RT, you know way more about martial arts than I do! Thanks for adding this!

Push ups on your fists actually has a few benefits. As you noticed, on your palms is uncomfortable for the average wrist. Gripping something (like dumbbells) or doing them on fists keeps your hand in line with your forearm and is more stable in addition to be more wrist friendly.

Another reason they do it in martial arts, is that is prepares the hand and forearm for strikes. You get used to the feel of having your fist in line properly, and moving force through it. Also, your body weight on the fist encourages greater bone density, strengthening the hand for strikes learned later. Bones take a long time to grow, but they do respond to a load over time.

It indeed takes a bit getting used to 🙂

Dumbbells are great for this purpose and I like using hexagonal ones for it better than buying the expensive “perfect push-ups”!

BTW, impressive pic!

You are correct. It takes a relatively short time to turn from “newbie” into “informed”, but very long from “informed” to “professional”. But when you are informed, you can ask the right questions when choosing a professional that you, after all, want to learn more from.

Not ruling out getting a trainer, but realize how crucial the selection process is going to be.