Contact Surfaces

Punch Contact Points

The contact area for a punch is the base knuckles of the first two fingers. This concentrates all the force of the punch into a very small area and keeps the impact point in alignment with the forearm to lessen the chance for wrist injury. When punching a high target, some students, especially beginners, have a difficult time keeping the first two knuckles in proper alignment.

• This is a common problem when using the twist punch at targets above the solar plexus and particularly the head. To help correct the problem, roll the punching shoulder upward and inward. This realigns the first two knuckles. Another way to avoid the problem is to use a different technique to attack the head, such as:
• Use a palm heel strike or knife hand strike.
• Use a straight vertical punch, where the fist is not twisted but is held vertically with the thumb side up.
• Use a modified punch where the forearm is held vertically in the guard position and the elbow is rotated upward before the punch begins. This lets the punch travel over the opponent’s guard and then slightly downward into the target. Since the punch is angled downward, the first two knuckles strike first.