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In martial arts, there are various types of hand positions used in fighting. They depend on the style and on the rules of the martial art as well.
Hand positions for fighting
As I experienced in karate, the hand positions in fighting are mainly at chest level. In boxing, the hand positions are different. Comparatively, at the face level, the hands are to protect the face, not to allow the opponent to win with a knockout.
Avoid all fights, Although you are the best fighter
These types of different hand positions we can learn in martial arts classes, but the scenario of the hand position is different in self-defense in a real bad situation any where at any time we may face it.
Remember all the time that the best self-defense strategy, according to the experts, is to avoid all confrontations. Since we don’t know the behavior of the aggressor we face next time at the cinema or bar, that person can drag a knife or a gun while we are engaging each other. Some of these people don’t know the value of others lives.
We feel avoiding a fight and going away without being aggressive against the person who treats you badly is harmful to your personality. But this is the discipline we learned under martial arts teachers.
A fight will be a problem, whether you win or lose. The legal actions can come to you even if you win the fight. If you get hit by the opponent, the damage will be painful.
1. Defense hand position
When we are in an argument or communicating with the opponent, the best way to keep our hands is in defense position (my teacher called it the passive stance).
This will help you maintain enough distance with the opponent. The distance allows you enough time to react against the attack from the opponent.
Keep in mind not to fist up your hands while communicating, since this can encourage the opponent to commence the hitting.
2. From defense hand position to knock out attacks
This passive stance of hand position helps to have many surprise attacks. You can open the fire with an open palm attack to the face of the opponent, a neck attack with enough power to knock him out, a face punch, a solar plexus attack to stop his breath, etc. This may help to protect from knife attacks and weapon disarms (knife, gun) as well.
If the situation goes beyond the limit of avoiding, we have to fight against the opponent to protect ourselves.
Read to improve your knowledge. <How to Hold Your Hands in Guard>
3. Hand position for fighting
Among the various types of hand positions in real life fighting, I personally love to keep the hands on guard (Like in Krav Maga), and also the self-defense experts recommend the position that uses the hands at face level.
Keep the left leg forward and the left hand forward to make more distance between your liver (the right side of your body) and the opponent. An attack directly on the liver with sufficient power can end the fight in seconds and will cause serious damage to the body. This fighting position can protect the jaw since the right fist is covering the right side of the jaw and neck. Aside from them, the right hand is loaded for the next attack. The leading left hand protects the face, neck, and solar plexus, as well as the lower part of your face.
Make your punch reach the super weapon level. <6 Tips: – Improve punching as a weapon for self-defense.>
Practice & be prepare
The above-discussed hand position may not be the best in self-defense, someone can argue that it does not support a strong defense against take-downs. But as we discussed in previous articles, you can improve your self-defense skills to the next level by practicing continuously and updating your knowledge with advice from experts.
