Aren't punches way too dangerous to use in real fights?

When I say save your punches, I mean dont use closed fists the whole time. There are other hand strikes out there, a palm strike might not have the same reach as a fist or the KO power but if it saves the hand from injury why not?
 
That's why there are palmstrikes and hammerfists.
 
I can tell you two things from experience. NEver kick higher than the stomach, even if you are an experienced kicker, and when you kick higher than the knee, distract or do it as a counter move. That means you have to use you hands from the solar plexus up.
 
The skull is pretty hard no matter where you hit it

There is always going to be an opportunity to break your hand or injure yourself.

For those of you that say you haven't broken your hand in a street fight.. i bet your hand/wrist was swollen for days after.

Still.. in a real life situation, swinging punches is usually the first thing that comes to ones mind.
 
Thunderclap them (slam your palms or either side of their temple/ears) if you're scared of breaking your hand
 
shotokankid1 said:
people who break there hands are people who are used to punching with gloves.good Karate guys never break there hand because they dont train with gloves and always make contact with the first 2 knuckles.

if you hit with the first 2 knuckles you wont break your hand.
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Yeah, you'll break your wrist instead..

No one here seems to have broken it down yet, so i will. It all comes back to the verticle fist vs horizontal, and which knuckles you should connect with.

I recommend verticle, and bottom 3 knuckles. Most structurally sound. Test it by pressing both styles against a wall and see which one feels stronger. When you have realized this, you will also realize that direct straight line punches(jabs/crosses) are much safer than hooks. The opponent can step into it and you will still be fine. With a hook, there's much more risk of damaging your fist/wrist.

Also, connecting a hook with the top 2 knuckles with a horizontal fist in a street fight is the dumbest thing you could ever do. You will break your wrist and it will be near impossible to connect with the top 2 knuckles at the same time. You will most likely connect with the index finger knuckle only vs a moving target. This is probably what happened to Mike Tyson in that story everyone's heard about. If you have restrained the target however, throwing punches to someone you have in a headlock is fine, since you have less chance to fuck up and miss or hit something that isn't worth hitting(top of the head), and you probably won't have enough body structure and power generated to break your hand. If you break your hand or hurt your wrist but you break the guys jaw and knock him out, i would think that's a pretty good tradeoff(not really, but let's assume it's a fight where you are in fear of your life, and getting knocked out is the equivalent of death). If you're THAT worried about damaging your hand/wrist, then go for palm strikes and grapple the guy. In a real fight, this will most likely happen anyway(in 1on1. If more, then you should just run). Close the gap with a low line toe poke to shin/groin then jab/cross etc. So it's like a 1,2,3.

Any other questions?
 
Kicking above the sternum in a street fight is really dangerous, so I would suggest fighting by rushing the guy and using knees if you're that worried.
 
My 2 cents:

I worked on doors at nightclubs while studying for a couple of years. A guy I worked with, a massive Tongan with a hot head, learnt the hard way what happens when punching heads with a closed fist.

Two wannabe gangsters high on amphetamines and god knows what else took issue with being asked to leave and said the wrong thing to him. He exploded, clotheslined the first guy, who promptly did a back flip. He then punched the other guy square in the mouth and blew out his teeth. The problem was that what was left of the guy's teeth shredded his knuckles and tendons. He needed surgery and a lot of physio to get things back to normal; he couldn't work doors for months.

If you're going to fight bare-knuckled, my advice is to harden your hands in the first instance. But, even with hard hands don't hit people in the face or head, there simply isn't any need and there is a significant down side if things go wrong. Use palm strikes to the face and cupped slaps to the side of the head. The only time I'd ever strike with a closed fist is with a hammer fist, but I hardened that strike through training. You'll need to add this into your training explicitly because in the heat of the moment it's easy and natural to close your hands and punch.
 
Badr Hari said:
the chance of getting taken down after kicking is HIGHER (and you know in a Street fight- with NO rules, taken down 99% means lost the fight) than breaking the hand while punching, though you'll breake your hand only when you don't punch properly

the best thing to do in a street fight is actualy to PUNCH and if you want to kick or knee, the only good kick or good knee is the one to the groin, nothing else
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This is wrong on every level, if you can time a kick well and deliver no matter how high it is then it's ok to throw. People think guys that have never thought can catch kicks. Yeah it can happen but against someone with no training it's unlickely. Honestly I wouldn't enjoy breaking my hand but in a life or death situation I'll do whatever I have to do to survive even if that means soaring my own hand off.
 
Sizzerb said:
This is wrong on every level, if you can time a kick well and deliver no matter how high it is then it's ok to throw. People think guys that have never thought can catch kicks. Yeah it can happen but against someone with no training it's unlickely. Honestly I wouldn't enjoy breaking my hand but in a life or death situation I'll do whatever I have to do to survive even if that means soaring my own hand off.
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its a street/bar fight boy, its not in the ring, there are no judges and your probably not wearing shorts and don't know how many friends he has around him. Who is giving you time in a NO rules fight, there is no time to set up a high kick with low kicks and punches. BOX or you will get an ass whoopin
 
Sizzerb said:
This is wrong on every level, if you can time a kick well and deliver no matter how high it is then it's ok to throw. People think guys that have never thought can catch kicks. Yeah it can happen but against someone with no training it's unlickely. Honestly I wouldn't enjoy breaking my hand but in a life or death situation I'll do whatever I have to do to survive even if that means soaring my own hand off.
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Nope, sorry man not everything goes as planned like in the Dojo. Kicks are a major risk in street fights when your opponent is hyped on adrenaline. After that kick you will be on the ground, stomped by a few people.
 
xen said:
My 2 cents:

I worked on doors at nightclubs while studying for a couple of years. A guy I worked with, a massive Tongan with a hot head, learnt the hard way what happens when punching heads with a closed fist.

Two wannabe gangsters high on amphetamines and god knows what else took issue with being asked to leave and said the wrong thing to him. He exploded, clotheslined the first guy, who promptly did a back flip. He then punched the other guy square in the mouth and blew out his teeth. The problem was that what was left of the guy's teeth shredded his knuckles and tendons. He needed surgery and a lot of physio to get things back to normal; he couldn't work doors for months.

If you're going to fight bare-knuckled, my advice is to harden your hands in the first instance. But, even with hard hands don't hit people in the face or head, there simply isn't any need and there is a significant down side if things go wrong. Use palm strikes to the face and cupped slaps to the side of the head. The only time I'd ever strike with a closed fist is with a hammer fist, but I hardened that strike through training. You'll need to add this into your training explicitly because in the heat of the moment it's easy and natural to close your hands and punch.
Click to expand...

i completely forgot about this!!! i have a buddy that punched someone in the mouth and got cut by his tooth. anyways he got his hand infected and damn near had to get it amputated cause the infection was so bad.
 
EffeKt said:
Nope, sorry man not everything goes as planned like in the Dojo. Kicks are a major risk in street fights when your opponent is hyped on adrenaline. After that kick you will be on the ground, stomped by a few people.
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Not if it lands clear on the chin.
 
EffeKt said:
Nope, sorry man not everything goes as planned like in the Dojo. Kicks are a major risk in street fights when your opponent is hyped on adrenaline. After that kick you will be on the ground, stomped by a few people.
Click to expand...

kick the the balls is probably the only kick i would ever use in a street fight. oh... and stomps and soccer kicks when a person is down. thats about it.
 
Right leg hospital. Left leg cemetery.
 
ex0 said:
Yeah, you'll break your wrist instead..

No one here seems to have broken it down yet, so i will. It all comes back to the verticle fist vs horizontal, and which knuckles you should connect with.

I recommend verticle, and bottom 3 knuckles. Most structurally sound. Test it by pressing both styles against a wall and see which one feels stronger. When you have realized this, you will also realize that direct straight line punches(jabs/crosses) are much safer than hooks. The opponent can step into it and you will still be fine. With a hook, there's much more risk of damaging your fist/wrist.

Also, connecting a hook with the top 2 knuckles with a horizontal fist in a street fight is the dumbest thing you could ever do. You will break your wrist and it will be near impossible to connect with the top 2 knuckles at the same time. You will most likely connect with the index finger knuckle only vs a moving target. This is probably what happened to Mike Tyson in that story everyone's heard about. If you have restrained the target however, throwing punches to someone you have in a headlock is fine, since you have less chance to fuck up and miss or hit something that isn't worth hitting(top of the head), and you probably won't have enough body structure and power generated to break your hand. If you break your hand or hurt your wrist but you break the guys jaw and knock him out, i would think that's a pretty good tradeoff(not really, but let's assume it's a fight where you are in fear of your life, and getting knocked out is the equivalent of death). If you're THAT worried about damaging your hand/wrist, then go for palm strikes and grapple the guy. In a real fight, this will most likely happen anyway(in 1on1. If more, then you should just run). Close the gap with a low line toe poke to shin/groin then jab/cross etc. So it's like a 1,2,3.

Any other questions?
Click to expand...

I agree with you about the straight punches being safer, but will have to disagree about the knuckles. It has not yet been proven that either one is safer/better than the other. Take a look at a medical X-ray of a fist, the top two big knuckles are lined up on the bones of the arms providing a solid backing and being the biggest knuckle bones in the hand are harder to break.. of the bottom 3 knuckles only the top to are supported by the wrist. the pinky knuckle is hung out to dry no matter how you look at it and why it is the most common bust knuckle in a fist. The single best knuckle for power transfer is the third knuckle of the hand. At the end of the day it ends up being a wash for the best way to hit and becomes a matter of preference.The only "safe" straight line hand strike is a palm heel, but even then if you miss you can still end up breaking your fingers.
 
Sooo have you guys established yet whether or not punches are too dangerous for the streetz or what?
 
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