Palm Strike Vs. Punch

 

"Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to go to his class."

-Hong Hi Choi

 

"In the beginners mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few."

 -Suzuki

Today I would like to talk about why one should use the palm, instead of knuckles.

Like many martial artists, when I began training, I first learned how to punch. However, in the years since, while I conditioned my knuckles to be able to punch concrete, inevitably I still wound up breaking five knuckles at various points in time.

Since then, having considered the fact that at best the fist is nothing more than a ball of joints, it occurs to me that hitting anything with the portion of our skeletal system where the bones meet, and thus are at their weakest, seems foolhardy.

It is true that certain styles employ more efficient ways to strike; Chung Do Kwan emphases the first two knuckles, Moo Duk Kwan Tae Kwon Do emphases the index finger knuckle, and Wing Chun the lower three knuckles, especially when lined up with the wrist and forearm.

However, in all the times I have seen someone break a cinderblock with a hand technique, not once have I seen someone utilize the fist. It has always been the palm.

And here is why I think it is more beneficial to strike with the palm; for one, there is more padding over the bone. When using the knuckles there is only a tiny amount of tissue compared to the meat which covers the palm. Because there is more padding, especially at the opponens pollicis and abductor pollicis brevi, the primary point of contact when using a palm technique, the bones themselves are protected from the force inflicted on the other.

When using a fist you risk not only the 27 bones which comprise it, but also the tendons. If executed sloppily as anyone can do, even experts, when exhausted- when using the palm one removes the risk factor to those multiple bones. The wrist must be stabilized to deliver either a punch or palm strike, but with the hand being turned and torqued when utilizing a punch properly, the risk of damage is much greater than the simple hinge involved with the wrist. There is no twisting, which means if the hand does collapse or becomes jammed, most of the tissue won't be damaged if things go wrong.





















However, there are numerous arguments against palm strikes and I would like to focus on diffusing those. It is claimed that because of the wider surface area, less damage can be dealt. That utilizing the palm means there is less distance and range one can use when strikes, as well as being slower. I would like to dispel these notions.

For one the surface area, at least in terms of hand strikes, is not necessarily a true concern. Most of the force from a blow is not generated from the positioning of the hand, but rather from the torso. Additionally, with practice one learns how to distribute force through their strikes in smaller and more concentrated area, no matter what part of the body is being used.

Because one is essentially striking with the tip of the forearm, the forearm is straight and thus channels the energy from the torso more efficiently than a punch could, where each twist of the shoulder, arm, and wrist can potentially reduce the energy transferred from the body. The palm utilizes a straight arm, meaning the kinetic force channeled through the body is not manipulated as much, hence why when using the strike, the energy generated from the heel pivot, knee bending and twist, and wrist torqueing is uninterrupted through the delivery of the arm.

On the argument concerning speed, I would say that because less distance is utilized, and thus one is closer, meaning that it also takes less time to reach the opponent in comparison. So it's a moot point- a punch may be delivered faster mechanically because it is spiraling through the air, but because it has more distance to travel, even if in just inches, it works out to be about the same time as the point of contact the palm would take, since less mechanics are at play in terms of the technique. Each torque will bleed off a small amount of speed. Additionally, a properly executed hand technique will utilize the whole body- so while it is good to have a fast deployment speed of the arm, what will actually ensure the success of the technique is how quickly one can move the entire body, reinforcing the strike. So the actual speed in terms of delivering a good technique rely more on foot speed than on the firing of the arm.

Additionally, if one wants to eliminate the problem of speed, when launching the strike, utilize a knife hand- this will cut down on wind resistance, and as long as one keeps the muscles untensed until the point of impact, it will vastly remove the barrier one has in terms of quickness. Just make sure you actually use your palm at the last instance.

 

"It takes 2 peices of wood to start a fire"

-Unknown