controversy over which is better.
Let me point out the pros and cons of each—then you can decide which one you’d like to use.
When I start to teach law enforcement personnel how to strike, one of the first questions I ask is whether any of them have ever broken their hand in a fight. Usually at least 15 to 20 percent of the officers raise their hands. At least 95 percent of the officers who broke their hands broke them on duty while punching a suspect with a closed fist. While the fist is a natural weapon, one that’s formed almost unconsciously while fighting, it is easily broken in a fight.
I interviewed many of the officers who had broken their hands to see what had gone wrong. The majority of them said that the assault happened so fast that they didn’t have time to make a proper fist. Many of the officers also complained that they had never been taught formally how to make a fist.
Remember that boxers wear heavy gloves when they punch with their fists. Under the gloves, their hands have been professionally wrapped and are protected by yards of gauze and tape. Even with this kind of padding, a professional boxer will occasionally break his hand in a fight.
Your hands are made up of many tiny bones that are easily broken. If you don’t know how to punch correctly, you need to learn the proper technique so that you will not break your hand in a fight on the street. I’ve been lucky; I’ve never broken the bones of my hand in a fight—but I’ve been working on my punching technique for over thirty years.
The majority of the time, if I have to strike, I strike with a palm heel strike. With this strike you make contact with (obviously) the heel of your palm. Your fingers should be tightly held together and your thumb tucked in. (If your thumb sticks out during a strike, it runs the risk of getting damaged. I speak from experience in this department!) The heel of your palm should be thrust out, and your fingers are pulled back—both for maximum impact with the heel of your palm and so that your fingers don’t get in the way (see Fig. 27).
One thing I’ve noticed while training law enforcement officers is that they tend to deliver the palm heel strike with their fingers facing at an approximately 45-degree angle toward their target (see Fig. 28).
I have found that when you do this, your fingers will strike the suspect’s head before the heel of the palm. Although this partial touch with the fingers is momentary, it offers an attacker enough time to prepare to absorb the strike—making it more likely he’ll be able to withstand it (see Fig. 29).
Therefore, when executing a palm heel strike, your fingers should be at an almost 90-degree angle to your forearm—so that you get the maximum impact with the heel of your palm (see Fig. 30).
If your wrist is not flexible enough to strike with your fingers at this angle, bend your elbow back slightly, which will allow the heel of your palm to strike the area correctly (see Fig. 31: bent-elbow palm strike).
You must choose which form of the basic hand strikes you want to use. Most men seem to prefer to use their fists. This is probably how they learned to strike while growing up, and what they have grown to depend on as an adult. Once the shortcomings of the fist strike have been demonstrated, most officers are willing to try the palm heel strike. They discover that the palm heel strike is not difficult to do and can produce a tremendous amount of power. I like the power the palm heel strike generates from both long and short ranges. I have never used my fists in a street fight—only palm heel strikes—and have never lost. Finally, to the general public, the palm heel strike does not look as offensive as a punch with a fist.
Whatever basic hand strike you decide to use, make sure that you practice the fundamentals so that your hands are an asset and not a liability in a fight. Whether you use your palm or your fist, the basic jab starts from the basic self-defense boxing stance explained in chapter 3.
The Palm Heel Jab
First, push off with your rear foot, moving your body weight forward into the strike (see Figs. 32 and 33).
As your body moves forward, your waist should turn slightly into the strike to add the rotation of your hip to the force of the strike.
As your waist turns, your upper torso should also turn, adding the power of your shoulder muscles to the strike. Your arm should be extending while your shoulder and upper torso are turning. The heel of your palm should be thrust out toward your intended target like a piston.
On impact, if you are striking with the heel of your palm, quickly jerk your fingers back, snapping the heel of your palm into your attacker (see Fig. 34).
Upon completing a palm heel jab, tuck your head into your shoulder to protect against a counterpunch to the vulnerable knockout band on your jaw (see Fig. 35).
As soon as you’ve delivered the blow, return your hand immediately to its original, “ready” position. Do not get lazy and let your hand drop after the moment of impact, as this habit leaves you vulnerable to a counterstrike over your hand and into your face (see Figs. 36 and 37).
The Boxer’s Jab
The same mechanical principles apply in executing a boxer’s jab. The only difference is that you use your fist instead of the heel of your palm (see Fig. 38). The basic fist formation consists of closing