Skip to main content

How Effective Is Punching in Personal Defense?

Woman punchingChances are, when you think of a "street fight," images of two combatants with clenched fists, each trying to knock the other's head off come to mind. Certainly, punches are the most prevalent technique in fights but are they the most effective? It's no secret that a well-placed punch could be a fight stopper, but if things go askew that haymaker punch that works so well in the movies could do more damage to your hand than the attacker's head

Hollywood and combative sports like mixed martial arts (MMA) and boxing reinforce our perception that punches are highly effective. Of course, movie fights aren't real, so there's little chance of the star -- or his or her stunt double -- breaking a hand during a fight scene. In competition, fighters wear gloves more to protect their own hands than their opponent's head.

Since the metacarpal bones in the hand are miniscule compared to your attacker's skull, solid fist-to-head contact is likely to injure your hand. If your fist isn't perfectly formed and right on target, you could sustain what's commonly referred to as a "boxer's fracture."

What about an experienced puncher? Is someone who has trained to deliver punches, such as a boxer or martial artist, less likely to injure their hand when punching? Yes and no. While a trained puncher understands the mechanics of throwing a proper punch, including how to form their fist and which part of their fist is most capable of withstanding solid impact -- the knuckles of the index and middle fingers -- a trained puncher might actually have a greater chance of injury. How is this possible? Simply because the trained striker is going to generate considerably more force than the novice, resulting in greater impact. And the skull tends to fare better than the hand when this collision occurs.

Am I suggesting that punching is ineffective? Absolutely not! But if you're going to punch, you're better off targeting areas of the attacker's anatomy other than his head. Sure, if you land a telling blow to the face, the attacker might be down for the count. However, if your punch is off-target due to a slight miscalculation on your part or due to the attacker's actions, you could severely injure your hand. If it's you're dominant hand, drawing your firearm would be difficult in the event you needed to resort to a deadly force option.

To summarize, if you're going to punch, make sure you understand what you're doing -- from forming a fist to delivery, including what portion of your fist to strike with and what anatomical targets to strike for maximum effect, with minimal risk.

In many cases, striking with the heel of your palm is a pretty good substitute for a punch. The body mechanics are the same. The power in either strike is generated from hip rotation as opposed to sheer arm movement. If you're targeting the throat, solar plexus, groin, etc., punches are the way to go. When targeting the head, striking with your palm is the safer bet.

What are your thoughts on punching in personal defense?

photo of Richard Nance

Richard Nance

Richard Nance is the founder of Nance Training & Consulting. He is lifelong martial artist and retired police sergeant with 26 years of service. His assignments included patrol supervisor, firearms instructor, SWAT team leader, and defensive tactics program supervisor. In addition to providing firearms and combatives courses, Richard is the Gun Tech Editor of Guns&Ammo magazine and the Self-Defense Editor of Handguns Magazine. He co-hosts Handguns TV and hosts Guns&Ammo's new Personal Defense digital video series. Richard is also a regular contributor to Outdoor Sportsman Group's Special Interest Publications (SIP) division.

Full Bio +  |   See more articles from Richard Nance




Current Magazine Cover

Enjoy articles like this?

Subscribe to the magazine.

Get access to everything Guns & Ammo has to offer.
Subscribe to the Magazine

GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Recommended Articles

Recent Videos

Handgun Editor James Tarr is a former police officer and private investigator who describes his journey to becoming a US...
Rifles

Best Affordable Rimfire Lever Action?

Handgun Editor James Tarr is a former police officer and private investigator who describes his journey to becoming a US...
Personal Defense

AR-15 for Home Defense

Handgun Editor James Tarr is a former police officer and private investigator who describes his journey to becoming a US...
Personal Defense

Target Transitions

Handgun Editor James Tarr is a former police officer and private investigator who describes his journey to becoming a US...
Optics

Red Dot Sights

Handgun Editor James Tarr is a former police officer and private investigator who describes his journey to becoming a US...
Personal Defense

Room Clearing with a Light

Handgun Editor James Tarr is a former police officer and private investigator who describes his journey to becoming a US...
Personal Defense

Malfunctions

Handgun Editor James Tarr is a former police officer and private investigator who describes his journey to becoming a US...
Personal Defense

AR-15 Basics

Handgun Editor James Tarr is a former police officer and private investigator who describes his journey to becoming a US...
Personal Defense

Lighting Techniques

Handgun Editor James Tarr is a former police officer and private investigator who describes his journey to becoming a US...
Personal Defense

Appendix Draw

Handgun Editor James Tarr is a former police officer and private investigator who describes his journey to becoming a US...
Personal Defense

Follow Through

Handgun Editor James Tarr is a former police officer and private investigator who describes his journey to becoming a US...
Personal Defense

Drawing from Hip Carry

Handgun Editor James Tarr is a former police officer and private investigator who describes his journey to becoming a US...
Other

Introducing James Tarr

Guns and Ammo Magazine Covers Print and Tablet Versions

GET THE MAGAZINE Subscribe & Save

Digital Now Included!

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Give a Gift   |   Subscriber Services

PREVIEW THIS MONTH'S ISSUE

Buy Digital Single Issues

Magazine App Logo

Don't miss an issue.
Buy single digital issue for your phone or tablet.

Get the Guns & Ammo App apple store google play store

Other Magazines

See All Other Magazines

Special Interest Magazines

See All Special Interest Magazines

GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Get the top Guns & Ammo stories delivered right to your inbox every week.

Phone Icon

Get Digital Access.

All Guns and Ammo subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets.

To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine.

Get Digital Access

Not a Subscriber?
Subscribe Now

Enjoying What You're Reading?

Get a Full Year
of Guns & Ammo
& Digital Access.

Offer only for new subscribers.

Subscribe Now

Never Miss a Thing.

Get the Newsletter

Get the top Guns & Ammo stories delivered right to your inbox every week.

By signing up, I acknowledge that my email address is valid, and have read and accept the Terms of Use