The power of the palm!

Listen up folks,
I am here to talk about something near and dear to my heart. And that something is the use of the palm strike in self-defense. Now somehow, the disrespecting palm strikes has become kind of popular. "It is just slapping. It doesnt hurt" Yadda Yadda Yadda.

Fact is, palm strikes are both powerful and practical. If you want to see some powerful palm strikes, look no further than the old Pancrase events that show-cased Bas Rutten. He has knocked down and out a lot of good fighters with palm strikes. I dare say that the commitment of weight is GREATER with a palm strike, than it is with a closed fist.

Practical? How about a women's self-defense class? Most of these women have never made a real fist in their life, much less hit anyone. So you teach them to palm someone. It doesnt break your nails, so you can do it in practice. It will NOT hurt your hand if you strike someone in the head. Most fighters break their hands on the skull of the person that they are hitting. So it is MUCH more practical to use the palm of the hand.

Recognize you guys! The palm is where it is. Not all of us think that head hunting is the best idea anyhow. So think practical over cool.

Yes, it IS going to hurt!!

Folks,
I am here because of an interesting discussion that I had with a parent. Now as you guys know, I only teach children that are at least 9 years old. I do not want my school to look like Chuck E Cheese. But I have already ranted about that. No need to repeat that.

I was recently told by a mother that her son used to do Tae Kwon Do. I perked up a little bit and asked her about how long did her son study, and why he doesn't anymore. She told me that she took him out of TKD, and put him in soccer because he got punched in the nose once in class.

As you guys can imagine, I nigh pooped my gi. I thought " gee, you mean that you might get hit in a class where people are trying to hit you?" Perish the thought right? Well, right after I had checked the tsunami of sarcastic remarks that boiled in my brain, I thought again," so you put him in SOCCER?" Folks, let me help you out. Look up the most injurious types of sports in the country. I know that soccer is a LOT more dangerous in the day to day sense, than martial arts are.

Let me break it down for you: Contemporary martial artists wear a lot of protective equipment. Too much for my taste, but look at the world of sue-happy people that we live in. C'est la vie!! That at least makes logical sense to me. But the fact of the matter is, likely as not, you are going to spar in a martial arts class. I mean, it is self-defense right? One of the most important lessons is the martial arts is to persevere in the face of adversity. Life will not stop happening because you get hit in the face. Or laid off from your job. Or because your car broke down. " Taking a hit" is a life lesson that everyone will learn sooner or later. Better to learn it sooner in a controlled environment. At least that is what I think.

Soccer? Think about how many people roll their ankles, break their shins, break their feet, and collide into each other every day of the year. Do parents yank their kids from soccer? NOPE! And why is that? Because martial arts have more of a perceived danger. Never mind that martial arts are actually quite safe.

Face it folks, in soccer, you roll your ankles. In football, you are going to have someone smash into you. In basketball, someone is going to step on your ankles. In wrestling, you are going to get slammed. Heck even lifeguards get water up their nose and choke on it. Every sport has a dangerous aspect. Accept it and move on. That is the life lesson.