never dial in their technique and build up the tendons and ligaments etc before hitting the big steel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buccos1 Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 I've had a plan in place since the beginning. Always having a goal to work toward and being consistent in training. Like Climber511 said, not reaching for the bigger bars too soon (at least for me) let me build up all of the necessary components (physical and mental) to crush bigger steel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Cashman Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 What does it take to be good at anything? The underlying elements remain constant. Hard work, persistence, training, passion, drive, commitment, the list goes on. What does it take to be a good bender? Basically what Aaron and the other guys have all touched on. I'm not a great bender but for me the number one thing is education. Knowledge is power in bending. Understanding how to progress incrementally through steel. Understanding how to wrap, how to utilize leverage, how to refine, alter techniques and styles etc. You will never be a good bender if you just grab some steel and try to hit it. You have to learn the in's and out's. That's how you go from a bender to a good bender. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellfire Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 (edited) I am not a bender and just wondering what it takes to become a good bender?? High pain tolerance for sure by watching the videos.... I am saying almost the same thing as Aaron did, but I see it just a bit differently. IMO it is a combination of desire and effort. I think, above average strength and high pain tolerance are completely unnecessary. You just have to be willing to give 100%, be willing to sacrifice, and be willing to drop some other areas of your training if recovery becomes an issue. I think most of it is how bad do you want to be a good bender. There is SO much technique info out there now, it's just a case of how bad do you want it, and are you willing to put in the work. Edited June 22, 2011 by Hellfire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Rinderle Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 All of the above. IMO: Mental 70% Technique 20% Strength 10% You've obviously got to know what you're doing if you want to bend big steel, so learning the technique that works best for your body type is very important. But, like Andy, I think there is so much info out there now it is your fault if you don't have good technique. Strength never hurts. Mental strength (the ability to block out the pain, hold a hit longer than you think is possible, no fear, confidence, ability to keep coming back after TEMPORARILY missing a bend) are all more important than the other two. You have to really have a desire to bend the biggest steel possible in the least amount of wraps and not care about what you have to do to get there. You just have to have the mentality that you are going to beat a certain piece of steel or die trying. Period. I took a little different route than some of the guys above. Once I decided I wanted to be a good bender I bent every day. And I don't do warm up bends. I warmed up, but every time I picked up a piece of steel it was a bigger or harder piece of steel than the last time, or I was trying it in a harder style or with less wraps. In other words, I went for a PR every time out. If I didn't get a piece of steel, I would hit it every day (sometimes multiple times a day) until it finally realized I wasn't going to quit and it gave up. When I was kinking psychotic bastards and KOABS but couldn't finish mags because my crush was weaker than my kink I started hitting my crush as hard as I could in short workouts 2 or 3 times a day, every day. I finally killed a mag and an insane. Got a few Fantastics down to around 2.5" but never quite finished one under 5 minutes (BIG PROPS TO BEN). So, with the knowledge I learned from guys on here and BB, I went from bending Bastards and G8s, to killing a 6" Edgin in under a year. I never got injured during that time, but I was never not in pain either. I look back at that journey fondly, but I wouldn't want to do it again. I also think bending in doubles, singles, IMPs, minimal wraps, and barehand and in all the styles is important. They all improve your bending in different ways and will all make you a better bender. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naturalstrength Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 The most important aspect of bending is to daily work on your "Jedi" powers and always remember your mentors of the past, in my case it is Yoda! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Rinderle Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 The most important aspect of bending is to daily work on your "Jedi" powers and always remember your mentors of the past, in my case it is Yoda! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bencrush Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Great thread guys! Glad to see Mike and Andy and Carl here giving excellent advice too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellfire Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Great thread guys! Glad to see Mike and Andy and Carl here giving excellent advice too. Good to be back. Thanks Ben. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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