The other day one of my students let me watch one of his videos. It is an excellent video that goes along with the book "Attack Proof" by John Perkins. He presents some concepts developed from on the street experience and I think he is pretty much right on with his concept.
I do take exception with one thing. In his commentary on punching he says not to use a clenched fist as punching hard could cause your wrist to fold or in some way be damaged. I agree unless the fist is held with proper alignment every time. Properly making a fist is accomplished by folding the fingers tightly so the tips of the fingers are at the base of the respective fingers. The thumb is then placed over the index finger only and pressed tightly to strengthen the fist. But there is more. By slightly cocking the fist upward and tightening the polis brevis muscle the wrist is now in proper alignment and you can punch through just about anything without hurting your wrist.
To test this concept of making a fist, make the fist as described above. Turn it only ¾ of the way and cock it enough to tighten the polis brevis muscle located on the radius bone at the wrist joint. Then have a partner attempt to bend the fist up or down. This should, with proper tightening of the polis brevis muscle, be nearly impossible.
You should not have to have a different wrist alignment with other types of fists such as a center knuckle fist or an index finger single knuckle fist. The alignment is also the same for a knife hand strike. The alignment changes for a palm heel strike but that is a different animal altogether.
For a regular punch the teeth is not a good target. I speak from personal experience having cut a knuckle on some drunken dude's front teeth. Hey give me a break, I was only sixteen at the time and had not a clue of how to fight. There is also the concept of yin/yang. Punch only soft targets with the hard part of your hand; hit the hard targets with the soft part of your hand such as a knife hand or a palm heel.
Hitting specific parts of the face with a fist is allowable if you hit the right spots and you need not use full force to achieve results. The point I am speaking of is the corner of the eye (Triple Warmer 23 and Gall Bladder 1). The effect I am looking for here is a temporary short-circuiting of my opponent so I can do something a little more decisive.
In jujutsu as well as in any other of the grappling and striking arts proper alignment is critical and must be instilled into your training right from the beginning. Constrictions must be properly aligned if you are to accomplish a workable strangle or choke (one seals the blood, the other seals the breath). When throwing, you must have proper alignment if you are to execute the throw and keep your balance. When kicking you must have proper alignment so you may properly employ your hips and don't end up sitting on your butt wondering what happened.
In order for the body to learn proper alignment the instructor is burdened with teaching that alignment from day one of the student's journey in the martial arts. If he or she doesn't then he or she should be held criminally liable for negligence. Then it must be reinforced with every practice session. You must consciously employ the proper alignment with every technique every time until the body understands and you can execute your techniques without thought. Remember techniques change but principles remain constant. Employ the principles with each technique.
Conversely if you want to hurt your opponent, break his or her alignment. An excellent example of this is by doing a single-hand hold (a hold is to control, a lock is to break). The single-hand hold is done by grasping the base of the opponent's thumb with your fingers on a same side hold. That means his right hand is grasped by your left hand. Rotate the opponent's hand outward with the elbow bent ninety degrees at about forty-five degrees to the body. Your thumb is placed in the back of the opponent's hand at Triple Warmer 3. Once you have the hold apply enough pressure to cause the opponent to bend to his or her right. At this point the opponent becomes more susceptible to a punch or elbow strike to the area below the opponent's left ear. If you choose to attempt this in practice don't even think of holding me liable should you dislocate your partner's jaw or worse. Use caution.
In another venue of breaking alignment in doing a joint lock you have the opportunity to apply an additional axis to the technique causing complex torque. To demonstrate this we will use the bent wrist-lock. As your partner attempts to grab your left lapel with his right hand grasp his hand with your right hand as you strike upward with your left hand in an attempt to hyperextend his elbow. Grab his hand with your right hand by placing your fingers around the back of his hand and grasping the knife-edge of his hand. Your thumb is placed in the web of his thumb at Large Intestine 4. Rotate his little finger until it is up. Your left middle finger then digs into his forearm where the muscle bifurcates or Lung 5. His wrist should be bent as well as his elbow, thus putting the joints in opposition. His hand needs to be based against your chest. Now add the third axis by pointing at the floor with your index finger. This should bend your opponent's wrist. Make sure your partner knows to pat out or otherwise let you know it hurts and he is submitting. In a self-defense situation when your attacker "pats out" it means "you are doing well but please go a little harder!" At this point you may want to consider a solid snap kick to the solar plexus.
Consider the application of principles to your practice and see if it doesn't make a difference. Then train hard!
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