Good old punches have proven themselves. They are also the most frequent attacks, far ahead of any other strikes. However, there are other ways to use your hands, less traumatic and just as effective, or even more effective depending on the area impacted.
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A clout VS A slap
Although a good old punch works, it is mostly for a sociological reason.
Let’s caricature things a little: the big punch that stains is virile, powerful and supposed to send you to the ground straight away, at least in theory. It is the weapon of the alpha males!
On the other hand, the slap is the one girls use in the schoolyard. There’s nothing impressive about it. It looks messy and there’s nothing virile in it!
However, the collective perception is far from reality, because an open-handed attack can be pretty devastating, even more than a punch, depending on the situations.
One of the advantages of an open-handed attack is that the area you hit is much larger.
A good punch should be thrown with the kentos to reduce the impact surface as much as possible and cause maximum damage on a very precise area, generally the jaw (point 5 of the stomach meridian, for the experts). The blow often results in a KO if it is well executed.
A “slap” – in quotes since there are several ways of attacking with an open hand, whether it is with the palm, the hollow hand, or simply using the fingers – will have a wider area of impact and will therefore be more likely to hit a sensitive area.
But it is still unfavorable in terms of power since the shock wave will be less concentrated, causing less damage on a wider area.
Once again, it all depends on the situation.
How to slap well
When it comes to the power released, a punch or a slap mobilizes the same mass at roughly the same speed. The major difference between the two attacks is the area of impact, as explained above.
Is the punch better? Not necessarily.
Let’s not forget that you will find no protection in the street!
The great disadvantage of a punch is the high risk of injury – usually fractured metacarpal bones – for a dubious result if you are not precise enough.
And we’re only talking about bone-on-bone impact. Imagine for a moment hitting a wall because you missed your target.
Furthermore a disabled hand can change the outcome of a fight if the first blow did not prove decisive.
An open-handed strike is much less risky, except for twisting a finger which is not at all pleasant either! Moreover, as the palm is a fleshy part that is able to bear shocks, it is possible to hit hard areas, including the whole face.
With its width, and although the power on impact is more diluted, it becomes possible to hit sensitive areas deep down and cause real damage.
An open hand is also more versatile in practice since it allows you to quickly alternate between palm, hollow hand (to perforate eardrums for example, by over-pressuring the ears) or fingers (to pierce the eyes). Without going that far, it is also useful to mask his eyes and thus prevent him for seeing what you’re doing.
In the heat of the action, keeping your hands wide open can also allow you to catch his clothes or his keys.
Last but not least, counterattack with your hand open will be considered less reprehensible by the judges in case of a trial. Don’t underestimate that!
In short, getting used to open-handed strikes means giving yourself new possibilities while avoiding potential injuries.
Of course, in self defense we look for the “least worst” if I may say so, and there will probably be damages in combat, but nothing prevents us from limiting these as much as possible as long as it doesn’t prevent us from being efficient.
