Читать книгу Martial Arts Techniques for Law Enforcement - Mike Young - Страница 14

5

Hand Strikes

Strikes Versus Holds

The trend in law enforcement these days is for police administrators to stress the importance of physical restraint techniques in dealing with a combative suspect. My experience—in working on the street and in custodial environments (like county jails and prisons) and in training law enforcement officers for the last eight years—has taught me that restraint techniques are extremely hard to apply in police work. Compared to striking techniques, they require countless hours of practice before an officer will be effective enough to use them in real world policing situations. Aikido, for example, is a Japanese martial art that includes many restraining techniques. Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of aikido, would practice his techniques thousands of times before he ever used them in combat.

In the modern world of law enforcement, the majority of officers simply do not train enough to be able to apply restraint techniques effectively. Through my experience in training thousands of law enforcement personnel in both restraint and striking techniques, I have come to the conclusion that striking techniques can be taught more quickly than restraint techniques, and that striking techniques, when combined with assertive verbal commands and other techniques, can achieve the same desired result—to subdue a suspect or attacker—as restraining techniques.

I don’t say that we shouldn’t teach restraining techniques. They certainly have their time and place, but given the short amount of training time we typically have, I believe that striking techniques are a better choice for most training programs because trainees can learn to be effective much more quickly.

The Jab

The first strike you should learn is the basic jab. I would choose the jab over any other strike because it’s carried out with the nongun hand. If the jab doesn’t work, you still have the option of quickly drawing your firearm, impact weapon, or o/c (pepper) spray to subdue a suspect or stop the threat.

Fist Versus Palm

In learning the jab, you must make a basic decision about what type of striking method you want to use—a palm heel or fist strike (see Figs. 25 and 26). I’ll explain both methods, since they’re both very effective. However, you should be aware that there will always be some controversy over which is better.

Let me point out the pros and cons of each—then you can decide which one you’d like to use.

When I start to teach law enforcement personnel how to strike, one of the first questions I ask is whether any of them have ever broken their hand in a fight. Usually at least 15 to 20 percent of the officers raise their hands. At least 95 percent of the officers who broke their hands broke them on duty while punching a suspect with a closed fist. While the fist is a natural weapon, one that’s formed almost unconsciously while fighting, it is easily broken in a fight.

I interviewed many of the officers who had broken their hands to see what had gone wrong. The majority of them said that the assault happened so fast that they didn’t have time to make a proper fist. Many of the officers also complained that they had never been taught formally how to make a fist.

Remember that boxers wear heavy gloves when they punch with their fists. Under the gloves, their hands have been professionally wrapped and are protected by yards of gauze and tape. Even with this kind of padding, a professional boxer will occasionally break his hand in a fight.

Your hands are made up of many tiny bones that are easily broken. If you don’t know how to punch correctly, you need to learn the proper technique so that you will not break your hand in a fight on the street. I’ve been lucky; I’ve never broken the bones of my hand in a fight—but I’ve been working on my punching technique for over thirty years.

The majority of the time, if I have to strike, I strike with a palm heel strike. With this strike you make contact with (obviously) the heel of your palm. Your fingers should be tightly held together and your thumb tucked in. (If your thumb sticks out during a strike, it runs the risk of getting damaged. I speak from experience in this department!) The heel of your palm should be thrust out, and your fingers are pulled back—both for maximum impact with the heel of your palm and so that your fingers don’t get in the way (see Fig. 27).

One thing I’ve noticed while training law enforcement officers is that they tend to deliver the palm heel strike with their fingers facing at an approximately 45-degree angle toward their target (see Fig. 28).

I have found that when you do this, your fingers will strike the suspect’s head before the heel of the palm. Although this partial touch with the fingers is momentary, it offers an attacker enough time to prepare to absorb the strike—making it more likely he’ll be able to withstand it (see Fig. 29).

Therefore, when executing a palm heel strike, your fingers should be at an almost 90-degree angle to your forearm—so that you get the maximum impact with the heel of your palm (see Fig. 30).

If your wrist is not flexible enough to strike with your fingers at this angle, bend your elbow back slightly, which will allow the heel of your palm to strike the area correctly (see Fig. 31: bent-elbow palm strike).

You must choose which form of the basic hand strikes you want to use. Most men seem to prefer to use their fists. This is probably how they learned to strike while growing up, and what they have grown to depend on as an adult. Once the shortcomings of the fist strike have been demonstrated, most officers are willing to try the palm heel strike. They discover that the palm heel strike is not difficult to do and can produce a tremendous amount of power. I like the power the palm heel strike generates from both long and short ranges. I have never used my fists in a street fight—only palm heel strikes—and have never lost. Finally, to the general public, the palm heel strike does not look as offensive as a punch with a fist.

Whatever basic hand strike you decide to use, make sure that you practice the fundamentals so that your hands are an asset and not a liability in a fight. Whether you use your palm or your fist, the basic jab starts from the basic self-defense boxing stance explained in chapter 3.

The Palm Heel Jab

First, push off with your rear foot, moving your body weight forward into the strike (see Figs. 32 and 33).

As your body moves forward, your waist should turn slightly into the strike to add the rotation of your hip to the force of the strike.

As your waist turns, your upper torso should also turn, adding the power of your shoulder muscles to the strike. Your arm should be extending while your shoulder and upper torso are turning. The heel of your palm should be thrust out toward your intended target like a piston.

On impact, if you are striking with the heel of your palm, quickly jerk your fingers back, snapping the heel of your palm into your attacker (see Fig. 34).

Upon completing a palm heel jab, tuck your head into your shoulder to protect against a counterpunch to the vulnerable knockout band on your jaw (see Fig. 35).

As soon as you’ve delivered the blow, return your hand immediately to its original, “ready” position. Do not get lazy and let your hand drop after the moment of impact, as this habit leaves you vulnerable to a counterstrike over your hand and into your face (see Figs. 36 and 37).

The Boxer’s Jab

The same mechanical principles apply in executing a boxer’s jab. The only difference is that you use your fist instead of the heel of your palm (see Fig. 38). The basic fist formation consists of closing all of the fingers tight, then resting the thumb over the closed fingers (see Figs. 39 and 40).

Some people leave their thumbs dangling when punching. They put themselves at a greater risk of injuring their thumb while executing the punch because their thumb may strike their assailant’s head or hit a bony area or another object (see Fig. 41).

If you decide to use a fist when you get into a physical altercation, practice closing your open hand into a proper fist as quickly as possible. Do this drill a few times a day, and you will form the habit of making a proper fist automatically when you need to.

Another very important point about hitting with your fist is that you need to be sure that the bones in your wrist are aligned correctly on impact (see Fig. 42). If the bones are misaligned, your wrist can be severely injured while executing a punch. This is why boxers always wrap their wrists so well—to prevent this kind of injury from happening (see Fig. 43).

To properly execute a boxer’s jab, start from your basic defensive boxing stance and quickly extend your nongun hand, with a fist formed, parallel to the ground (see Fig. 44). The mechanics of throwing the jab are otherwise identical to the palm heel jab described above. Again, make sure that your chin is tucked into your shoulder to protect your knockout band. Once your arm has made contact, quickly retract it with a pistonlike motion, protecting yourself through the full motion of the punch.

A properly executed jab is usually all you need to convince a suspect to stop an assault.

The Cross

The cross is one of the most powerful and effective hand strikes that you can deliver. It combines raw natural strength with powerful body mechanics to create a very powerful blow.

The Palm Heel Cross

From the basic defensive boxing stance, quickly twist your strong-side waist forward toward the suspect and immediately extend your strong-side arm toward the attacker (see Figs. 45 and 46).

Strike the attacker with the heel of your palm—as with the palm heel jab. Remember to get into the habit of tucking your chin under your extended shoulder to protect your knockout band (see Fig. 47).

Keep your opposite hand at eye level to protect the other side of your face. If you miss with the palm heel cross, your assailant may try to counterattack on that side (see Fig. 48).

On the same side, tuck in your elbow so that your assailant doesn’t try to hit you in the ribs (see Fig. 49).

Once your arm is fully extended or has made contact, return it immediately to its original position. This will help you protect yourself from a counterpunch. The power in this strike comes from adding the full rotation of your hips and a push off with your rear foot to your natural “strong arm” strength (see Fig. 50). Put together properly, these elements add up to a devastating blow that can easily stop an average-sized assaultive male. I have tested this technique many times with excellent results.

Remember, to make this strike as effective as possible, do not telegraph the strike before the blow is executed (see Fig. 51). Just let the punch travel in a straight line from the ready position to your assailant’s chin, eye, jaw, chest, groin, or wherever you choose to strike. If you can make the strike travel quickly and in a straight line, your attacker won’t have time to tense his muscles to absorb the strike, increasing your chances of stopping him.

The Boxer’s Cross

The boxer’s cross incorporates all of the principles of the palm heel cross, except that you use your fist to make the strike (see Fig. 52).

Remember to keep your chin tucked under your shoulder, turn with your waist into the punch, and keep the opposite hand at eye level with your elbow tucked in. Push off with your rear foot as you pivot into the punch (see Fig. 53).

Since you are striking with your fist, it’s important to remember to make the fist correctly—holding the wrist flat and straight at the moment of impact to both increase your power and prevent injury (see Fig. 54).

When striking with your fist, the main impact area should be the flat section of the index knuckle and the middle knuckle of your hand (see Fig. 55).

The Hook

The famous (or infamous) left hook is one of the most devastating punches in boxing. Ask any of the opponents of the fabled Joe “the Brown Bomber” Lewis, and they will all tell you that this was his most lethal punch. He could throw it with knockout power from a 6-inch distance. Even the famous Muhammad Ali was knocked down by a left hook when Joe Frazier took Ali’s heavyweight title.

The Palm Heel Hook

This same blow can be transformed into a palm heel strike. We’ll call this a palm heel hook (see Fig. 56).

Start in the defensive boxing stance. Without telegraphing the blow, quickly rotate your front hip and at the same time lift your nongun hand elbow to shoulder level, which will be naturally followed by your nongun hand arm. The striking arm should be parallel to the ground (see Fig. 57).

You will be striking with the heel of your palm, and your fingers should be pointing to the sky. You should also pivot on the ball of the foot of your nongun leg so that you can throw the force of your body’s weight into the punch (see Fig. 58). Again, don’t telegraph the strike before you deliver it.

The palm heel strike must be practiced repeatedly because it is not as natural for most people as a jab or a cross. It takes time to make the proper body mechanics feel natural and the strike effective. It’s well worth the effort, though. I have used this strike in the field and in competition with excellent results.

The best way to practice this strike is to hit a heavy bag from a short distance at least one hundred times a session (see Fig. 59). The more you practice this strike, the more power you’ll be able to apply to your target.

The Boxing Hook

The boxing hook is executed in the same manner as the palm heel hook. The only big difference is the hand position at the end of the strike (see Fig. 60).

Start in the defensive boxing stance. Quickly rotate your front hip. At the same time, lift your elbow to your shoulder level. Your arm will naturally follow your elbow and your arm will be parallel to the ground. This time you will be striking with your fist. Your fist should be parallel to the ground, and your wrist should be flat and in line with your fist (see Fig. 61).

You should also pivot on the ball of your front foot—as you did in the palm heel hook—to get your full body weight into the punch. Once the punch is executed, quickly return to the defensive boxing stance.

Finally, I want to emphasize the importance of raising your elbow to shoulder level and parallel to the ground. When you lift your elbow in the execution of a hook, it creates the perfect angle for the hook to land on its target, which is usually the suspect’s jaw, nose, or eye (see Fig. 62). This will help you strike your attacker more effectively, especially if he has his hands up facing you in a boxing stance.

If you do not raise your elbow to shoulder level, you will probably hit your assailant’s arm before you hit his jaw, reducing the effectiveness of the strike (see Fig. 63).

The Uppercut

After teaching this powerful strike to law enforcement personnel for over sixteen years, I’ve found that you get the best results if you throw it from the strong (or gun) side (see Fig. 64).

The Palm Heel Uppercut

Starting from the self-defense boxing stance, quickly rotate your waist forward. Let the heel of your palm strike your suspect while it moves upward. Your palm should be facing up, with your fingers pointing away from your body (see Figs. 65 and 66).

As with other strikes where the impact is created by the heel of the palm, you need to pay special attention to the positions of your fingers. Make sure that your fingers are pointing to the side of your body—away from the suspect. If your fingers point toward the suspect, you run the risk of striking the suspect with your outstretched fingers before the heel of your palm hits (see Fig. 67). This could both injure your fingers and lessen the effect of the strike.