Howdy.
Ando here from SenseiAndo.com and Happy Life Martial Arts.
The palm heel strike is a simple and effective self-defense technique.
Unfortunately, when I see many people practicing the palm heel strike either on a heavy bag
or on pads, they actually make it look awkward and ineffective.
Today, let me give you one quick tip to make sure that your palm heel strike feels really
good for you and absolutely awful for the bad guy.
A few years ago, I was playing the part of the bad guy at a women's self-defense workshop
and I saw a woman break her wrist using a palm heel strike.
How could that happen?
I mean, isn't the palm heel strike supposedly the safe alternative to using your fist to
punch somebody in the face?
She thought so!
Well, the answer is yes.
In general, a palm heel strike is safer than a fist, but you still have to do it right.
Doing it right means: #1) hitting with the bottom of your hand.
Not the middle of your palm and not your fingers.
You want to use the heel of your hand.
Heel of your foot, heel of your hand.
The bones at the bottom.
#2) You want to make sure that your body is lined up properly behind your hand.
Let me show you something.
If you saw my video, How to Punch in a Street Fight, you already know my philosophy on hand
strikes: the best fist is the one that fits.
So, let's take a look at how the palm heel strike fits the average heavy bag or, in this
case, a standing bag.
Now, most bags will present you with a rounded surface, much like the human head.
Unless your name is Square Bob Sponge Pants.
Now, here’s the problem.
Most people square up with a rounded bag and when they try to hit the centerline as if
hitting the nose, they hit with a flat palm heel strike.
Do you see the problem with that?
If I square up with you the same way I just squared up with that bag and I lift up my
arms to the centerline, my hands don’t face to the front.
I make a triangle, not a square.
If I want to hit down the centerline with my hand, I actually have to turn my wrist,
or twist it.
That’s not a natural position.
You'll see the same problem with some styles of traditional Karate or Kung Fu where they
might warm up with a squared up stance and fire off punches down the centerline.
Same problem.
If I just lift up my arm naturally, my knuckles are not facing centerline.
To do that, I have to twist my wrist and now I’ve got a flush surface to the front.
Don’t do that.
If you twist your wrist, you're going to break your wrist.
So, how can you use the palm heel safely when attacking on the centerline?
I’ve got two answers for you.
The first answer is to not be so obsessed with hitting the nose straight on or hitting
straight under the chin.
Just let your hand hit on its natural angle.
When you’re hitting the bag, instead of twisting that wrist, just let your hand fit
the contour of the bag.
Let your hand fit the target.
Now, if that means instead of hitting the nose straight on, you’re hitting some cheekbone
and the side of the nose, or you’re catching some of the eye, great.
If instead of the point of the chin you’re hitting a little off-center and driving up
on this angle, great.
Are those still effective shots?
Hell, yeah!
I don’t want to get hit with those.
As a matter of fact, they might be more effective because I think you’ll have more confidence
putting full power behind that strike, unlike the people I see who put themselves in these
awkward positions when they practice.
It’s like they instinctively know that this is not a strong position, so they hold back.
Also, since you’re not going to hurt your hand, or not as likely to hurt your hand,
that means you can hit over and over again, as many times as you need to to escape that
situation safely.
The second way you can hit down the centerline safely with your palm heel, if you absolutely
must hit the nose dead on or hit the chin straight up, is to simply take your body off-line.
Instead of squaring up and trying to put your hand in the middle, put your hand on the target,
but move your body out.
That’s probably a good idea in most situations anyway, to get your body off the centerline.
When you do that, it’s going to feel just like a push-up—shoulder behind your hand.
That’s going to feel pretty strong.
But don’t take my word for it, let's put it to a quick test.
Warning!
If you try this, you might break your wrist.
So, don’t say I didn’t tell you so.
Only try this at your own risk.
But here’s what I’m gong to do.
I’m going to set myself into a push-up position with my hands underneath my shoulders, the
way they should be.
Now, from here, I’m going to take away one hand.
Now, if that’s a palm heel strike, I’d be fine.
My wrist feels good.
Now, let’s set it up the other way.
I’m squared up and I’m thinking about hitting that guy flat on the nose.
All right.
Now I’m going to take away one hand.
Agh!
That sucks.
Don’t do that.
Pretend I never even mentioned this exercise.
That was a stupid test.
If you twist your wrist, you’re going to break your wrist.
Don’t forget that when it comes to the palm heel.
But there’s a bigger lesson here, too.
There's really no such thing as a safe fighting technique.
Every move you learn, every move you practice, has the potential to hurt you, not just the
bad guy.
So, listen to your body and train smart.
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Until next time, keep smiling, my friend, and keep fighting for a happy life.