I have to agree with ste bell here. killing nerves in your shins is not smart.
i seem to rember that overzealous concitioning can/will cause arthities (spelling) or other long term damages.it depends on the severity of the conditioning.
and contrary to what you say gurre it can prolong
recovery time with less feeling in the shin you can create
more damage in the shin.
this is my opinion.

hm... maybe. I will have to look into it

I have seen a trend in many martial art practioners to get alittle
overzealous on the conditioning/stretching part
.Favouring obscure methods of training ,sometimes doing more damage then good.
After seeing alot of long term damages in my work
that first appear when you are in your late 40`s.
I try to find healthy and safe ways to train.
i have seen some karate and kung fu people partake in what i see
as self-torture often for something as stupid wanting to be the most macho in the room.
i try to ask doctors and professional trainers about specific
methods to make sure i do them right .
there are pages on the internet where you can ask for free.
cant remember where but google should find it .

(edit: to get back on topic i dont think you need to start conditioning your shins before starting muay thai)

I agree with the last bit. But remember, all what is NOW known as "safe" might just be totally wrong in a few years. Or just a few months. It's all about research, experience and what scientists say. Btw, you can get cancer from crisps, the white stuff on oranges and fryed potatoes according to them.....

still i think that modern science is a safer bet.

well it is a safer bet, yes. But "moder science" changes fast...

Away from the bickering, you both have some good points, but I'm afraid I'm with Gurre on this one. I was told to kill the nerves in the shin. I was told told use a bar an lighty roll it up and down the shin. There should be no pain when rolling the bar. (Of course, one should be conditioned on a moderately hard bag. I injuried my shin during improper training, I don't recall what was though. The pain soon went, but the injury took about 6 months to a year to heal...seriously. Besides, who has a bananna tree anyway. A good bananna bag is okay, but alot of gym don't use them.

I think the middle line is one wants a feeling in the body, but as a fighter as long as the only effects is not being able to feel in the shin, they that to most is the overwhelming diciding factor. Although, training wrong can serverely slow or hault training, so in most situations, slow to gain is the best choice.

I've changed opinion though, working the bag should be enough to condition your shins. Killing the nerves will almost guaranteed result in injuries.

So, are you saying do it the slow/safe way of the bag is now, in your opinion, the best way to go about, perferred to hard rolling pins, and hitting your leg?

exactly. After all, your nerves are there to tell you when you've had enough. Without them you'll get serious shin injuries, like the one Ramon Dekkers got. I mean sure you can kick all day, but you'll bust your shin pretty good and probably be in a wheelchair in your 50ies.... well maybe not that drastic but you know what I mean.

That opinion is not just of gurres but of most pro fighters i know, i was under the immpression that rolling pin etc was the way to condition shins and i was wrong. The heavy bag is a good safe way and is practical

yep, you get to work on your kicks at the same time

If you do not wish to kill nerves in your shins: STOP THAIBOXING!

Is it wise to kill the nerves? From a medical poit of view definetely not.
Is it good from a competition point of view? Definetively yes.

Choose what ever you prefer, but there is no way of becoming a decent Muay Thai fighter when your chins will hurt like hell.

to be honest, you'll only numb the nerves if you condition your shin a certain way, but you'll still have them. Only thing is that they won't be as sensitive.

hmmm, I think you are partially right, some grow less sensitive, but a big part of the nerves will really be broken by all the kicks.