do you like to use hammer fist strikes? i like them because they do not hurt my hands. however, i find that i cannot execute them as smoothly as other hand strikes such as the fore-knuckle, or orthadox punch. what are your thoughts on them?
is that the one where you bang your arm on the other palm?
no, i mean using a closed fist to “chop”. just like a “knife hand” strike, but with a closed fist.
Could be your body mechanix. Are you leeding off with your elbow up and fist by your ear? If not, try it that way. You’re not suposed to windmill your arm, it goes against the natural function of your rotater cuff.
I like to use them to divert attention from the kideny shot I’m lining up. I’ve noticed people actually tend to turn into the hammer fist strike, making it easy to get under thier gaurd.
I’m going to bed now. My spelling is getting worser with every key stroke.
Originally posted by Shaolin Dude
is that the one where you bang your arm on the other palm?
Yes, most teach to do it that way when you don’t use a partener.
Personally, I don’t like them.
They don’t hurt because of the nice tight muscle ball on the side of a clenched fist. But by the same token, they don’t hurt your opponent as much as say, a well-placed palm.
Also, because they don’t hurt in that way, there is a tendancy to perform them sloppily; which will put a lot of sudden force on the smallest, most vulnerable bone in the hand, the metacarpal, between the wrist and the little finger. My bro broke his like this nearly twenty years ago: he had to stop boxing (and no, he didn’t do it in boxing!), and still has a very weak knuckle on that hand.
Why do you like them?
If it’s percussion you want a short-energy palm is equal, and at less risk of damage to yourself. If it’s the swiping motion you want, a relaxed open hand (say an ox-jaw, a knife-hand or a fut sao) will provide the same with room for your bones to naturally take up the slack and reposition as you hit. If it’s a downward motion to cover wide area you want, I prefer a ‘knuckle rake’ (don’t know the correct term!) like the downward backfist kind of thing in choy li fut and some branches of wing chun: great for coming down on the top of the nose, sinking through a high guard and finishing up in their philtrum/top lip. Ow :eek:
IF, I flank to the outside succesfully
and IF I have captured the punch and gotten an armbar good enough to drop their head into my front kick then I like to use a hammer to the base of the neck as a follow up.
I like using hammer fist to change things up a little bit. Usually use them in succession.
I’m a big fan. Three of the five fists I use are hammer fists.
I fight way more with my hands than my feet, but I prefer jabs and hooks, use the hammer fist to divert attention mostly.
cant say I have ever combat tested its effectiveness.
Three of the five fists I use are hammer fists.
It must be very difficult finding a tailor to make shirts that fit you.
like goro from mk1 with an extra arm.
alright wd… so where is that 5th arm hiding…?
Big fan as well.
Originally posted by Chang Style Novice
[B]
It must be very difficult finding a tailor to make shirts that fit you. [/B]
Yeah it is, but the cheerleading squad sure loves me
:eek:
More seriously, I think hammer fists are best for inside work, they seem to lack power for a long distance blow, and worse, to put your arm in a vulnerable posture. Using them in the clinch, or against the joint of a locked arm for a break seem like ideal hammertimes.
Whoooah-whoah oh whoah-oh whoah oh.
Id use it on someones ribs once they were down also.
They just are too easy to telegraph and block most the time tho…
least when being thrown at me they are…
(dont really use them much, more rely on jab, hook, lots of knife and ridge hands)
Chang, I’ve actually found them to be more powerful than regular fists. Of course, you can’t use boxing mechanics to make them work, but throw them Xing Yi style and Whoa Boy!!
what do you mean “xing yi” style?
Isn’t xingyi pretty inside-oriented anyway, though?
Chang, Yes but it also has some excellant ways to get inside to that range, as well as a nasty jab out of a front hand Beng Chuan.
SD, Xing Yi delivers power from the lower back, which is why the elbow have to stay down. Boxing drives out the shoulder, which changes the way power is generated. I wish I could explain it better, but I’m a newbie to the art. I can pull it off, but I can’t put it into words yet. Give me a couple years.