Palm Strikes in Street Fight?

[Adnan Adil]

I wonder how many of you, guys, have used or at least seen someone to use palm strikes in a street fight. Everybody can read on a million places on the internet how effective they are and how safe are those kind of strikes compared with the good old punches. In the recent months I have changed my shadowboxing and heavy bag and I have switched mainly to palm strikes, but I keep thinking is this needed at all. So what are your thoughts on this and mainly- do you have any experience with palm strikes?

 

[tekkenfan]

good for gnp for sure or up close but id not go out of my way t use them tbh if u can beat people in a gym u can beat un trained people in the street

 

[Adnan Adil]

good for gnp for sure or up close but id not go out of my way t use them tbh if u can beat people in a gym u can beat un trained people in the street

The so called "slap sparring" is part of my routine for years, but I have never imagined that strikes with open hands could be main weapon in a serious fight.

 

[IndyCovaHart]

They can surely knock a muthafucka out dough.

 

[RightToBareKnuckles]

i've never been in a street fight or anything, but since you lose like 3-5 inches of reach with a palm strike, no need to make it your primary strike. and i guess there's still a risk of injuring your finger throwing a palm strike. but also no need to exclude them or anything

 

[Adnan Adil]

They can surely knock a muthafucka out dough.

Yes, they have the same firepower like the punches. The difference is that they are softer, with bigger surface of impact and are available from smaller number of angles.

i've never been in a street fight or anything, but since you lose like 3-5 inches of reach with a palm strike, no need to make it your primary strike. and i guess there's still a risk of injuring your finger throwing a palm strike. but also no need to exclude them or anything

The finger injuries are nasty. I had few and I still remember them, they are so painful. For straight strikes you have longer reach with the punches, but for the hooks I think the reach advantage is for the palm strikes. And yes, your opinion is shared from many people- more weapons, better fighter, but... If you have too big arsenal it would be hard to be good with all of these weapons. Also it is good to stick with something, because you can easily screw something in the heat of the fight and... that is not good, not good at all.

 

[ShadowoftheSun]

If you're aiming for the face, I'd consider them over punches. To the body, punches all the way.

If you throw a palm strike with the fingers extended you can eyegouge and then have the hand collapse into a palm strike - I think a lot of the combatives guys use techniques like that, but I don't know how practical they actually are.

I still think that a good pair of running shoes is probably the best street fight technique.

 

[tekkenfan]

The so called "slap sparring" is part of my routine for years, but I have never imagined that strikes with open hands could be main weapon in a serious fight.

i think you gotta hit right on the jaw though with your open hand t really hurt

 

[Adnan Adil]

If you're aiming for the face, I'd consider them over punches. To the body, punches all the way.

If you throw a palm strike with the fingers extended you can eyegouge and then have the hand collapse into a palm strike - I think a lot of the combatives guys use techniques like that, but I don't know how practical they actually are.

I still think that a good pair of running shoes is probably the best street fight technique.

Gouging someone's eyes is not very good ideal generally in aspect of law problems after the fight. And yes, it is a bad even to see some fingers which are coming in the direction of your eyes. This is going to make you to close your eyes and or flinch.

i think you gotta hit right on the jaw though with your open hand t really hurt

Yes, the jaw line is the main target in a fight. But all those people who claim that if your opponent ducks and you hit his forehead instead of his face, forget that if you use palm strike in the same scenario, you might break your wrist, because the point of impact would be too high on your hand.

 

[the_winding_way]

If you're aiming for the face, I'd consider them over punches. To the body, punches all the way.

If you throw a palm strike with the fingers extended you can eyegouge and then have the hand collapse into a palm strike - I think a lot of the combatives guys use techniques like that, but I don't know how practical they actually are.

I still think that a good pair of running shoes is probably the best street fight technique.

If you succssfully poke someone in the eyes I think you can pretty much do what you want for a little while afterwards.

 

[Adnan Adil]

If you succssfully poke someone in the eyes I think you can pretty much do what you want for a little while afterwards.

You are right, but if you make him or her blind with this eye- you are going to jail for a long time. That is why I think the eye pokes are not a good idea. It might be strange for some people, but I also consider this type of move for... not honorable.

 

[the_winding_way]

You are right, but if you make him or her blind with this eye- you are going to jail for a long time. That is why I think the eye pokes are not a good idea. It might be strange for some people, but I also consider this type of move for... not honorable.

I'm not advocating it, was just responding to the guy who wasn't sure that and a follow up technique would work as a combo.

That said, in a situation I felt was life and death, I wouldn't think twice about going for the eyes. Self preservation trumps honour. Also, if there's an expectation of a certain ruleset being followed (no gouging, biting, hair pulling etc) then I don't even consider it a real street fight.

 

[Paolo Delutis]

I wonder how many of you, guys, have used or at least seen someone to use palm strikes in a street fight. Everybody can read on a million places on the internet how effective they are and how safe are those kind of strikes compared with the good old punches. In the recent months I have changed my shadowboxing and heavy bag and I have switched mainly to palm strikes, but I keep thinking is this needed at all. So what are your thoughts on this and mainly- do you have any experience with palm strikes?

They are very effective..great for distracting and break holds..and creating damage on your opponent while remaining unharmed yourself..

If you learn the different versions of it , it can end a situation on the street very fast..japanese jiujitsu has some great open hand strikes to various points along the jaw and head and can ko or rock an opponent with very little force or impact to yourself..

Id only use this strike in the streets if i feel like my life is in danger or i need to handle a situation fast, like if im with my children or wife and we are accosted or attacked..it can do some real damage to untrained people

 

[Adnan Adil]

I'm not advocating it, was just responding to the guy who wasn't sure that and a follow up technique would work as a combo.

That said, in a situation I felt was life and death, I wouldn't think twice about going for the eyes. Self preservation trumps honour. Also, if there's an expectation of a certain ruleset being followed (no gouging, biting, hair pulling etc) then I don't even consider it a real street fight.

I absolutely agree with you, man! Yeah, if there are rules- this is not a real street fight which demands self protection, this is organized fight generally... Still- I believe that there are some rules, which are not written, which are not told, but they are something like code of behavior in a fight. Agree with the fact that not many people would go directly for groin kick or grab, not many people would go directly for your eyes or start biting you. Even in wars there are some rules, until there is total war (life and death situation in terms of street fighting).

They are very effective..great for distracting and break holds..and creating damage on your opponent while remaining unharmed yourself..

If you learn the different versions of it , it can end a situation on the street very fast..japanese jiujitsu has some great open hand strikes to various points along the jaw and head and can ko or rock an opponent with very little force or impact to yourself..

Id only use this strike in the streets if i feel like my life is in danger or i need to handle a situation fast, like if im with my children or wife and we are accosted or attacked..it can do some real damage to untrained people

Still I am not sure how fragile are the humans hands. Still I am not sure how useful are the palm strikes compared with the fists and lastly- why nobody uses them in street fight. If you listen to the experts, they will advise you to use palm strikes, or vertical punches and some would say diagonal punches. Most of the self defense experts advise to avoid using horizontal punches to the head, but the reality is that most fighters use them on the street and they are quite damn effective with them.

 

[sweetviolenturg]

I wonder how many of you, guys, have used or at least seen someone to use palm strikes in a street fight. Everybody can read on a million places on the internet how effective they are and how safe are those kind of strikes compared with the good old punches. In the recent months I have changed my shadowboxing and heavy bag and I have switched mainly to palm strikes, but I keep thinking is this needed at all. So what are your thoughts on this and mainly- do you have any experience with palm strikes?

I've used a palm heel strike to KO an opponent on one occasion during a situation with a drunk "friend" that insisted on "slap boxing" with me & who just wouldn't take no for an answer. He was the type of guy that started out the night cool but who got increasingly loud & aggressive the more beer he drank.
And, although he was well aware of the fact that I was a pro fighter ( as well as a black belt in Hawaiian Kempo ) I think he always harbored the notion that because he had a few inches & about 20 pounds on me that he could take me. He never said so but when he drank his attitude toward me changed. So, on that particular night, he decided that he was going to try to scratch that itch.
I did everything that I could to dissuade him & warn him off but he just became more & more of an asshole until finally, he smacked the back of my head as I was talking to another one of our friends. Which is something that I just can't stand. So, I lost my temper & hit him alongside the head with a short hooking palm strike to the temple that dropped him in a heap.
Thankfully, I didn't use a closed fist on his face like I wanted to or he'd have lost some teeth. But, the palm was plenty effective enough & he was properly chagrinned when he got to his feet. Needless to say, he'd had enough & he made himself scarce afterward.
On another occasion, during an argument with my then-wife she tried to prevent me from leaving our apartment while continuing to berate me so I lost my temper & "slapped" our oak bedroom door & split it down the middle with my palm. Which again demonstrates just how much power one can get behind a palm heel strike.
Used properly, they can be quite devastating.

 

[Adnan Adil]

I've used a palm heel strike to KO an opponent on one occasion during a situation with a drunk "friend" that insisted on "slap boxing" with me & who just wouldn't take no for an answer. He was the type of guy that started out the night cool but who got increasingly loud & aggressive the more beer he drank.
And, although he was well aware of the fact that I was a pro fighter ( as well as a black belt in Hawaiian Kempo ) I think he always harbored the notion that because he had a few inches & about 20 pounds on me that he could take me. He never said so but when he drank his attitude toward me changed. So, on that particular night, he decided that he was going to try to scratch that itch.
I did everything that I could to dissuade him & warn him off but he just became more & more of an asshole until finally, he smacked the back of my head as I was talking to another one of our friends. Which is something that I just can't stand. So, I lost my temper & hit him alongside the head with a short hooking palm strike to the temple that dropped him in a heap.
Thankfully, I didn't use a closed fist on his face like I wanted to or he'd have lost some teeth. But, the palm was plenty effective enough & he was properly chagrinned when he got to his feet. Needless to say, he'd had enough & he made himself scarce afterward.
On another occasion, during an argument with my then-wife she tried to prevent me from leaving our apartment while continuing to berate me so I lost my temper & "slapped" our oak bedroom door & split it down the middle with my palm. Which again demonstrates just how much power one can get behind a palm heel strike.
Used properly, they can be quite devastating.

Well done, man! You have good lesson to this drunk looser. Of course you could avoid it, but I understand you- some situations just escalate too fast- the slap behind the neck is something very annoying. And as I see you still think that the punches are more devastating compared with the fists. But honestly I think that you are the first guy who says that he actaully used a palm strike in a fight, not sparring or some drill.

 

[Paolo Delutis]

I absolutely agree with you, man! Yeah, if there are rules- this is not a real street fight which demands self protection, this is organized fight generally... Still- I believe that there are some rules, which are not written, which are not told, but they are something like code of behavior in a fight. Agree with the fact that not many people would go directly for groin kick or grab, not many people would go directly for your eyes or start biting you. Even in wars there are some rules, until there is total war (life and death situation in terms of street fighting).



Still I am not sure how fragile are the humans hands. Still I am not sure how useful are the palm strikes compared with the fists and lastly- why nobody uses them in street fight. If you listen to the experts, they will advise you to use palm strikes, or vertical punches and some would say diagonal punches. Most of the self defense experts advise to avoid using horizontal punches to the head, but the reality is that most fighters use them on the street and they are quite damn effective with them.

Depends on your local laws , and where you are striking using palms vs fist can make a huge difference..

For Example , if your striking to the body by all means fist over palm, or even elbow over palm but to the face consider the following with a bare knuckle and no mouthguards there is a high possibility you will strike your attackers mouth at some point which usually results in cuts or damage to your knuckles which will impact on your hands effectiveness in its next strikes also areas of the skull are significantly stronger bone wise then the knuckle breaking your hand in a strike fight can mean the difference between life or death..

To my first point about laws, if you are a trained martial artist and are attacked on the street by and unskilled or mildly skilled opponent beating his face in witj your fist will no doubt leave marks on your hands if your opponent is unable to hurt you in the same way, perhaps when/if the police arrive he calms he was assaulted by you ( common for low lifes and hurt prideful thugs) or witnesses only see you doing the hitting the evidence will be all over your knuckles..where as using a palm can still end the fight and leave no evidence on you that anything took place.. ( dont know why his nose is bleeding officer maybe he hit on the ground as we tussled i never punched him) I live in canada and in some aspects of our laws, criminals are more protected then the victims sometimes..so protecting yourself physically and legally is always prudent

I dont believe palms are stronger then punches but they most certainly have there place as worthy strikes and train them with the rest of the strikes i have been taught at my Japanese Jiujitsu school

Just my 2 cents

 

[sweetviolenturg]

Depends on your local laws , and where you are striking using palms vs fist can make a huge difference..

For Example , if your striking to the body by all means fist over palm, or even elbow over palm but to the face consider the following with a bare knuckle and no mouthguards there is a high possibility you will strike your attackers mouth at some point which usually results in cuts or damage to your knuckles which will impact on your hands effectiveness in its next strikes also areas of the skull are significantly stronger bone wise then the knuckle breaking your hand in a strike fight can mean the difference between life or death..

To my first point about laws, if you are a trained martial artist and are attacked on the street by and unskilled or mildly skilled opponent beating his face in witj your fist will no doubt leave marks on your hands if your opponent is unable to hurt you in the same way, perhaps when/if the police arrive he calms he was assaulted by you ( common for low lifes and hurt prideful thugs) or witnesses only see you doing the hitting the evidence will be all over your knuckles..where as using a palm can still end the fight and leave no evidence on you that anything took place.. ( dont know why his nose is bleeding officer maybe he hit on the ground as we tussled i never punched him) I live in canada and in some aspects of our laws, criminals are more protected then the victims sometimes..so protecting yourself physically and legally is always prudent

I dont believe palms are stronger then punches but they most certainly have there place as worthy strikes and train them with the rest of the strikes i have been taught at my Japanese Jiujitsu school

Just my 2 cents

Excellent points.
If you don't mind my asking, what part of Ontario are you from?
I spent a little time back in the '80s training in Niagara Falls, Ontario with Harold Howard in Jiu-Jitsu back when I was crosstraining in Kenpo Jiu-Jitsu for a while. I got to see Howard's brand of Jiu-Jitsu in action one night when he took us to a bar with nude dancers that a couple of his students worked at as security. And, as luck would have it some biker got out of hand & wound up getting tossed out. It was interesting to witness & it proved to be very effective.
I stayed with Kenpo Jiu-Jitsu through purple belt but then switched over to Hawaiian Kempo/Kajukenbo as it fit much better with my style being that I was a boxer & already had a black belt in kickboxing as well.

 

[sweetviolenturg]

Well done, man! You have good lesson to this drunk looser. Of course you could avoid it, but I understand you- some situations just escalate too fast- the slap behind the neck is something very annoying. And as I see you still think that the punches are more devastating compared with the fists. But honestly I think that you are the first guy who says that he actaully used a palm strike in a fight, not sparring or some drill.

I should point out that not only was I looking out for my "friend"s" well being by using a palm strike rather than my fist but I was looking to protect my hands as well. I had a fight scheduled for the following month & the last thing that I wanted to do was risk breaking my hand on some knucklehead. So, as angry as I was at the moment I had the presence of mind to think before I acted.

 

[Adnan Adil]

Depends on your local laws , and where you are striking using palms vs fist can make a huge difference..

For Example , if your striking to the body by all means fist over palm, or even elbow over palm but to the face consider the following with a bare knuckle and no mouthguards there is a high possibility you will strike your attackers mouth at some point which usually results in cuts or damage to your knuckles which will impact on your hands effectiveness in its next strikes also areas of the skull are significantly stronger bone wise then the knuckle breaking your hand in a strike fight can mean the difference between life or death..

To my first point about laws, if you are a trained martial artist and are attacked on the street by and unskilled or mildly skilled opponent beating his face in witj your fist will no doubt leave marks on your hands if your opponent is unable to hurt you in the same way, perhaps when/if the police arrive he calms he was assaulted by you ( common for low lifes and hurt prideful thugs) or witnesses only see you doing the hitting the evidence will be all over your knuckles..where as using a palm can still end the fight and leave no evidence on you that anything took place.. ( dont know why his nose is bleeding officer maybe he hit on the ground as we tussled i never punched him) I live in canada and in some aspects of our laws, criminals are more protected then the victims sometimes..so protecting yourself physically and legally is always prudent

I dont believe palms are stronger then punches but they most certainly have there place as worthy strikes and train them with the rest of the strikes i have been taught at my Japanese Jiujitsu school

Just my 2 cents

Yeah, I agree with you about the damage on the knuckles. The public prosecutor and the judge also would look at details like this. By the way- it is very hard to know is a certain situation a fight to life and death or just it seems like this. Many times the bullies retreat within seconds after taking a little damage and if the "victim" doesn't stop- we have a crime. You know- sometimes the eyes of the fear are big.

I should point out that not only was I looking out for my "friend"s" well being by using a palm strike rather than my fist but I was looking to protect my hands as well. I had a fight scheduled for the following month & the last thing that I wanted to do was risk breaking my hand on some knucklehead. So, as angry as I was at the moment I had the presence of mind to think before I acted.

So you agree that the punches more damaging? However if the guy is not on drugs, drunk or crazy- the punches can be more effective IMO, because you are going to inflict more damage to the face. A bare knuckle punch to the face, the temples or even the forehead is quite painful for me, while the palm strikes are mainly only shaking my brain.