My question is on punching, people so-called experts claim the danger involved in punching, I do agree to some degree with them, but having said that, I know loads of people who have used punching to great effect. Personally I use the slap using double hip as my pre-emptive strike, after that I may punch. in short what is your opinion on this?
Take care
John N
Yes I have heard this too. I also believe that many of the Kata especially Naihanchi Shodan was original performed open handed so that would point towards open hand strikes, I think I read in another Forum, that The Japanese formulised the Kata to closed fists for performance of the kata etc.
So there's many versions and this is just one.
many self Defence courses also prescribe to the plam heel strike or the slap as opposed to the Punch for fighting as many untrained people can break their hands within 3 strikes
Many trained can too! I recently had a 6th Dan get a classic 5th metacarpal break from punching on a course with me.
It's horses for courses. I personally teach open hand to the head and closed hand to the body (though I rarely indicate hand strikes to the body and use other striking surfaces). Any bare hand strike to the head, whether open or closed, can run the risk of damage to the hand and wrist if executed poorly.
John, you should have a look at this old similar thread
http://www.iainabernethy.co.uk/content/fist-or-palm-pre-emptive-strike
In The Way of Kata by Lawrence Kane and Kris Wilder, they describe hitting soft to hard and hard to soft, where they basically say that if you're hitting a soft body part (stomach) to use a hard part like a fist or elbow and hitting something hard (like the skull) that you should use something soft like the palm of the hand.
In what I practice, I see the same thing. Fists are at solar plexis level and knife hands and heel palms are aimed toward more head level.
Take what you want from that, but I've made it my own and it's what I practice.
I think the how you strike depends very much on the where you're striking and the nature of the situation (are you standing, floored, mounting, mounted? Is it in a clinch or at 'point scoring' distance? Is it your 'weak' arm, lead arm, other arm?).
Where possible I try to avoid having preferences. Whatever strikes I know are, to paraphrase the film 'Ronin', just tools in a toolbag. The situation will dictate what's required; your training will simply inform your choice of tool(s) to get the job done.