Boxers, enlighten a judoka!

[The_Judo_Jibboo]

Hi guys,
Judo was my introduction to the martial arts and as such almost all of my experience with other fighters has come through that medium. I love judo and will practice it the rest of my life, but i do want to learn at least the basics of several martial arts. i'm planning on first branching out to martial arts most closely tied to judo; first jujitsu then shuai chiao, finally making a larger jump to jkd and muay thai.
Until then, i'm curious about the basics of striking in all it's forms, whether it's with the palms, fists, blade of the hand, or kicks. Most specifically i'm interested in the mechanics of balling the fist and how the wrist should be held so that i don't break my hand punching something! Also i'm curious as to what exactly the striking surfaces are for different kinds of kicks, but any advice at all on striking is welcome whether it addresses these points or if it's tidbits you've found helpful yourselves.

[danfaggella]

Well, for hand forms and stiking surfaces and such, TCMA (traditional chinese martial art) has all the possible ways. In boxing/MT you use what you can use under the gloves for your hands, and you have only a few kick surfaces. Both arts are effective and consise, but for more info on hitting surfaces (even that of your head/shoulders/elbow/ect.....) TCMA has loads of stuff.

But for punching with a basic closed fist, you should start by holding your hand out, with all fingers pointed outward. Curl the tips of your fingers to the base of your fingers, then curl your knuckles down. Finally bring your thumb down over your fingers. Don't keep a rigid fist, only tighten it as you hit the surface. Its possible to hit well with your knuckles horiz/vert, some peopel like it at a 45. There are so many different ways of even doing the classic closed fist, but just do it with the thumb like i said and with knuckles horizontal.

Might be a good idea to stop by a boxing gym and make sure your form is real nice before you get into training on a bag.

Good luck in your martial exploration.

[The_Judo_Jibboo]

thanks dan,
two of the replies i've got so far mention not clinching the fist until the last moment, and i'd heard that before (i think in relation to jkd) and for some reason i was a little surprised to hear it from a boxer. what is the benefit of clinching the fist at the last second?

[eXcessiveForce]

It is more relaxed and faster to not clench the first until the last moment.

The basic striking tools for punches can depend on the system.

horizontal punches generally hit with the first two knuckles. Index and middle finger.

vertical can either hit the same way or with the last three knuckles.

Some variations have people punching with the middle two knuckles but that is a minority opinion.

Hand position in some systems is also a 45 degree angle. rather than vertical or horizontal.

This is really a huge subject and dependent on what you are training in.


As for kicks.

The striking surfaces are ball of the foot. instep, blade (outer edge of the foot), heel, and shin. Inside edge of the foot.



savate does kick with the toes but that is the only system I am aware of that does this. It is generally considered a poor idea by other systems.


I can give you more information but you would need to narrow down your question and be more specific.