Penelope Lake commented on ‘Body Punches’ Nov-10-2016 11:55 PM UTC

“I love how detailed you are on specific shots. I would love to learn more about the effects of hitting the temple. Also, what are the consequences of hitting the spleen? I haven't been able to find too much about spleen punches. Lastly, can you tell me more about punching or karate chopping people in the throat?

“Last question, is there are a part of your website with links to all your answers about specific punches, such as details on hitting the heart, or liver, or whatever else?”

Okay Penelope, last things first. This site is pretty much a chronological author’s notebook as I work on various projects. While I’m writing a book—on boxing for instance—all the content will be posted under that tag. But once that book is in print, I will remove the tag—not the content—as the evil capitalist devil rises up in me and attempts to get a book sale! So you’d have to go back through the posts on the Modern Combat page or buy one of my erudite tomes on knuckleheadery.

As far as the hit locations you mentioned:

Taking a hard hit to the spleen is agonizing. But the spleen is smaller than the liver and is best accessed by a knee, kick or weapon. Punching it is not debilitating unless you have above average power. However, right above the spleen, is a rib that is lightly attached to the bottom of the cage on the left side and is easily damaged, causing the opponent pain every time he breaths, for months.

The temple is a damaging shot that compromises balance. It is a small spot, though, and you are better off aiming for the side of the head—that is all vital, all affects balance, and causes rotation of the brain within the skull. In many cases a two knuckle landing on the temple from a cross or hook has dramatic effect as it catches this quarter-sized spot. The problem is you are hitting a small moving target with a small weapon. The cutter hook and cross are best for accessing the temple.

I’ve been hit in the throat and so has one of my coaches. Any blow to the neck is damaging and potentially fatal or crippling. It is hard to hit the throat, however, with the various martial arts hand configurations intended for this hard to score with once taken out of the karate-kung fu tactical vacuum. Punching the chin will drop your man and if the fist slides in under the chin you have a throat shot and he’ll sound like Mellissa Ethridge for life. A person who leaves their throat open is not likely that dangerous as they are pulling their face away from you, so can be dropped in less lethal fashion.

The heart punch is ideal against a highly conditioned fighter and might get you a man slaughter charge against a man in bad health. This punch must be straight and hard and is aided by his stepping forward. You are doing more than shocking the heart, also compressing the lung and attacking the muscle and cartilage of the rib cage, a large, active machine that can easily be compromised with power.

The liver is big and shallow and is best hit with a kick, knee or shovel hook. The reaction is delayed and debilitating as all the toxins collected in this blood filter shoot into the body.

The kidney is more immediate and less debilitating than the liver and hurts like hell. He has two of them, and I’ve known guys who continued on to win fights with a bleeding kidney. I have as well. You piss blood for a while and hope the thing doesn’t die. The kidney is best targeted when a fighter turns away or when he stands with one foot in the lead like a kicker or fencer, exposing the kidney to hooking punches. Reaching for the kidney is a bad idea as you are likely to run your thumb into a descending elbow, and in a survival situation likely to fall into a clinch, which is usually bed when you are smaller or outnumbered.

For straight, defensive blows to the body, I like hitting what the bare knuckle guys called "the wind" the solar plexus, a breathing muscle that houses the terminus of the nerve endings that go down to the groin and make groin shots so nasty. This is why groin shots often freeze breathing. This is right under the breast bone in the middle and a good shot there will jam up both lungs for a moment or more, depending on his fitness.

Good luck with your art, Penelope and feel free to ask any questions on boxing and combat via email at jameslafond dot-com at gmail dot-com.

Peace and punishment.

-James