What's up ESB, I learned from a few people that one should strike with the top of the first two knuckles. However, upon reading Boxing Mastery by Mark Hatmaker, he says, "The striking surface is the outside three knuckles (the middle, the ring, and the little fingers), not the first two. Moreover, you shoudn't strike with only the top knuckles but the entire three-finger surface area. By striking with the outside three fingers you are in proper skeletal alignment. All strikes will line up with the forearm's radius and ulna bones in a natural line that will prevent you from rolling and spraining your wrist. Now this teaching is completely condradictory to what I thought was correct, but I remember someone else on this board making the same statement. Are there two schools of thought on this, or is there a right and wrong way to strike? Thanks
From what I've gathered, views vary widely. Personally, I aim with the middle/third knuckle, as did Muhammad Ali, it seems. c.f. http://www.eastsideboxing.com/forum/showthread.php?t=213551 In contrast, Jack Dempsey described a 'power line' running to the pinky, but for several reasons, suggests aiming with the ring/fourth knuckle. See: http://www.freecirclefighting.com/jdbook.pdf Then, there are those freestylers who allege that hitting with different knuckles when throwing different punches can be most effective. Go figure.
they are the ones i always used, especially with the left hook because it landed at an angle.a karate 6th dan told me a few years ago i should have used the top knuckles.
its funny- cos yeah dempsey describes the power line in boxing- with the last 3- BUT that is with gloves, if you ever have thrown a punch with ur last 3 knuckles , gloves off- you mightve found as i do- that they disconnect from the rest of your hands- its the way the metacarpals there are structured- and slide down your palm. it hurts.
All of them but if you had to pick then it would be the middle two because they align with the forearm thus enforcing the powerline. The index and pinky do not align with the forearm so you risk jarring the wrist.
Great, I prefer to land with the middle two knuckes. Now, do you strike with just the top of the knuckles or the whole surface of those knuckles?
the no gloves karate guys punch with the first 2 because there bigger bones and less likely to break when you make contact and so I go with that, but i under stand what Dempsey is getting at
which ever knucles land, you cant always land clean. but i was taught its the first 2 knuckles, they are the biggest and that part of the hand is stronger. i have never heard of anyone spraining there wrist when they landed with the 2 first knuckles. you have to bend your wrist to land with your knuckled when you throw hooks( thumb up) and overhands, if you dont it will be a slap so i dont see the difference i have never seen a conditioned boxer sprain there wrist from a punch but i have seen boxers break there hands. So i would defiintly punch with the harder stronger knuckles, the first 2
The power will be released through your knuckles but it will spread out across the fist. Ideally if you were hitting the chin you would want to land with the knuckles so as to concentrate the power. If you hit with the whole fist you would spread the power. Not only that but if you can get it right on the button then you can rock his chin by rotating his neck. Ideally you want to get the chin and cause some sort of whiplash, something that prompts his brain to protect him, thus shutting off, thus resulting in a ko! That is ultimately what a ko is, your brain shutting your body off to protect it. If you go to the body, you want to land the whole fist. Generally, this is all pretty hard to do with boxing gloves on. That is why I like small and tight boxing gloves that allow you to feel like it is your fist hitting the person and not a pillow.
where the **** was everybody at when I was getting raped by the ***gots who know nothing. Somethings wrong if you begin to slap punches just by doing this little change. I always thought slapped punches were a result of bad technique [an arc instead of straight line] for a punch. I don't slap punches regardless of which part of my hand lands.
in karate is the first two explained by being strongest points in a tightened wrist in boxing could be different because of the gloves
