In a self-defense situation your main goal is to avoid a confrontation at all costs. The second goal is to avoid injuring yourself while inflicting as much pain as possible to the assailant and escaping. Palm strikes are highly effective martial arts techniques and can be a better alternative as a striking weapon. In this article I will show the advantages of palm strikes to defend yourself.

Throwing a first punch with a closed fist and breaking a bone in your hand completely defeats the purpose and can lead to you being seriously injured. Once you display that you have been injured the attacker knows you are vulnerable and has an advantage. Using a palm hand strike rarely causes any injury except to the assailant. It can be used in a variety of situations from close to medium range.

There is debate on the position of the fingers with a palm strike. Some say the fingers should be tight against the hand as in making a fist. Others say the fingers should be relaxed and only slightly closed. Then others say the fingers should not be bent at all. In a self-defense situation it probably does not really matter at all as long as the fingers do not come in contact with the attacker. The best self-defense technique may be with the fingers open. This allows a grab, tear or rip of the surrounding area with the fingers after the strike.

The term “palm strike” is somewhat of a misnomer as the palm of the hand is not necessarily the contact point. The point of contact is typically the fleshy base of the hand just above the wrist. An upwards motion of the arm and hand gives this natural weapon its power. Stepping into the strike adds additional power to this defense technique.

One target for a palm strike to the attacker is the chin. A full force strike to their chin with the palm can oftentimes be as effective as a punch. A “knock out” is accomplished when the neck is snapped back violently causing minor or major trauma to the brain stem. You have no doubt seen a punch by a boxer to the chin of the opponent that causes a KO. The same principle applies with a palm strike to the chin but the chance of breaking a bone in your hand is much less. This is one reason boxers have their hands and wrists taped prior to a match. To lessen the chance of breaking a bone although it does happen occasionally.

Another target is the aggressors nose. A strike to their nose can cause their eyes to tear opening up the possibility for escape since their vision is impaired. Caution must be given for this self-defense technique. With enough force the bones in their nose can be driven into their brain causing them to be fatally injured.

The palm can also be used as a fulcrum to push on the chin or other parts of the body. As the head goes the rest of the body follows. With enough force for a period of time you could push the head back far enough to make them lose their balance and fall. With the fingers not in a fist, grabbing, ripping or tearing can be effective when using the palm to push away. Once they are in a vulnerable position another martial arts self-defense technique can be used to disable them or you may be able to escape.