NinjaChristian
Green Belt
How much conditioning does it take to be able to punch someone in the head without serious injury? If you punch someone in the top of the head coming down, does conditioning matter, or will your knuckles just break?
Knuckle vs Skull...
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To whom?
Um, so.. you're 6 foot plus and you want to punch a 5 year old in the head?
That's about the only way what you're describing would happen...
Glad you said that because I've just spent the last ten minutes trying to work out what the OP meant and couldn't. I'll let the cat get back to sleep now.
What in the world are you talking about? People dive toward people, the time. Bam, there is the top of the head. Plus, if he is down, and you are standing, over him, he may use his head to block.
drop bear
Sr. Grandmaster
Dont do that second thing.
If they are doing a sneaky brian denahey. Fake the shot then upper cut them.
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NinjaChristian
Green Belt
Injury to the person executing the punch to the top of the skull.
well your half right... I am six foot(about). In my taekwondo class there was a man there who told me of the following experience: He was walking out the door of a room, when a man in the next room grabbed him by the hair (he had long hair) and went to punch him in the face, punching from over his head at a downward angle. Instinctively, he lowered his head and tensed his neck, so that the mans punch struck the top of his skull. The guy that told me the story said that the mans hand hardly looked human after that, while himself he hardly felt a thing.
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NinjaChristian
Green Belt
What I want to know is, if I punch someone full force in the face, am I looking at breaking my knuckles? I have reasonable conditioned knuckles, for those of you who break wood, I can break two 12" by 10" by 3/4" thick pine boards with my right or left hand, possibly three with my right (not tried yet). what is it like to punch someone in the face? Does it put similar stress on the hand as breaking wood does? By the way, I am not looking forward to punching anybody in the face, but am simply trying to be prepared should I have to defend myself.
One of the many reasons why you don't want to punch someone in the head.
I usually use palm heel or hammer fist. They don't break as easily.
I use a backhand too but that is almost exclusively against the armpit.
EDIT: The face is a bad target if your opponent has a good defense. But generally, you are looking for a weak or unguarded target. Be patient and do what you know. If you have questions about what you can or can't do, save that for another time.
I usually use palm heel or hammer fist. They don't break as easily.
I use a backhand too but that is almost exclusively against the armpit.
EDIT: The face is a bad target if your opponent has a good defense. But generally, you are looking for a weak or unguarded target. Be patient and do what you know. If you have questions about what you can or can't do, save that for another time.
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NinjaChristian
Green Belt
My taekwondo studio teaches strikes to the head, such as a punch to the philtrum, or backfist to the temple. I am aware of other "vital" points, such as the nerve just above the eye, the cheek bone, and the nose, but are any of these reasonable safe to punch, even if you have well conditioned knuckles? Since my knuckles are well conditioned, do I have to worry about them breaking upon impact with any of the said vital points? What areas of the head should I avoid punching?
If you have good form, the face is generally not all that dangerous. If they duck their chin, their forehead is a little more dangerous. (The only time I broke my hand in a fight was punching a brick wall.)
A closed fist limits your options and requires a lot of resources to pull off. Since most people keep their hands by their face. You are punching through or around a guard. If you are trained for it and are quick, Cool. If not, you should be more worried about your own face or ribs. The Sternum or armpit are my favorite targets. Grab an arm and that side of his body opens up. Break a rib to shock him, then its just clean up.
What my instructor used to say, "If you are afraid of getting hurt. Stay out of the fight." I expect to break bones Punch somebody. Maybe you break your hand. It's not your only weapon. Keep fighting, your pain may cause them to hesitate. Accept pain, fight to the death. You let the fear get into your head and now you are fighting yourself. Stay calm, do what you know. Look for the soft targets and stay away from their strengths. Any opponent you can catch off guard you can defeat. Confusion is your ally. Rock 'em from an unexpected angle and let the shock carry you.
A closed fist limits your options and requires a lot of resources to pull off. Since most people keep their hands by their face. You are punching through or around a guard. If you are trained for it and are quick, Cool. If not, you should be more worried about your own face or ribs. The Sternum or armpit are my favorite targets. Grab an arm and that side of his body opens up. Break a rib to shock him, then its just clean up.
What my instructor used to say, "If you are afraid of getting hurt. Stay out of the fight." I expect to break bones Punch somebody. Maybe you break your hand. It's not your only weapon. Keep fighting, your pain may cause them to hesitate. Accept pain, fight to the death. You let the fear get into your head and now you are fighting yourself. Stay calm, do what you know. Look for the soft targets and stay away from their strengths. Any opponent you can catch off guard you can defeat. Confusion is your ally. Rock 'em from an unexpected angle and let the shock carry you.
hoshin1600
Senior Master
Non martial artists punch each other in the head all the time in a bar room on a regular basis and the emergency rooms at the hospital are not swamped with drunk guys with broken hands.
So the question should be thought about in more detail and not just black and white answers.
So the question should be thought about in more detail and not just black and white answers.
You may not hurt you hand punching someone but a word of warning, if the police are called because there's a fight, they won't know the rights and wrongs immediately and will check your hands for marks/redness etc. any sign of fighting. You may find yourself arrested and/or having to explain your actions.
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NinjaChristian
Green Belt
This is the answer that I was looking for. Thank you very much for the answers everyone
Only if the guy is as thick as two planks.
Completely agree. There are places to attack the head and ways to do it more or less safely. Vulnerabilities exist, but so do risks to the person doing the punching.
As others mentioned, the human skull has hard and soft areas, joints, and nerve clusters, all of which can be attacked in different ways.
Personally, I have had the experience of punching someone in the head incorrectly and being unable to hold a pencil in either hand for nearly a week afterwards. I do not recommend it. On the other side of that coin, a circular fist bump with the inner side of the base of the thumb to the back of the neck can be quite the cage-rattling experience for the person whose noggin gets so tapped, and it takes very little power at all.
donald1
Senior Master
Why punch someone in the face? Its quite likley you will hit them in the nose. Too much blood. Bellow the ribs is also a good target.
As for breaking your knuckles... do you condition your hands?
Im not sure how conditioned they would need to be to hit someones face. I never really strike there. Im not sure if I ever have in the past either
In self-defense, no such thing as 'too much blood' really. In fact, the nose is a good target, because a broken nose bleeds like a leaky paint bucket, hurts like the dickens, and tends to distract the attacker as they moan and clutch their face; makes it harder for them to continue the attack. It's like a free gift to the person being attacked; why NOT break it?
The main reason I might want to avoid attacking the nose is because it's very close to the teeth. Teeth break, yes, but they also often cut up the knuckles of the person doing the punching, and the human mouth is quite infectious.
Lots of targets on the face that don't require knuckle or hand conditioning. Of course, there are many places on the human head that would be bad to hit with the closed fist also.
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