First Gain And Achieve Awareness

Under intense pressure and uncommon circumstances, it’s human character to behave reflexively in a crisis.

This is a protective means to survive. Normally in any hand-to-hand altercation, punches are used.

Most individuals make use of punching because it’s a natural response to danger, it’s a biologically instinctive movement. In the same manner, our conduct in these conditions supplies us with a peek at our real personalities.

For our physical conditioning, there’re methods for properly producing a punch that maximizes the injury to an adversary while decreasing the chance of damage to ourselves. For our personality maturation, we depend on our root values training to yield the preferred outcome.

This reading will go over the methods for training punches as well as the lead hand punch, rear hand punch, uppercut, and hook. We’ll go over fault-checking practices and safety preventive measures intrinsic to teaching punches. Further, we’ll explore the Marine Corps core values that are the cornerstone of every Marine’s personality development and evolution.

Intro To Punches

The objective of punches is to shock your opponent or to position him for a follow-up finishing strike. Punches need to be trained until they become automatic, and instinctive and can be used with speed and power.

Elements of Punches

Relaxation

Muscle relaxation needs to be stressed the entire time while teaching punches. The innate inclination in a brawl is to tighten up, which produces immediate exhaustion and reduced energy
creation.

• The boxer who can stay “loose” during a close combat conditions develops tremendous speed, which results in a superb production of force.
• Loosening up your forearm develops quickness and enhances response time. At the moment of impact, squeeze your fist to induce damage to your opposition and to evade damage to your wrist and hand.

Bodyweight Transfer

Transfering your weight is required to develop power in your punch. This can be achieved by:

• Turning the hips and shoulders into the attack.
• Moving your body weight forward or backward in a linear line.
• Plunging your body weight into your opponent. Your body’s weight can be transmitted into a strike from low to high or high to low.

Immediate Retraction

When performing a punch, immediate retraction of your fist is critical. Once your hand has connected with your mark, immediately go back to your basic fighting position.

For Fast Retraction:

• Allows you to defend yourself from your opponent’s countermove by returning your hand and arm to the basic fighting stance.
• Keeps your opponent from grabbing your hand or arm.
• Allows for your hands and arms to be “at the ready” or “recocked” in preparedness for giving a follow-up punch.

Telegraphing

Telegraphing a punch is telling your adversary of your motive to throw a punch, kick, etc via your body gestures.

• Oftentimes, an unskilled fighter will telegraph his intent to strike by pulling his hand back in sight of the opposition, making facial expressions, tightening neck muscles, or jerking. These actions, however tiny, instantly reveal a strike is right around the corner.
• If your challenger is a skilled and trained fighter, he may be capable of evading or countering your strikes. If your adversary is an unskilled fighter, he may be able to reduce the impact of your strike.
• Remaining at ease limits how much you’re telegraphing.

The Basic Fist

Punches are performed using a basic fist. To produce the bare fist:

• It goes without saying, but curl your fingers as you naturally would into the palm of your hand. Position your thumb over & across your index and middle fingers.
• Don’t make a tight grip on your fist until movement has started. This raises the muscular tension in your forearm and reduces swiftness and response time.
• Before impact, add muscular pressure to your hand and forearm to magnify the damage to your enemy and lower the chance of injury to yourself.
• You should make contact with the first knuckles of your index and middle fingers.
• As you strike with the basic fist, your first two knuckles must be in line with your wrist to prevent damage to your wrist.

Safety & Protection Concerns For Class

After confirming that your students are matched by proper height and weight, teach the practical implementation part of punching in phases:

• Start with students performing punches in the air. Trainees should not hit each other or any gear.
• As students increase their proficiency, they will face each other and learn to attack target sites without making contact with each other.
• As trainees advance their abilities they will train on the striking pads. Make sure that all contact is exclusively performed on the striking pads.
  • When performing punches confirm the arm is held just slightly bent to stop any hyperextension of the joint.
  • When performing punches the students should begin gradually and increase their speed as they become more proficient.

The Lead Hand Punch

The lead hand punch is a whip-cracking punch performed by the left front or lead hand. It is a quick punch developed to daze your opponent so that you can set up a follow-up strike. A lead hand punch hides your movement and permits you to get near your opponent. Lead hand punches should hit delicate tissue locations, if feasible.

How to perform the lead hand punch.

To develop your lead hand punch, you will:

1. Take the basic fighting position.
2. Snap your lead hand out in front of you but not fully extended, while turning your palm down towards the ground. Fully extending your elbow can force hyperextension of the joint and cause damage.
3. Your rear hand should be placed near your head to protect it.
4. Hit your opponent with the first two knuckles of your fist when making contact.
5. Quickly bring your hand back and resume your basic fighting stance.

The Rear Hand Punch

The rear hand punch is also a snapping punch performed by the right rear hand. It’s a power punch created to impose the greatest damage on your enemy. Its power stems from driving off your rear leg and turning your hips and shoulders.

To drill in the rear hand punch, the student will:

1. Get in the basic fighting position.
2. Firmly pivot your hips and shoulders in the direction of your opponent and propel your rear hand directly out, palm down, to almost a full extension.
   • Switch your body weight onto your lead foot while driving off the ball of your rear foot.
   • Your rear heel can be raised or flared off the ground.
   • Keep your lead hand in position to shield your head.
3. Hit your opponent with the first two knuckles of your fist on contact.
4. Quickly go back to your basic fighting stance.

The Uppercut

The uppercut is a strong punch starting below the opponent’s field of vision. It is performed in an upward movement traversing up the centerline of your opponent’s torso. It’s used up close and personal, and usually right behind a preceding strike that opens up the target area, which is now unprotected. When connecting this punch to the chin or jaw, the uppercut can leave an opponent senseless and unconscious, rendering them extensive harm to their neck or splitting the tongue.

To learn the uppercut, you need to:

1. Take the basic fighting position.
2. Bend your arm and turn your palm inwards. The length you bend your arm will rely on how near you are to your opponent.
3. Now simultaneously, propel your fist directly up toward the opponent’s chin or jaw.
4. Power will be created by shifting your body weight from low to high into this punch.
5. More power can be induced by strongly pivoting your hips and shoulders toward your opponent.
6. Make sure to keep your lead hand in position to shield your head.
7. Create contact with your opponent using the first two knuckles of your fist.
8. Quickly bring your hand back to position, renewing your basic fighting position.

The Hook

The hook is a potent punch performed close in and normally comes after an initial strike.

To learn the hook, you have to:

1. Start in the basic fighting stance.
2. Drive your right arm out in a hooking action toward your opponent, the forearm should be parallel with the ground, and the palm facing the ground, strongly turning your right shoulder and hip toward your opponent. Don’t telegraph your punch by raising your arm too far out to your side.
3. Hit your opponent with the first two knuckles of your fist when making contact.
4. Keep pivoting your shoulder and hip, and follow through with your fist through your opponent.
5. Quickly return your hand to position and resume your basic fighting stance.

That’s it for now. Practice and perfect your punching power and ability. Get strong like a Marine.