Tip 08/02 Injuries While Punching. How many times have you injured yourself while trying to execute a really powerful straight punch, be it on a heavy bag, makiwara or human torso? The most common areas of self-injury while punching are the bones of the hand, the elbow and the wrist. Injuries to the hand are normally caused due to
improper clenching of the fist. The fingers MUST be tightly
clenched to form as dense and compact a fist as possible, with the
thumb wrapping around the middle sections of the fingers as an additional
brace. The striking areas should be those of the two largest knuckles
(punch) or other hardened areas, e.g., the bottom fleshy part of
the fist. Again, all striking areas should be properly conditioned
first.
To avoid injuries to the elbow, try NOT to "lock out" or fully straighten and lock in place the elbow joint on impact. It should only be close to near straight, pointing downward (straight punch being discussed here) for correct alignment to promote good energy flow. This will help avoid joint damage due to energy back flow or "bounce back". Lastly, the weakest anatomical part of a common straight punch is the wrist. While this joint can be strengthened via a variety of exercises, I would recommend that you first try a simple remedy which should allow you to execute full power in your punch with minimal chance of wrist injury. Instead of using a 180 degrees twist from the waist
to the target with the knuckles parallel to the horizon, try to
keep the twist to 90 degrees (or 100 degrees maximum), with the
knuckles parallel to the vertical. Again, please remember to try
this gradually, comparing with your normal type of execution,
and increase speed only when comfortable.
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