Introduction

A striking attack is a weapon that uses a part of the body, intended to cause an effect upon an opponent. The effect of the strike depends upon the location of the target, intensity of the strike and your objective.

To understand the differences between open hand and closed hand striking techniques, first there is a need to investigate the purpose and principles in using these methods.

Striking Techniques Principles:

1. To inhibit or slow the subject,

2. To immobilise / control, or

3. To damage

Training

Striking with the hands requires more than just innate power it requires understanding. The hand itself is made up of many small bones and joints that can be injured if one doesn't understand proper hand strikes.

Power in the hands is not entirely generated from the muscles of the arm. A martial artist learns how to use their body dynamics to generate much more force. With the use of proper balance and an understanding of how the body moves you can develop powerful technique. Power isn't the only consideration. Precision in hand strikes and an understanding of how the hand works allows the martial artist to focus their attack on pressure points which can incapacity an opponent quickly. In this way, a small person with relatively little strength can defeat a larger person.
For beginners, an injury takes place when they attempt to execute techniques they haven’t been trained in. Learning hand formation, application and location for use is import before actively participating within sparring practice.
Most people practicing free sparring use leg or hand padding to minimise possible injury occurring. We as martial artist sometimes train ourselves to be set up for injury in a real situation.
For example, boxer’s use hand wraps and padded gloves for protection, so they can deliver more power without damaging the fists. Many times within the media it has been reported that professional boxer’s have been caught within a street confrontation and obtained serve damage to their hands. The boxer is confident in the extra power they can generate due to this protect but forgets that the hand is actually a very fragile part of body when not protected.
Involuntary a boxer will resort to the same methods they use within the ring as to counter a real situation. Not just boxers but all people participating within a fighting system do this, and by doing so will decrease the success in their defence strategy in a real situation. Many assaults presented need more than striking techniques to end the confrontation and for this reason we need to protect out hands in training and for real situations. Off course adrenaline will take over when in a situation and your pain tolerance will heighten. If your hands are damaged you will be only be able to block and not grab to restrain. This is essential for disarming a weapon such as a gun or knife and in multiple attack situations.
Practising striking drills that emulate a real situation will increase your chances of performing the right technique and application. In Jujitsu we combine self-defence, restraint and striking into one package to minimise injury. Providing options within training will allow the practitioner to flow into correct technique when called upon and not be forced to execute incorrect methods.
It is an important note that training that only offers static practice still places the practitioner into a false realisation. Striking techniques change when you and your opponent move. Your stance and angle of attack and defence adapt between movements reducing the desired affect when executed in a static attack.
The analogy of a weight on the end of a string - as the weight spins around it builds up centrifugal force. If that string is then released, the weight will travel in a straight line originating on the circle. Straight strikes begin by establishing a circle (and based on the second point there are infinite possibilities) and then shooting out the strike from a point on that circle.
This is evident in a sparring match, due to the rules of engagement within the contest we use controlled touch contact. In my experience within free sparring when faced with a Tae Kwon Do player they present great ability in technique but usually fail when needing to execute technique with force when moving. Due to this they loose balance reducing their mobility, strength and defence. Just like the weight on the string, there are many possibilities; one is the possible amount of injury.
Striking the correct target with the right strength (full control is necessary), it is import to take care of other practitioners within a training hall but realism is needed to ready the practitioner for a real life situation, otherwise it would not be necessary to train.
The real measure of quality for every self-defence system is the amount of protection it offers in real world critical or life threatening situations. Such a situation will always be perceived different than a training or tournament situation. If a person, inexperienced in street fights, is confronted with a real hot self-defence situation, then he or she will very likely experience the psychological and physiological effects of the human stress and fear reaction (also known as the 'body alarm reaction' or 'fight or flight reflex').
While you are grappling, take the time to mimic the motions that you would use to strike the opponent when appropriate. You can even do your one-step or three-step sparring with the mission of using open hand strikes to the hard parts and closed handed strikes to the soft parts.
Even if you tell yourself that "in a real fight" you will remember to strike differently, your training will override your conscious thought.

Control / Legal Considerations

Open hand tactics for situation control and conflict management, relates to the second principle of striking, that is immobilise or control. That is why open hand technique suits the needs of contemporary security and civilian self-protection. The open hand tactic can easily be incorporated in natural body language, that appears to the aggressor and bystanders (witnesses) strong, yet it is non-aggressive and peaceful, thus giving ideal possibility to diffuse situations without the need to resort to physical violence. Looking less "violent" to bystanders will be beneficial to the practitioner legally.

They also allow you to grab and grapple more directly if serious damage isn't called for. This is the reason Jujitsu utilises these methods, so that the practitioner can combine techniques I.e. to strike and then take hold so that the subject may be controlled in a restraining technique.

When the practitioner is in a confrontational situation and has a need to strike, open hand methods provide them with a means to break a mindset of continuous striking. As opposed to close hand strikes, that draws the operator into maintaining the mindset of only striking instead of moving into a gripping technique or controlling move.

Closed Or Open Striking Attributes

Both methods of striking have advantages and disadvantages. Hard strikes do not require as much accuracy as soft strikes, but you are more liable to damage your hitting surface unless it is well formed, conditioned, and hardened. Hard strikes to soft targets are much safer and more effective. Soft strikes to highly sensitive targets are very effective as long as you are extremely accurate. This is not so easily accomplished on a moving target. Additionally, sensitivity at specific nerve points varies widely by individuals. Some people may not react at all.
The open hand uses the fluid shock principle (dispersing force when delivered) that assists in upsetting the subject’s structure so that the operator may use one of the Striking Techniques Principles.
Because of our understanding of natural movement, fight stress behaviour, legal issues and considering the importance of real power and teaching time, the open hand methods are predominantly used as the major counter-offensive tool of the self-defence system.
Open hand is a round, very natural movement, that is similar to the movement of throwing a stone or deflecting a flying mosquito.
Open hand can be used for parry, control or to attack to temporarily disturb vision, to disturb balance or simply to knock out the opponent, also manipulates his balance and position to reduce his offensive options.
Sometimes open hand techniques such as a spear hand has more effect on the target then a closed hand method, where it is used strike the floating ribs and the underarm. Another open hand technique, the sword peak hand is used to strike or claw the throat, groin, or eyes.
Open hand techniques are underrated and can sometimes be more effective than a punch. Depending on the circumstances, sometimes the fist is better, other times, the open hand. What are these circumstances?
One circumstance.... If you train at a school that does mostly fist strikes, then I would hazard that these strikes will serve the person better, with power, accuracy and confidence.
Plus, I know there’s always the talk of how bone to bone can cause the fist to be damaged, but doesn’t the same apply to open hand, how easy is it to catch a little finger for example.
A close-handed technique, when delivered to a hard strike zone creates injuries to the hand of the operator and causes the hand to tense slowing the reaction time. Closed hand methods of striking are used on soft targets, limiting injury to the operator.
The only closed hand method that can be used on a hard target is a hammer fist, using the soft edge of the hand in a relaxed manner. The hammer fist’s advantage as a versatile weapon allows you to still strike even if you are holding an object in your hand, say like a small torch.
The closed fist creates tension and if placed in a danger situation triggers the 'fight or flight'-reflex that 'kills' the fine motor skills needed to support maximum body power. If the techniques you have learnt have not subconsciously been stored, the learnt 'technical' moves are the first to disappear.
On the other hand, closed hand techniques have an intended purpose in self-defence, where they are used to strike to vulnerable targets to end an assault or to allow the operator to remove him or herself from a situation (third principle of striking).

Injury / Healing – You And The Opponent

Hard to soft, soft to hard - you hit soft things with the hard knuckles and hard things with the softer open hand (e.g. palm heel). If, for example, you punch someone in the chin with your closed fist you'll almost certainly hurt your hand. Not so with a palm heel... Conversely an open hand technique to the solar plexus will not have as much affect a Forefist or single knuckle strike will... It's a matter of targeting primarily.

In demonstrating open and closed hand methods of striking, a sample of vulnerable target points will show the differences in the effect when both methods are struck to the same point

Throat

Closed Hand – Fore fist: Collapsing of the throat and swelling of the muscles surrounding the throat, possibly causing death by asphyxiation.

Open Hand – Sword peaked hand: Slight swelling of the muscles surrounding the throat and choking effect (creating the subject to cough and gasp).

Xiphoid Process

Closed Hand – Thumb one-finger fist: Fracturing the xiphoid process will then damage the stomach wall creating it to split causing internal bleeding, unconsciousness and possibly death.

Open Hand – Palm strike: Sharp pain, dispersing force to the stomach and chest creating breathing difficulties and the heartbeat to be irregular.

Between 5th and 6th Vertebrae

Closed Hand - Elbow: Trauma to the spinal cord, aorta, heart and lungs and possibly fracturing the spine cord leading to cerebral trauma.

Open Hand – Palm strike: Creating a loss in breath and partial sensory motor function, and the inhibition of breathing.

The human hand is made up of many small bones, which may be damaged by heavy impact. If a hard part of the opponent's body or other hard object is inadvertently struck, the metacarpals may splay on impact and break. Boxers tape their hands so as to hold the metacarpals together and keep them from splaying. One can toughen one's bones by striking objects to induce osteoclasts (cells which form bone) to grow bone over the struck area increasing the density of bone at the striking surface.

The wrist must also be kept in proper alignment during a fist strike. If the wrist bends on impact, it can easily be sprained, dislocated or broken. Boxers tape their wrists to reduce wrist flex.

In human anatomy, the wrist is the flexible and narrower connection between the forearm and the hand. The wrist is essentially a double row of small short bones, called carpals, intertwined to form a malleable hinge. The wrist-joint (articulatio radiocarpea) is a condyloid articulation allowing three degrees of freedom. The metacarpus is the intermediate part of the hand skeleton that is located between the fingers distally and the carpus, which forms the connection to the forearm.

Punching with the knuckles is anatomically quite weak - its good for bags, speed balls, floor to ceiling and focus mitts, but punching a face or onto the skull may cause injury to the person throwing a punch. If that punch ends the fight then ok, but if it doesn't your survival chances diminish.

A forceful punch that lands wrongly or strikes the wrong target may damage the hand; for this reason padded gloves are worn in many sports that involve punching (such as boxing). When punches are practised on a heavy punching bag, bag gloves are worn to protect the skin of the hand, and the hands are wrapped tightly to protect them from damage due to repetitive impacts.

The elbow should not be locked out at the extension of a punch. This weakens the punch and makes the elbow susceptible to be broken. In the long term, it wears the cartilage, which can eventually lead to arthritis.

A reverse bite injury (also called a clenched fist injury, or closed fist injury) is when one person punches another person in the face. The skin (and sometimes tendons) of his or her knuckles is cut against the teeth of the person he or she is punching. The medical treatment of this injury is similar to those of a human bite, but may also involve damage of the underlying tendons. Management may involve cutting away infected tissue, which may include tendons and therefore involve loss of use of the hand; infection also tends to spread along the tendon sheath, so that what was originally a small injury goes on to involve the entire hand.

If tendons or bone are visible through the wound the urgent referral to a specialist hand surgeon is mandatory, even if there is no visible damage to the tendons. Unfortunately, the nature of these injuries is such that even if the injury is optimally managed, catastrophic outcomes (loss of use of the hand, or loss of the hand) are not unusual.

A broken bone or dislocated joint will typically heal and probably the injury will be forgotten after some weeks or months – much more serious in it's consequences is the problem of blood exchange.

When a bare-knuckle punch connects to the head, it typically causes a strong bleeding wound. Another not unlikely result of the bare-knuckle punch is that the skin at the connecting knuckles is cut open (typically a not so heavy bleeding wound). This means that, in the moment of impact, blood of the opponent may enter into the body of the bare-knuckle striker. Even if the likelihood is small, there is still the chance of transferring HIV, Hepatitis and other blood diseases. Having apparently “won” a fight, but then having to wait and worry several months of not being sure, if the other person maybe was a carrier of a blood disease, is not really something to look forward to. Not to mention, what happened in case he was.

Open hand techniques are also used in Kappo, when someone has received a striking technique to a motor or muscular point, creating partial paralysis or numbness. Striking upsets or blocks the natural energy flow through the meridian of the effected strike zone, overloading it like an electrical system.

For example, the energy flow of the arm is down the ulna side crossing at the knuckles returning on the radial side. Further self study is needed to understand the whole bodies energy flow to utilise this method. To relax the effected point, you need to stimulate it by striking again to the same point with an open hand (one third to half the force of the original strike) delivered in the direction of energy flow

Another technique uses an open hand strike to the 5th and 6th thoracic vertebrae to assist with the recovery of an unconscious person. The Phrenic nerve at this location stimulates the diaphragm to contract and creates an adrenaline rush and assisting in the resuscitation of the Uke. The vertebral reflexes act on the cardiac contractions. The diaphragmatic reflexes involve artificial forced breathing.

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