Martial Arts Hand Strikes — How To Protect Your Hands

In most martial arts disciplines, the hands play a very important part. It is, therefore, essential that the martial arts practitioner takes the best possible care of his hands by protecting and strengthening them. A bad sprain or break might put him out of action for months, something which is largely avoidable.

Heavy impact to the hand could damage the many small bones making up the hand. Incorrectly or inadvertently striking a hard object or a hard part of an opponent’s body could cause the metacarpals to splay and break. This could be avoided by taping the hands in order to hold the metacarpal bones together. You can toughen your bones by striking objects, inducing the bone cells to remodel the bone at the struck area and increasing the density of the bone.

The wrist can also be taped in order to reduce wrist flex. It is important to keep the wrist properly aligned when executing a fist strike; if it bends on impact, it could easily become dislocated, sprained or broken.

The “Karate Chop” or Knifehand Strike

This strike is performed using the side of the hand from the little finger to the wrist. In many Oriental martial arts systems, the knifehand is used to block as well as to strike. Suitable targets for this strike are the throat, the jugular, the mastoid neck muscles, the collar bones, the upper arm, third vertebra, knee cap, wrist and elbow.

The Spear Hand Strike

Delivery is as with a punch but with the hand held open as with a knifehand. The tips of the fingers are the intended striking area. Appropriate targets are the eyes and throat. Because of
the high probability of breaking one’s fingers, the spearhand technique is generally not suitable against most other targets.

The Ridge Hand Strike

Also called the reverse knifehand. The striking surface is formed by tucking the thumb into the palm, and extends a few inches along the side of the hand from the index finnger to knuckle. Ridge hand strikes are commonly performed with a hooking motion or a straight arm swing. Suitable targets are the throat, jugular, mastoid neck muscles, jaw, nose and groin.

The Hammerfist Strike

Here one strikes with the underside of the clenched fist, as in swinging a hammer, but it can also be done horizontally as with a backfist strike. There is no threat to the bones of the hand as there is no compression to the knuckles or the metacarpals. There is also no leverage to bend the wrist.

The hammerfist is particularly effective for striking the nose, jaw, ear, temples, strenum and wrist (for blocking punches). The hammerfist strike is sometimes used in mixed martial arts to avoid damaging the bones of the hand.

Extended Knuckle Strike

Rather than striking with the traditional fist punch, hand strikes can be delivered with one knuckle extended, usually the middle or index finger knuckle. Because impact is made with the knuckle, force is concentrated onto a smaller area. This type of strike is suitable for attacks to pressure points.

The Palm Strike

This involves striking with the bottom part of the palm, the area where the hand joins the wrist. The hand is held perpendicular to the wrist to avoid hitting the softer wrist tissue against the target. The palm strike is as effective as a closed fist when performed properly, as the heel of the hand makes a surprisingly solid striking surface. There is far less risk of injury to the striker’s hand.

When executing any kind of fist strike, it is good practice to keep the fist clench relaxed until just before impact in order to maximise the speed of the punch. This is because clenching the fist counters the action of the wrist muscles used in punching. There are several suitable targets, some examples being the jaw, nose, ears, back of the head, the kidneys, abdomen and groin.

You can see that it is essential to take adequate precautions in protecting your hands, if you are to get the most enjoyment out of your sport.