How to Strike Correctly
Ideally, you will someday find yourself in a situation where you have to physically defend yourself, but if that day ever comes, you better prepare yourself, especially when it comes to how to land a punch. Sure, you’ve seen punches thrown on TV many times, but do you really know how to properly throw one?
To find out, we asked several experts to help us learn the correct way of punching, including the correct way of clenching the fist, the correct orientation of the wrist, which part of the person you should punch, and what you should do. after hitting. The goal is to deliver an effective punch without hurting yourself.
Warning: While knowledge of the basics of punching is helpful, it is also not enough to properly defend without practice. It’s definitely not for you to get into fights, but you should all be smart enough to figure it out on your own.
What your hand should look like
When punching, you need to know that the thumb should be on the outside of the fist, between the first and second joints on the index and middle fingers. “If your thumb is on the inside from hitting a hard target you will break your finger,” Ayman Farouk, second-degree black belt and American martial arts instructor, tells Lifehacker.
In the same vein, Keith Horan, a fourth-degree black belt in Shaolin Kempo Karate, says that the thumb should be held under bent fingers so as not to interfere with punches.
What your joints should look like
Regarding your knuckles, Chris Wagspack, a martial artist in karate and taekwondo, explains that there are different schools of thought about whether you should push your index and middle finger joints a little further when punching your fists to push them. farther. After all, he says it’s more a matter of personal preference and you should do what feels more natural to you.
Horan, meanwhile, recommends using the linear punch that most martial artists do, which looks like a “cross” in boxing:
[This] is known as a front kick or a two-fist punch in the front. It is extremely important that you align the first two joints of your hand with your forearm bones for maximum structure so you don’t get hurt. Usually people hit with their ring / pinky and break their arm (this is called a boxer punch) and this obviously reduces your ability to fight.
So why are knuckles so important when hitting? According to Vegspack, the main reason people injure their hands when they hit someone is “because they hit with the flat side of their fingers, not with their knuckles.” Farouk agrees that you should pay attention to what your wrists look like:
The part of the fist that needs to take a hit is the flat area between the second and third joints. You should keep your wrist straight when hitting to maximize strength. The most common mistake I see with newbies is bending their wrists forward or backward and hitting with the upper arm or the area between the first and second joints and the heel of the palm.
Choose a basic one or two hits
If you’ve watched boxing movies or played a fighting game, you know that there are different types of punches at different speeds and angles. You might be tempted to hit as big and hard as possible because you want to quickly finish off the attacker and get out of there, but Pete Carville, a boxer and boxing instructor, says this isn’t a good idea. Instead, he says that you should choose a basic one-two shot (also known as a jab cross) because it moves in a straight line and is therefore more difficult for your opponent to spot.
In addition, Carville says that the punch should be thrown from the correct stance, and when you do any punch, he explains that your arms should remain at shoulder level:
If your chin is down and the kick comes straight, your shoulder will automatically rise and protect your chin even more. Throw the jab, but don’t throw it too hard – it’s a rangefinder. Then blow up your cross.
Where should you aim
Since you want the battle to end as quickly as possible – you are not only fighting to fight – you want to incapacitate your opponent as quickly and efficiently as possible so that you can escape. So where should you aim for this?
As tempting as it may be to punch your opponent in the face, Horan says it’s the wrong move. “You will either miss, or you will often land the wrong shot, hit the jaw and break your arm. “For beginners, hitting is best to the body, to the chest or, if you are from the side, to the ribs,” he notes.
But Carville suggests a slightly different tactic: aim at a person’s throat, because when he sees an approaching blow, he automatically lowers his head, resting his chin against your fist.
Another strategy courtesy of Waguepack is to blend everything and take body shots. See which parts of his body your opponent left open, and aim there, including the ribs or belly.
And if it hasn’t already been clearly stated, your punches should be fast and compact, not the crazy sharp turns you see from drunken brawlers. The Waguepack recommends using your hips to maximize your strength. To do this, press your hips against the impact. It also forces your shoulder to support the punch, and also engages the core and induces more torque and power through the punch, he explains.
Focus on continuing
After you land the punch, you want to get it right. According to Farouk, this means aiming two inches away from the target so you can punch through it. Execution is so important because it is actually what minimizes the pain you experience when striking. To get it done correctly, your punch must follow a direct path to and from your target.
Punching philosophy
We also want to emphasize that even if you know how to hit, it doesn’t mean that you have to do it, because once you do it, everything will get out of your control. As Carville explains, physically attacking the enemy should be a last resort.
This story was originally published in 2011 and was updated on December 10, 2020 with additional information and adherence to the Lifehacker style guidelines.