The "diamond finger" skill is a part of hard qigong — the practice of making one's body exceptionally strong and less vulnerable to traumatizing impact. Many martial artists embark on this long and bumpy but, eventually, rewarding training path.
If you have ever done push-ups, you must have at least once tried doing it on fingers instead of palms or knuckles and felt the difference. The fewer fingers involved, the harder they are. However, the real challenge is to push-ups without the use of your thumbs.
This wushu master demonstrates his incredible level of preparation:
He is not unique in his endeavor.
Moscow-based Shaolin master Lee Wong Chan demonstrates his skills:
But the most famous exponent of the "diamond finger" famous is late Shaolin monk Hai Deng (1902-1989).
