“I have seen the term "under the heart" used to describe a weak point for striking in Boxing. My guess has been that it is used to describe the lowermost ribs under the left pectoral, pretty much on a straight line below the nipple. Would you agree with my interpretation?”

"Thanks."

Bill

Thank you, Bill.

My lowermost rib on the left side is no longer in line with the nipple—which is just as useless. It has been in the wrong position, by two inches, I think, since 1982.

Heart punches themselves can tire even the most well conditioned fighter, and throwing lead rights to the heart was a favorite of Ray Robinson. I have had the cartilage between the breastbone and the ribs that encase the heart compressed once, that was in 1994. Despite the proximity to our actual expiration timer, these blows to the heart were less debilitating than the lower shot to the smallest rib—that it would seem—is the least important of the lot.

As a stick fighter and boxer [who was KO’d 4 times, all by body shots, and was KO’d by kicks to the body twice] I can tell you that it is not the rib damage that is so debilitating. Unless the rib is cleanly broken and poses a danger to an organ that it might puncture, like the lung, the worst thing about impact to the ribs is compromising the ribcage as a unit, for which fists, shins and heels are much better suited than a light stick no matter how fast it is travelling. A taped fist inside a boxing glove is a rib-smashing device.

The cartilage and intercostals [the muscles that expand the cage to permit breathing—which is pretty damned important to a fighter], once damaged, begin to shut down the breathing apparatus. This is a sympathetic system—a feminist, feel-good, group-hug body part of great complexity. As bad as it is to have a finger broken, and have to ball it up with the other digits to punch, it’s pretty much about the pain.

Now, that smallest rib on the front of the rack, if you tear way the connective tissue that integrates it with the rest of the unit, you begin shutting down the system—spreading the pain and disfunction. So, in a boxing match, what you want to do to the man’s last rib under the heart is to hit it with a palm down punch right on the knuckles, driving the front finger portion of your fist through it into the stomach, and hopefully tearing that thing away from the cage so that his every breath is not only an agony, but a less effective breath, his rib muscles seizing up. So what Ray was really doing was attacking the active tissue of the ribcage by targeting an inactive part and tearing way the linkage.

Tactically, a fighter wants to throw this punch against a power jab, as a simultaneous counter. It would be ideal against the monstrous jabbing machine that is currently ruling the heavyweight division. The body punching fighter times the step under the jab and meats the lowest rib with his fist, borrowing the opponent's own bodyweight.