Punching is unnatural- Yes, there is some research that supports the use of the closed-fist as a striking implement. This goes without saying. Both primates and primitive man likely used their fists to resolve conflict and protect themselves. If we ask a child to strike a pad or some other object without showing them some special striking method we will see this primitive response in action. While a closed fist may be used, it will be performed in a natural and instinctive manner. The emphasis will be on what is commonly referred to as a hammerfist. This is the simple act of performing a large hammering motion with the fist while making contact with the soft portion of the hand just under the little finger. You most certainly will not see a typical boxing-style jab, cross, hook, or uppercut because these are unnatural movement patterns that require specialized training.

Punching poses risk of injury to user- The reality is that punching poses more of a risk for injury to the defender than the attacker. When I teach self-defense I focus on those techniques and tactics that statistically have the highest rate of success. While punching has been shown to work for some people some of the time, it's generally considered to be a low success technique because of the risks that it poses to the user. What many people, especially instructors tend to forget is that the bones of the hands are both smaller and less dense than the bones of the human skull? Why? Simply put, the bones of the hands are designed for movement and dexterity while the bones of the skull are designed to protect the human computer, the brain. When discussing this with my clients I often use the analogy of punching a bowling ball. I ask how many in attendance would be willing to punch a bowling ball with full force? Of course no one raises a hand. Punching the human skull with a closed-fist is no different. If the punching of a bowling ball makes little sense, how can anyone in good conscience promote the idea of punching the human skull in self-defense?

Punching requires years to master- Like many martial arts techniques, punching is a learned motor-skill that generally requires many months and even years to master. Once mastered there is still no guarantee that the user won't receive injury during the use of punches in self-defense. In fact, most people are aware that famous boxer, Mike Tyson broke his hand during a street altercation. If a highly trained boxer of Mike's caliber can't avoid injuring the hand while punching, what can we expect from average men and women with far less training? Keep in mind that the hands represent the ability to protect ourselves. Even if only one hand is injured, the ability to protect ourselves or our loved-ones is greatly diminished.

Hands require protection- Even if a person has mastered the art of punching the hands still require some kind of protection in order to reduce potential injury. This is why boxing gloves were invented. Before that, the old-time fighters would take steps to condition and toughen the hands to withstand the impact. Even in ancient times Roman Gladiators would wear protective gloves (gauntlets) to reduce hand injures during combat. So, in order to keep the hands well protected a person would essentially need to wear gloves 24 hours a day, just in case they happen to get attacked and need to punch. This obviously isn't practical or convenient.

Closed fists appear more aggressive- This goes without saying. If you see two people engaged in a physical altercation and one if punching the other into unconsciousness, what's your first general thought? If you are a reasonably civil person you will likely assume that the person executing the punches is the aggressor. Even if this was a legitimate self-defense situation, bystanders may see a different picture.

Open hand strikes are more natural- Unlike punching, the use of the open hand to push or drive things away from the human body is natural, instinctive and as old as man. Almost everyone can relate to using a simple pushing movement for everyday activities like opening doors, pushing grocery carts and lawn mowers, or even shoving the car off the road after it runs out of gas. By keeping the hand open we properly activate all of the muscles of the hand, arm and upper body that are designed for pushing. This not only makes the “open hand” more natural than punching but it also makes it a more powerful strike for average men and women who have little time or interest in learning to punch like a boxer. Because of the natural nature of this technique it is generally easy to teach and easy for most people to retain with very little training. 

 

Open hand striking appears less aggressive- Obviously the open hand strike appears far less aggressive than punching, especially to bystanders. If we see a situation that involves a series of powerful shoves or open hand slaps, we are less likely to automatically assume that the user is the aggressor. 

 

Open hands are safer for both parties- The very nature of “open hand” strikes makes them very effective. However, the same thing that makes them so effective also makes them safer, for both the intended victim and the attacker. Unlike punches that focus the strike into a smaller surface area of the first two knuckles, the open hand strike spreads the impact evenly out over the entire surface of the hand. This means that we can still use the same amount of power but because the impact is more evenly distributed it greatly reduces the chance of injuring our hands. It also greatly reduces the chance of injuring the facial bones of the attacker. Not only does this reduce potential injury but it increases the effectiveness of the strike. How so? Simple...when we make contact with the entire surface of our hand it spreads the impact energy out over a large area of facial skin. This can result in major stimulation of the facial nerves. When multiple facial nerves are stimulated at the same time it increases the potential for creating nervous system overload. The result of such an overload? A person can be knocked unconscious, obviously. So, not only does an open hand strike allow for a concussive knockout (the brain impacting the inside of the skull) but it also increases the potential for a nervous system knockout. All this is done without risking the small bones of the hands.

Open hands are easier to justify- Based on the above information we can see that not only are “open hand” techniques safer, more effective, and easier to use but they are more easy to defend in a court of law.