4

Is it overall better to use punches on an assailant or palm strikes? I don't want to break my fingers when punching, but is punching safer? Or should I switch to palm strikes?

CC BY-SA 4.0
Improve this question
1

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
4

This depends on a few things

  1. Are you wearing boxing/mma gloves?

If you are then punch away! you might have trouble with a palm strike anyway.

  1. What are you hitting?

It's very different suggesting a palm strike to the face (which makes sense) to a palm strike to the stomach solar plexus or liver (which really doesn't).

Sometimes you will hear the phrase: "Hit hard targets soft and soft targets hard" from Kung Fu practitioners. It's not always right but it's not bad as a rough guide.

  1. Have you conditioned your hands into calloused lumps with over calcified knuckles?

If your hand looks like this:

Calloused hands from punching a makiwara

you probably know how to punch to the face.

  1. How good are you with punches compared with palm strikes?

Palm strikes also put the fingers in danger if you leave them extended. If your punching form is good and you have practiced hitting with the correct two knuckles it may be safer then the palm strike. If you have practiced the palm strike more then stick with that.

CC BY-SA 4.0
Improve this answer
0

Open hand strikes, such as a knife hand, or a ridge hand fit into areas of the neck and throat very well. Such strikes are much easier on the hands than risking breaking your hand on a head or hip, or cutting a deep gash in your knuckles on someone’s sharp teeth. It’s wise to avoid body shots altogether because if a person is wearing heavy clothing, it may not do much damage. Strike the eyes, throat, nose, neck and back of the head and neck. Palm strikes, elbows. These are excellent in self defense if thrown with bad intentions to the right targets. IF I was going to throw a closed fist in a fight, it would likely be a hard throat punch to end things quickly. That’s just my two cents.

CC BY-SA 4.0
Improve this answer
1
  • I long considered whether I'd comment but even on a second read, I do not think I can let it stand as-is. IMHO this sounds like a ninjutsu answer: theoretically sound but problematic in practice. If you are not in lethal danger, going for throat strikes will cause legal problems due to a violation of proportionality. Also, the throat and eyes are instinctively protected by lowering the head, so hitting a live, moving, fighting target there is very hard up to impossible. Finally, if body shots are ineffective against anything below protection gear, your punching technique is bad.
    – Philip Klöcking
    Commented Jul 13 at 12:41

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.