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.

[Rule10b5]

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.

I'm fine with the balance of your post -- you can certainly set someone back with a hard and unexpected slap the face and it's a great way to get a second or so's worth of pause out of someone as an opening strike -- but your physiology is off.

The blink is going to happen with any facial strike. You're not "disrupting" the CNS -- the brain and spinal cord -- you're getting the most sensible evolved reaction to a potentially harmful stimulus. It's not that the slap is disrupting everything, it's creating a reaction the evolved to evade/minimize damage. The target's eyes are going to shut if he perceives the strike is imminent.

You're also not causing substantial movement of the brain within the skull -- the meninges are incredibly effective as anchors. The dura mater and arachnoid membrane together can keep your brain from moving relative to the skull under all but the most substantial decelerative force (a quick 60-0 car crash, would give you a nice little concussion just from brain deceleration alone, your head doesn't need to contact a thing).

The optic nerves (I assume by ocular nerve you mean the second cranial nerve) are also way too deep within the brain to upset with the kind of contact you're talking about. If you mean the oculomotor nerves (the ones that control your blink), it'll trigger once the target believes he's going to get hit in the face but, again, it's buried too deep to physically upset with a slap.

Basically, by the above I mean that you're not violently moving or disrupting the brain or any deep nerves, you're triggering a defense mechanism.

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.

If you mean disruption by setting someone off balance for a second, sure, that happens with any decent head strike -- but you're not causing any real disruption, just the pause that comes from having mass (the head of the target) moved off center. And that's going to depend what kind of stance the target is in, anyway. If he's balanced against the direction of the slap, you're not going to do anything. Ditto if he's starts to step back as you hit.

Regarding the vagus nerve (I assume that's what you meant by vegus): you're not going to hit it with a slap -- too deep again. And the larger the contact patch, the less likely you are to go deep. You're probably not even going to hit it unless you get a perfect (and hard) shot in with a knuckle strike. And even then, most of the function of the vagus is conveying information to the brain, not from it.

I suppose I have two points to the above rambling: First, you're going to get the physical reaction you're talking about. The target is going to blink, flinch, pause for a moment if you get in a good slap. Possibly even more than a punch of equivalent force, if for no reason other than that a slap is much more of a surprise than a punch, and because of the surface area you're likely to get more of an instinct to protect the eyes. Second, the above isn't happening because if disruption, shock, or even potential damage -- you're activating a defensive mechanism.

Ok, I lied, two more points. You reference making contact with the baroreceptor. There isn't "a" baroreceptor -- they're disperse sensors throughout the blood vessels in the body. There's not one to hit in particular or that could be targeted. I suppose you could, theoretically, trigger the baroreflex and cause the heart to skip a beat or momentarily change the targets blood pressure with a hard enough shot somewhere on the body, but you couldn't target it.

Anyway, nice post, and definitely something to think about adding to the bag of tricks.

[Strapped]

Fuck a slap,,,, throat punch is where it's at!

[LittleRedToyota]

Fuck a slap,,,, throat punch is where it's at!

if the guy is dumb enough to expose his throat...

though many probably are.

[Shawn.L]

if the guy is dumb enough to expose his throat...

though many probably are.

I would think it would be "if the guy isnt trained or experianced enough to protect his throat".



been a long time since I was in a real fight.

although a new piece of head gear just came in my mail the other day, and I have forearm pads and a 12yo boy with 2 years of karate that thinks fighting dad is just awesome

yes, he has sparring gear as well