Primal Series - Lesson 5 - Palm Strikes
Open Handed Techniques all work from your natural Guard Position, which remember, is the instinctual startle response for most people. From there, with your arms up and your palms facing forward, you have several Open Handed options: Boxing the Ears, Palm Heel Strikes and Double Palm Heel. Boxing the Ears is highly overlooked but very effective. With little force, you an immobilize your attacker with this move. It causes extreme pain, a deafening sound and can throw off your attackers balance, making him disoriented, and giving you a chance to escape. Palm Heel Strikes are useful for delivering a hard hitting force to your attackers face. Directed at the nose, it can cause extreme pain and unstoppable watering of the eyes, blurring or taking away your attackers sight. Palm Heel Strikes are also useful for throwing your attacker off balance.
Boxing the Ears:
- cup hands slightly
- slap on either side of attackers head, over ears simultaneously
Palm Heel Strike:
- use the meaty part at the base of the palm
- flex hand back; elbows in line with wrists and palm heel
- use upward trajectory
- target: face
- step into strike to use body weight
Double Palm Heel:
- use meaty part at base of palm
- flex hand back; elbows in line with wrists and palm heel
- use upward trajectory
- target: chin or face
- step forward to force attacker back and off balance