Slapping in Combatives

[mercop]

What would you rather endure from a training partner, a punch to the chest at 25% power or a slap to the face at say 15%? I for one will take the punch. Slaps are too often over looked when it comes to combatives.

Slaps are intuitive and much easier to become efficient with than other hand strikes. One of the biggest problems with teaching people to strike efficiently is getting them to follow through and visualize the energy going beyond the target. Due to the open hand and arc of slaps, it is much easier.

Lets talk about targeting with slaps. First, and most obvious, the head. A power slap to the head is more likely to effect the Central Nervous System, Circulatory System, and Structural System than any other strike. Here is why, picture yourself slapping someone across the face/side of the head as hard as you can, I mean really putting your hips into it. Upon contact it will overload all the nerves of the face, the eyes will involuntarily close as the head snaps back at a 45 degree angle. This is the Central Nervous Systems disruption, not only is the brain being over loaded by the sting of the slap, but the brain, and Ocular nerves are also being violently smashed into/towards the side of the skull. Structural System disruption is being achieved by the cervical vertebrae being instantly squeezed together. As the head moves back and to the side, the body is taken off center and your attackers base is destroyed, if only for a second. Using your hands large surface area to the target rich area of the face/neck increases the likely hood of either striking the Vegus Nerve, which provides information about the state of the body's organs to the Central Nervous System, or the Baroreceptor which serves as your body's thermostat.

A few classes ago an advanced student volunteered for a little experiment. After donning the appropriate protective equipment, headgear, and mouthpiece for him, and eye protection for me, we proceeded. Standing within arms distance with an exposed G17 airsoft in his holster, the directions were simple, whenever he was ready he was to draw the pistol and try to shoot me. I in turn was supposed to only defend myself by slapping him in the side of the head. He drew the gun and I slapped, luckily "checking" my slap instead of following through. Both of us being right handed, as soon as he was slapped his head spun back and to his right, my pinkie struck below the headgear and made contact with the Baroreceptor. His gun, just out of the holster fell to the floor out of his limp arm and I moved forward to grab him before he hit the ground. Took him a few minutes to recover.

Moving onto other targets, MCS never relies on pain to make techniques work but we don't mind it helping either. I along with many reading this have higher than average pain tolerance than others who don't train. That said I have found that pain tolerance has little to do with things that sting, like being smacked across the lower back or even the chest. A powerful slap to the chest causes the arms to go out to the side and then forward, as the chin snaps violently to the chest. My other favorite is on the inside of the leg, halfway between the knee and groin, easier to strike than the groin. Causes people to open their legs to establish base, this in turn exposes the groin.

So in closing, maybe you should consider adding the slap to your striking repertoire.

[mojo]

Very interesting .. never would have thought of a slap in that way.

[mercop]

Most don't and that is the beauty of it, an open hand appears to be non-threatening.

[Hawk]

Ah! the classic bitch slap! Do you remember this scene from the spaghetti western "My name is nobody" staring Terence Hill?

I guess you can use it as a training film...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_8VwZ2oTlw

[unloved]

You can generate a surprising amount of power with a short swing that culminates in a slap.

Do a Google search on "knockout slap".

[djturnz]

Come on George, now you are telling me I have to add baby powder to my EDC?



Seriously, your assessment makes sense to me. I have seen some "slap boxing" matches turn brutal with a good hit.

[LittleRedToyota]

slaps are also great for distraction. even if you cannot get enough force behind it to actually hurt the person, just a little slap to the face will often make them close their eyes and turn their head and disrupt their focus...allowing you an opportunity to gain better positioning/bring a weapon into the fight/etc.

[Hawk]

I think an eye poke would be more effective than a slap. Yes, the targets are smaller, but a slap requires a semi-horizontal crossing movement similar to a hook punch, where a eye poke is linear, like a jab. IMHO, a jabbing movement is much faster than a hooking movement. In addition, a jabbing attack is harder to defend against than a hooking attack. Not much force is required to inflict a hell of a lot of "blinding" pain with an eye poke. I'm not talking about a typical 2 finger "3 stooges" eye poke, I'm suggesting either the "tiger claw" attack to the eyes or a supported thumb attack.

[Shawn.L]

I think an eye poke would be more effective than a slap. Yes, the targets are smaller, but a slap requires a semi-horizontal crossing movement similar to a hook punch, where a eye poke is linear, like a jab. IMHO, a jabbing movement is much faster than a hooking movement. In addition, a jabbing attack is harder to defend against than a hooking attack. Not much force is required to inflict a hell of a lot of "blinding" pain with an eye poke. I'm not talking about a typical 2 finger "3 stooges" eye poke, I'm suggesting either the "tiger claw" attack to the eyes or a supported thumb attack.

When I was a teenager I got into it with a friend of mine. It got ugly, and then violent. I punched him with my pointer finger right in the eye. he dropped screaming.

it was pretty scary, I could feel his eye ball. I had thought I had permanantly blinded him or burst his eye. He was OK after a bit, and we later laughed it off.

[LittleRedToyota]

I think an eye poke would be more effective than a slap. Yes, the targets are smaller, but a slap requires a semi-horizontal crossing movement similar to a hook punch, where a eye poke is linear, like a jab. IMHO, a jabbing movement is much faster than a hooking movement.

In addition, a jabbing attack is harder to defend against than a hooking attack. Not much force is required to inflict a hell of allot of blinding pain with an eye poke. I'm not talking about a typical 2 finger "3 stooges" eye poke, I'm suggesting either the "tiger claw" attack to the eyes or a supported thumb attack.

a "jab slap" (to make up a new word) is basically what i meant by a slap you can't get much power behind. personally, i prefer to avoid closed fist strikes as there is too much potential to damage your own hands. (good hard palm strikes if you can get one in are great, though, imho.)

for most people, if one punches the other as hard as he can and hits the other guy in the forehead (the other guy is smart enough to keep his chin down), the puncher will get the worst of it. (if one is a trained closed-fist striker, of course, this may not apply.)

also, most real fights do not look like boxing matches in my experience (at least not for long). they involve more clutching and grabbing/grappling. this dynamic sometimes presents opportunities for little slaps (forehand or backhand) to the face (that will distract someone who is not used to them) as your hands may already be "inside" his. (headbutts can work well like this, too.)

i agree with you that they eyes are a great target if you can get at them.