Don't Try This at Home

Let's make a couple of assumptions to get this underway.

1) Let's assume, simply for the purpose of this blog post, that I can punch very hard.

2) Let's also assume that you have taken a small pad, about the width of several cotton balls, and taped it to the side of your jaw.

3) Let's then assume that you now permit me to punch you in the jaw as hard as I can.

Sound ridiculous? Then please explain this to me. (The relevant part is at 1:34.)



There are a number of videos online showcasing various martial arts techniques. Some of them, such as Sherdog's "Technique of the Week," are demonstrated by legitimate experts and have practical applications. Others, like the gentleman above, are more likely to get you injured or killed than they are to assist you in self-defense.

I'm not familiar with the instructor in this video and am not making any claims about what his qualifications are or aren't. But let's examine this logically: if you place the back of your hand against your face and rely on your palm to protect you, an incoming punch will likely break the bones in your hand and the force will transfer through to the flesh behind it and cause severe pain and possible damage. If you have a little bit of distance between your hand and your face, as he does here, an incoming punch will knock your hand into your jaw and you'll possibly knock yourself out. Let's see THAT on the video. It's no different than that little pad we just talked about and just as ridiculous as assuming that growing a beard will somehow protect you from a knockout blow. Most instructional videos show a technique slowly and then do it full speed so you can see how it actually works. They don't do that here. Why? 'Cause dude would get knocked on his ass. (His belt is knotted in an unusual fashion as well, but that's neither here nor there.)

To be sure, the palm heel CAN be used in very specific circumstances to deflect a punch but not in the way demonstrated here and it's an advanced technique that is never the first choice of anyone who knows what they're doing- not a simple tactic that can be taught through a two minute YouTube video.

He likes to use Bruce Lee's name a lot in the video to give himself some credibility but while I certainly never met Mr. Lee personally, I can guarantee you the man wasn't this stupid.

Online videos are best used by people who already have a background in martial arts so they can apply that previous knowledge in new ways and they can understand the concepts presented in a video technique and apply it to their own repertoire. People without any experience should really forgo the YouTube videos and take classes with an experienced instructor to get hands-on experience. But if you still plan on using online tutorials as the backbone of your self-defense planning, at least stick with ones that are effective. Like this one: