The Martialist: The Magazine For Those Who Fight Unfairly

A Brief Catalog of Empty-Hand Blows

By Phil Elmore

As a writer, my livelihood is at least indirectly affected by my ability to type. As a result I avoid needless injury to my hands whenever possible. While most people aren't writers, they also have a great many very important uses for their hands. Slamming clenched fists into resisting objects is a good way to break your fingers or do other damage to your mitts. There's another reason to avoid clenched-fist punches, too – the increased danger of abrasions to the fist, through which blood-borne diseases can be introduced if one's opponent bleeds during a fight.

Those of us concerned about damage to the hands therefore turn to empty-hand blows. Empty-hand blows permit the delivery of force while decreasing the danger of damage. They're also less likely to abrade the opponent (hard knuckles are not crashing into parts of the opponent's anatomy) and therefore less likely to expose you to his blood.

WARNING! The Martialist accepts no responsibility for injuries that occur during training. Train under appropriate supervision and take all necessary safety precautions. Do not attempt techniques for which you are not qualified.

The following list of strikes is not inclusive (I'm sure you can come up with a different strike or a variation of one shown if you try), but it's a fairly comprehensive list of the empty-hand strikes I use regularly. None of these is a "magic bullet," of course – all of them depend on context to be useful.

Empty-Hand Blows

	PALM HEEL This is a strike with the meaty heel of your palm (the bottom). It's extremely powerful and, more importantly, provides a great deal of protection for the hand. You can strike a brick wall with the heel of your palm but incur little damage to your hand. Picture trying to do that with a closed fist.
	EDGE OF HAND This is another powerful strike that, while it can be quite telegraphic out of context, is great as a follow-up strike (or, more accurately, as part of a flurry of follow-up strikes). The bottom edge of the hand forms the striking surface, which again protects the more vulnerable parts of the hand. This can be performed horizontally or vertically.
	BACKHAND EDGE OF HAND This is the same edge-of-hand blow, but performed as a backhand. Backhand strikes like these are more powerful than their horizontal "forward" equivalent, thanks to the mechanics of the arm's movement. They're also obvious from a long way off, so they should be used as follow-ups rather than initial strikes.
	BIL JEE A Wing Chun strike, the "thrusting fingers" can be performed with the side of the hand for a powerful straight blow. The Bil Jee shoots straight from the body rather than "chopping" in like the edge of hand blows. This is the position from Wing Chun's first form, Sil Lim Tao.
	BIL JEE (FINGERTIPS) The Bil Jee can also be performed as a fingertip jab, typically to the eyes. A "snake" technique, the Bil Jee darts straight in, palm down, with the fingers extended.
	PLUM FLOWER 1 This is simple forward palm strike that looks similar to the palm heel, the emphasis being the delivery of force through the flat palm to the target. The palm strikes of Wing Chun form a "plum flower" shape when performed at all three levels on both sides. (The thumb should really be tucked in, but in practice my thumbs sometimes drift.)
	PLUM FLOWER 2 This is the second of the plum flower strikes, with the hand turned to the side but still more vertical than horizontal. This position feels more "natural" to me than the strictly vertical palm.
	PLUM FLOWER 3 The third plum flower palm position is best used for striking low on the body. My arm is held high so the camera can catch it, but typically you'd be positioned a little farther down to make this strike. I like to use it to strike the lower abdomen.
	ROTATING FINGER THRUST, PART 1 The rotating finger thrust, a signature move of Shanliang Li, can start from several different positions. Here I've chosen to start from a modified guard...
	ROTATING FINGER THRUST, PART 2 ...which shifts as the hand rotates clockwise (from my perspective – in towards the body). This is done to snake around an opponent's obstructing limb or intercepted strike in a tight circular motion...
	ROTATING FINGER THRUST, PART 3 ...terminating in an extended, palm-up finger jab (to the throat or the eyes). This is a great technique for penetrating the opponent's defenses when fighting in close. The first time it was used on me, I felt fingers pressing on my throat before I realized what was happening.
	DRIVING ELBOW The elbow, another of the body's great natural weapons, can be used as a wedge to drive an opponent forward. (My Wing Chun teacher can drive me across the room by forcing his elbow into my chest in this fashion.) This position could also be a rising elbow at its termination or the beginning of a vertical elbow strike.
	CROSS ELBOW When not a rising or falling elbow, the elbow can be delivered across the body horizontally. The purpose and intent are the same. I find backhand elbow mechanics more natural than forward cross elbow movements.

I will not attempt to address here the debate over whether closed fists must be included in one's unarmed techniques for effective self-defense. Opinions on the matter range from always to never and are beyond the scope of this article. If you do not now incorporate empty-hand strikes in your training, however, you really ought to consider doing so.

The empty hand (and the elbow) allow one to use the body's natural weapons to great effect.