Head butts are effective. Do you remember when you were a child playing with other children on the playground and you accidentally bumped heads with another child? Probably one of you starting crying while the other stood there confused, with little or no pain. One head struck the other in a snapping motion. The snapping head had little pain, the other head had excruciating pain.

The face has a lot of fragile bones, teeth, cartilage, etc. while the skull is one big bone. The face usually comes out with the worst injury in a collision with the skull, but that does not mean the skull is immune from injury. Some times, after a collision, there are teeth imbedded in the top of the offending skull.

Many instructors say you should head butt using the front of the forehead near the hairline, since the bone is thicker in this area.  However, if you look at the bone thickness of the skull (see Figure 1) you see it is as thick, if not thicker, on the sides as it is in the front or back.

Figure 1
Cross Section of a Cranium

The skull is not round, it is more of an oval (see Figure 1), similar to an egg: narrower from side-to-side than from front-to-back. Anyone familiar with stunts and tricks performed using an egg knows that an egg is much stronger when force is applied to it on the ends than it is from the sides. This is a characteristic of an oval object. Thus, the skull is stronger when when force is applied from the front or back than it is when force is applied from the sides. The neck muscles that move the head forward and backward are much stronger than the muscles used to move the head from side to side. This means a forward or backward head but is much more powerful than one using the side of the head.

However, there are other factors involved. In Figure 1, notice the two pointy, bony features at both the front and back of the skull that point inward toward the brain.  When the forehead is struck or strikes something, the brain bounces off the inside of the front of the skull and then rebounds and hits the back of the skull, called a "coup contra-coup" injury. So, when you head butt with your forehead, your brain bounces off those pointy bone structures.

If you head butt with your forehead, there is a good chance of splitting the skin on your forehead, This means you will have blood pouring into your eyes during the fight, which is an hindrance in either a self-defense or competitive situation.

Taking all these things into consideration, in a self-defense situation, it is best to use the side of your head for a head butt whenever possible. In a clinch, the top of the head is used since you bring it upward under the opponents chin. When in a rear bear hug, the back of the head is used. No matter which technique is used, the movement should be a snapping motion, similar to that used in kicks and punches. This will help ensure that the receiver of the butt is injured instead of you, just as when you accidentally head butted the child on the playground.

Head Butt Attacks

Head Butt Clip

The head butt sounds pretty straightforward, but if it is carried out incorrectly, it will hurt you more than it will hurt your attacker. If you have bumped heads with someone while playing a sport, you know how painful it can be and how long the headache lasts.

Experienced fighters expect a head butt, since it is as common as groin kicks. However, inexperienced fighters will probably not expect it, although they will be watching for a groin kick.

The head is skull itself is solid, but the facial area is delicate. So of course, this is the area to aim a head butt. Another deadly target it the temple area.

Forward Head Butt

• Tilt your head slightly downward, mouth closed, clench your teeth, and stiffen your neck muscles.

• Frown to help focus your energy and your attention at your forehead.

• Be careful with your aim and not hit any hard parts of opponents skull.

• Now make the same motion as a big sneeze. Lunge and snap forward, connecting with attacker's nose, using your whole body weight. Bend at the middle of the back rather than at the waist. You may even pretend to sneeze. Your attacker would then be expecting a sneeze, not a broken nose.

• Strike with the top area of your forehead.

Side Head Butt

• Keep your neck and upper body stiff.

• Lean forward from the waist and to the side of your attacker.

• Aim for the side of opponent's nose or at least the face. Not the mouth, it is full of teeth that cut.

• Swing across side swiping the nose.

• Strike with the upper corner of your forehead.

Backward Head Butt

• Do not worry about aiming since you cannot see the target. You must be very close to the target.

• Tile your head forward and down.

• Snap your head backward, hard and fast.