Elbow punch instead of knuckle punch? for short people too?
 

I've heard many arguments against knuckles in a fight, Joe Rogan says they really need to be conditioned (for example by punching bricks without glove, but he admits any such conditioning causes future health problems). that you can easily break your wrist, that mistakenly punching the teeth or forehead can cause you more pain than the enemy etc.

Joe Rogan says the solution is elbow punches.

i kind of like that idea, but everytime I practise it on the speed ball I'm unimpressed, it's very difficult to reach targets and getting a good solid connect. and they telegraph like crazy.

do you think elbows are good?
Could it be that perhaps they are more suitable for tall people, that shorter people should stay very clear from this technique?

Elbows are used when grappling. Pretty much useless any other time unless you get lucky and catch them with a spin. Palm strikes and back hands are better when there is more distance.

Hmmm. Impact energy delivered is a factor of speed mass and body mechanics. The elbow is an excellent weapon but does not have the range nor speed of a hand{or foot}. Speed bags/ball therefore are not a good practice/training devices for the elbow. ANY thing that hits the mouth/teeth of you opponent runs the risk of infection from the bacteria that resides in the mouth. {Even the elbow}. I was taught to hit hard body parts with soft body parts and soft body parts with hard parts.{As a general rule}

When I trained in kickboxing we routinely used elbows. The trick is to get inside the opponent's punching reach which negates their punch, and either throw an elbow uppercut, hook, or downward elbow on the forehead/bridge of nose area (using your body weight to come down, almost like an ax-kick). You can also use your jab hand to punch past the opponent's head and grab the head, and drive your elbow to the face with your "cross" hand.

And of course on the ground they are devastating.

stretching and swimming (flexibility) are keys to having great elbow strikes...get your limbs loose and where they are more flexible at various angles. My elbows are very fast and very powerful. And can throw them from many angles. Get a bag and start practicing on it slowly with your angles and don't forget to manipulate your shoulder and arm to get a bit further out distance wise. Just practice on a bag and you will learn your distance speed and angle. They would easily be devastating. But, you will be closer to your opponent obviously.

There is a reason you see MMA guys using them while grappling on the ground. With your full body weight, they do amazing damage. Even if the trauma isn't bad enough, an elbow will rip and tear the skin.

If your inside, an elbow to the temple may well be a fight-ender.

Knees are just as devastating. I obliterated a guy beating on a woman one time, with once punch and about 5 knees to the face.

I'm no fighter,but watch MMA sometimes.Seen many fights ended from very nasty cuts from elbows.The reciever was fine mentally,but tons of blood.

The issue with elbows is the other guy can punch you from a range you can't elbow him. So if you are using it instead of punching. You will get hit a lot.

The OP's question is flawed a bit.

It is not a question of fists vs elbows. It would be better to compare fists vs palm strikes which he alluded to and yes a palm strike is safer for the striker. Elbows are best used once inside your opponents punching range. They work great!


Bottom line, use a variation of punches (careful not to break your hand), palm strikes, elbows, knees, limb isolation, and joint manipulation.

In a real fight (not sparring or competition) you use whatever you can in whatever opportunity presents itself. Elbows have their place. So do knees, fists, feet, fingers (yes finger shoved in an eyesocket is pretty disabling), Just depends on how it unfolds. Not good to be overly intent on a specific action. The more tools you develop the better your chances.

I blew out my knuckles and wrist punching a very angry mentally challenged guy who wanted my dead. He was just having a bad day and God didn't provide him with an off switch. It took 12 years to get most of the use back so now it's palm heels, ear slaps, and hammer strikes for me.

The worst part was it happened on my shooting hand so I was down to 22lr pistols only for 8 years.

This week from UFC
6 inch elbow
Walk off KO
https://youtu.be/ijIo21i1amQ

https://youtu.be/ijIo21i1amQ

I hit a guy in the mouth with a right elbow and his lower teeth gave me a deep cut and elbow paun for months afterwards. I still say using the heel of your palm is the way to go.... Or what Karate people call a "krane fist" wich is more of a spear hand with the fingers bent slightly.

Joe Rogan has one of the most devastating spinning back kicks I've ever seen.

I've arrested about 400 felons and never once got into a fist or elbow fight with one. I have taken a few to the ground, but mostly used slapjacks, nightsticks, or firearms.

I never thought police officers (or innocent citizens) should risk their health or lives unnecessarily by getting into unarmed man-on-man brawls with criminals who may be carrying concealed weapons or have buddies who might "jump in". Once I told a felon (or even someone who had committed a serious misdemeanor) that they were under arrest, it was an absolute certainty that they were going to jail (or the hospital, or the cemetery) their choice. The vast majority could tell what was going to happen and chose jail. The other few? Well......... I took them all down one way or another and I never got injured and none ever got away.

Ahhhh, the "good old days" when the law protected the "good guys", prosecuted the "bad guys", and police were encouraged to do whatever it took to take dangerous criminals off the streets!

Wow I had no idea it was that bad

Elbows are devastating. Yes, much easier to score hits from a mount but by no means are they limited to grappling. That's ridiculous.

An elbow strike, properly applied is like hitting someone with a bat.

My daughter sent a JV linebacker, a foot taller and 100 lbs heavier to the er with a broken face. Her weapon of choice? Knees and elbows.

https://redirect.viglink.com/?format...%3DyEizMbUR3cE

https://redirect.viglink.com/?format...%2F4xnbNi6JJqI

https://redirect.viglink.com/?format...VjPTbS6T1bhZ19



From the article:

MMA fans are accustomed to seeing fighters dust off brutal knockouts as if they never even happened. Tragically, this was far from the case when professional fighter Booto Guylain suffered a TKO loss back on February 27.

The 29-year-old was pronounced dead on Wednesday as a result of severe head trauma sustained in an MMA bout for the Extreme Fighting Championship in Johannesburg, South Africa.

According to a statement released on EFC Africa's official website, Guylain was transferred to the hospital, where he was treated for swelling and bleeding of the brain after taking multiple elbows to the head in his bout with Keron Davies.

Still in its infancy, the sport will need to consider making concessions as it continues its fight for mainstream acceptance. The key could lie in banning elbow strikes to the head of a grounded opponent.

There truly is no comparison to the potential trauma an elbow strike can leave. They are particularly hard to defend against because the fighter on top doesn’t need a lot of space to generate the momentum required to cause serious damage.

An elbow strike is more likely to leave a fighter concussed than a closed fist, and is often the culprit behind large cuts that lead to premature stoppages. While elbows may not be the only strikes capable of opening a fighter up, they dramatically increase the chances of blood spilling onto the canvas.

Depending on the severity and placement of a cut, referees are allowed to defer to the cageside physician, who then makes the final decision on whether the injured fighter is able to continue.

I used to punch with my knuckles. If I ever meet any of you I can show you the scars. I trained for years with knuckle push ups and punching plywood forms. The last time I punched a man with my knuckles, I knocked out some teeth but got some serious cuts and caught an infection that needed a course of antibiotics. If I ever get in a similar situation again, it will be heel of the palm, hammer fists, elbows and knees. Of course, now I am older and I carry everyday. I don't brawl "for fun" anymore. That was when I was young, dumb, and full of...........vim and vigor, yeah that's it. ;)