Hand Strikes

Strikes to boney structures

Strikes to soft or boney structures

Strikes to softer areas

Strikes to boney structures

When striking bony structures such as areas of the skull like the nose, chin or eyes, avoid hand or wrist injuries by using the following strikes instead of a closed-fisted punch.

Palm Strike: Strike your assailant in an upward direction, with the bony lower outer corner of your palm.

Bear Strike: This is a variation of the palm strike. Begin with your thumbs lying against the center of your chest, palms facing each other and slightly forward, and fingers up. Appear timid as shown in the diagram. As soon as the assailant is close enough, unleash quickly alternating palm strikes, returning to the center of your chest in between each strike. This strike generates power through speed and a larger number of hits.

Phoenix Eye: Make a fist, raise the second knuckle on your index finger and press your thumb against this finger just below the protruded knuckle. Push into your assailant's eye, Adam's apple or ribs with this knuckle.

Double Dragon: Whip your hand at the assailant's face as if flinging a small object, penetrating the eyes with 2 or more fingers.

dragon strike

Strikes to soft or boney structures

Eagle Claw: Slap your open palm against your assailant's body. Immediately upon impact curl your fingers grabbing onto your assailant's loose skin at one or two of the locations in the following diagram. As your fingers tightly curl, the folds of skin within each finger is crushed and stretched as you squeeze. Love handles, Lateral pectorials, upper underarm, throat, face, back of thigh and crotch are all good areas to attack.
eagle strike
Muscle Pinch: Use your thumb, pointer and index finger to firmly pinch narrow masses of muscle. Any muscular tissue that can be pinched and allows your thumb and fingers to come within a few inches of each other, makes a good target. One of the best targets is the lateral section of the pectorial muscle just to the inner side of the arm pit. The bicep, tricep, and muscular areas of the neck also make good targets. The more muscular your attacker is, the more painful and effective this pinch can be.

Strikes to softer areas

Knife Hand: (Karate Chop) Use the edge of your hand like the blade of a knife to chop at your assailant's throat or neck.

Tiger Claw: This technique is very deadly. The martial arts version of this technique instructs you to reach for the assailant's throat. Dig your thumb and fingers into his skin just deep to the Adam's apple, pinch your thumb and fingers together, and pull. Traditionally the purpose of this technique was to rip out your opponent's voice box resulting in death. For practical self-defensive purposes it is usually better to retain a firm grip while slightly pinching your fingers and thumb together. Walk toward your opponent pushing his neck backward forcing him to back up. You can now use your grip to guide him by his throat to the floor. Or simultaneously release your grip and strike his throat again using the edge of your hand between your index finger and thumb. Remember, fully closing your grip behind the Adam's apple to the point where your thumb touches your fingers can be fatal. Pulling the Adam's apple can also be extremely damaging and fatal. Use extreme caution when learning and practicing this technique. First, position your thumb and fingers on your own throat and gently slowly pinch behind the Adam's apple to determine how much force is needed. It really only takes a few millimeters to cause extreme discomfort! It is dangerous to practice this technique on other people. First practice it on an inanimate object. Then practice it very gently on a partner.

Cobra Strike:
With fingers pressed together, and thumb tight against the side of your hand, strike with the tips of all four fingers. Lash out like a cabra. Penetrate through the soft target. Aim for the Adam's apple, or eye.
cobra strike


Forward Punch: When striking the softer areas of the body like the crotch or stomach a punch is usually more effective than an open-hand strike. Make a fist with your thumb on the outside of your fingers, and strike with the two first knuckles of your index and middle finger. This strike like all others should be practiced on a large punching bag. It is very easy to let your wrist buckle when striking and thus possibly injuring your wrist. The risk of wrist buckling can be reduced by keeping your two striking knuckles in alignment with the center of your wrist and the rest of your forearm when striking. You should also wrap your wrists with athletic tape when practicing on a punching bag.

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