I have often asked if there is one strike that you can count on in most self-defense situations.

I don't like using a one-size-fits-all because it depends on the situation and it depends upon the individual.

But if I have to answer the question: "If I could only teach you one strike for self-protection, what would it be"?

I would have to say I would teach you the palm strike.

Let's look at what I want a strike to do it any self-protection situation

First, I want the strike to stop the physical momentum of the attacker.

This will stop the initial attack. We do this by physically stopping the attacker and putting them off-balance. I also want force blunt trauma to their head giving them the brain rattle which can cause dizziness, disorientation, and maybe even a knockout.

Second I want it to disrupt the attackers thought process with pain.

In a way, I'm trying to short circuit their brain.

This inhibits the attacker from carrying out their plan, or being able to rethink the situation. It stops them from being able to follow up cognitively with other attacks.

We do this by the strike inflicting severe pain. Making the attacker react to the pain stimuli in their body rather than continuing to attack.

I believe the palm strike does both of those things in one nice little package.

The target area for the strike is the high-level, meaning anywhere above the shoulders. When striking to the head, there good targets and there are better targets when using the palm strike. The best targets are the eyes, nose, and chin. Under stress you may not be able to hit these precise targets, however even if you hit the hardest part of the skull you will still get a desired effect without doing much damage to your hand.

Under the best circumstances:

When using the palm strike you have three weapons striking at once. Those three weapons are striking three vulnerable targets. 

• The fingertips striking straight into the eyes
• The top part of the palm making contact with tip of the nose
• The heel of the palm striking the chin and the lip area

I have seen up to six different ways to perform a palm strike.

In World War II combatives they use the palm in many ways; I will list the top 3:

Tiger Strike, this strike uses the fingertips striking into the eyes first.

The Chin Jab, this was an inside technique that focused on striking straight up into the chin.

The Face Smash, this uses the palm to smash down on opponents face using the heel of the palm.

Martial arts schools sometimes use a slight variation of these 3.

For this Article I will just focus on a simple version. 

Basically all you're doing is shoving your hand it to someone's face anyway you can, fast and hard. 

This palm strike is a straight strike with less of a circular pattern, giving it stopping power.

Another great thing about the palm strike is that the concept remains the same even if you're in a grappling situation. You can use it as a chin shove or a face push when they are too close to strike. This will create distance to strike or flee.

How to perform the palm Strike:

To start, hold your hand in front of you, fingers spread slightly apart pulling your fingers back and flex your wrist so that your hand it resembles a 45° angle. You can strike straight in, you can strike in an upward angle, it really doesn't matter for this beginner strike. If your hand is slightly turned toward the inside or outside the palm strike will still do damage. It is very forgiving to you, yet very devastating to the opponent.

As with all self-defense strikes, I recommend trying to get as much of your body weight behind each strike as possible. That way you're not just hitting with arm strength, but you are hitting with your bodyweight using your palm as the weapon.

Another great thing about the palm strike is that you can throw it from a traditional boxer stance, or any of you're ready stances. It is also effective if you are caught with your hands down at your sides, and when you are caught by surprise.

What the strike does to the opponent:

First the strike stops there forward momentum by tipping the attackers head back putting the weight on their heels. At the same time the head is snapping back causing a whiplash effect to the cervical spine.

This  blunt force trauma to their head also gives them the brain rattle which can cause dizziness, disorientation, and maybe even a knockout.

The second thing the strike does is it inflicts pain into one, or all of the three primary targets of the face.

Fingertips will strike the eyes, the top part of the palm will strike of the nose, and the base of your palm heel will strike the chin or the lip area.

All three of these when struck individually causes sharp pain to the attacker. This aids in stopping them from being able to cognitively think about their attack.

Even if only one of the vulnerable targets is struck, it is very difficult for someone to overcome that kind of pain within a few seconds.

A few seconds is all you need for that window of opportunity to escape. 

How to practice:

Get a 1 gallon jug plastic and have a training partner hold it by the handle in front of you about their head level.

Slowly strike into the target. At this level it doesn't matter what part of your hand strikes, I do recommend trying to focus on your palm making first contact. Make good contact in a slow-motion fashion getting the feel of the strike.

Next you can grab a pillow and start adding a little bit of snap and power to the strike.

For those of you that want more, you can then move your way up to a heavy bag. Be careful not to strike too hard at first injuring the hand. A heavy bag is not as forgiving as a pillow.

To get a better feel of how the strike works you can use a target such as a BOB. This will show you how it feels on your hand as you make solid contact. It also shows what the head and neck will do when struck the way I described.

Finally you can then have a partner gear up with a headgear and mouthpiece, and practice on a live person. Do not strike your training partner as hard as you were striking the training devises. Be kind to your training partner and increase the power as they get used to it.

Performing on a live person even with safety gear on, you will soon see how devastating the strike can be.

In summary:

 A self-defense strike should: 

• Stop the physical momentum of the attacker.
• Interrupt the brain function of the attacker.

To perform the palm strike:

• Pull your fingers back and flex your wrist to a 45 degree angle.
• Strike straight out into the target.
• Put as much weight behind the strike as possible.

Just think of putting your palm in someone's face fast and hard!

As you get better at the strike you can start adding target acquisition and power strikes from different positions you may find yourself in.

Have fun with this and always,

Train Safe!