Unfortunately, despite its power, the uppercut also has its disadvantages when it comes to fighting.

I’ll explain why and also show you a simple trick you can use to make your uppercut an even more effective self defense technique to knock someone out:

How To Knock Someone Out With One Punch:
The Uppercut

First, let me explain why the uppercut is such a great self defense technique for how to knock someone out.  You see, when an uppercut comes in, it does so from below the attacker’s field of vision so he won’t see your punch coming until it’s too late. This means that your strike has a better chance of reaching its target and less chance of being blocked.  That also means a better chance to knock someone out.

When the uppercut hits the opponent under the chin, it slams his head back.  Besides jarring the brain, this whiplash effect triggers the nerves in spine as the skull slams back and down into them.  This is one of the main reasons why the uppercut has earned such a reputation as a knockout blow.

Another strength of the uppercut is that it takes advantage of the body’s centerline.  Your centerline is the area that runs vertically along the body and is difficult to protect.  The path of the uppercut comes up and in along the centerline, shooting straight up the body and targeting the chin for a one punch knockout blow.

But there is a problem with the uppercut as well.  For one, the chin is a relatively small target.  Since in a real self defense scenario, you won’t be wearing boxing gloves, there’s a good chance your punch will miss its target.  Even worse, when you do make contact, it’s very easy to fold your wrist over, potentially breaking or straining it.

There is a solution however.  Instead of using the traditional knuckle punch for your uppercut, throw the same strike but with the palm of your hand, using the hard area just above your wrist instead of your knuckles.  You still have all the benefits of the blind attack up the body’s centerline, and you’ll deliver incredible power, but you’re much less likely to be injured from your punch.

Of course, you may not get a knockout from your uppercut so you must be prepared to follow up with other self defense techniques.  Fortunately, using your palm for an uppercut has its advantages there as well.  For example, you could choose to follow your strike with a clawing rake down the face.  You could also grab the back of the head, turning the blow into a clinch and knee-strike.  Even if you miss with your palm heel, you’ll be in the perfect position for these follow-ups, which can be delivered explosively and brutally to defend yourself in a real street fight.

In summary, the palm heel strike under the chin has all of the uppercut’s strengths and none of its liabilities. It gives you more options in a real street fight, both as fail-safes and as follow-ups.  An uppercut is a powerful strike, but a palm-heel delivered in the same way is simply a much more effective self defense technique for how to knock someone out with one punch.

Picture this…

You’re on your back on the asphalt of a parking lot.  Something sharp and unpleasant is digging into your back.  You don’t notice that, however, and you don’t try to get up.

Why?  Because you can’t!

There’s  a very large man straddling your body, punching you in the face again and again as he uses his weight to keep you pinned down.

Congratulations…you’ve just discovered the horror that is losing position to a ground fighter or mixed martial arts student out on the street.  He’s used his grappling moves to get you into what is called the “mount”, and now you’ve got to try to escape it.  If you don’t, it’s all over for you.

While you can’t play the other guy’s game, and you almost never want to deal with a self-defense situation on the other guy’s terms, the only way to get out of the losing end of a grappling situation is to…

Use “Dirty” Grappling Moves Of Your Own
To Defeat A Ground Fighter!

You’re not really accepting the mixed martial arts philosophy, here, so much as you are acknowledging that grappling got you into a bad position.  Your only choice is to counter-grapple or “anti-grapple” your way back out of that so you can use your combative skills to teach your assailant the error of his ways.

Unfortunately, once you’re caught in the mount, you don’t have many resources. You can try to cover from the blows, but that’s just stalling.  Sooner or later, he’s going to overwhelm you.  If he’s on top of you just pounding away, whittling down your defenses, you won’t last long and he’s going to break through and bust you up eventually.  Time is not on your side.

You do, though, still have your hands free so…

Here’s A Grappling Move That Will Come In Handy…

Use one hand and arm to protect your head while he rains his punches down on you.

With the other, form a “tiger claw”, reaching out with your fingers spread to claw into the side of his body.  That roll of skin and muscle, or maybe that big roll of flab, that you’ve just caught in your fingers is yours to take home with you.  Twist it with all your might.

When you do that, even a tough, determined attacker is going to flinch.  Weaker men will howl in pain. It hurts…bad!  Even in the adrenaline rush of a real street fight, it’s a force to be reckoned with.

When he’s distracted, if even for just a second, grab the side of his head with your free hand.  Twist and roll, rolling your own body with his so you end up on top and between his legs.  You’re not, technically, in the mount on him, but you’re close; you’re in a superior position, poised for bringing a knee straight up into the family jewels for a knee groin strike or to start striking him with hammer fists.

You’ve turned the tables, and now your grappling moves have him on the losing end of the fight!

The debate between which striking technique works best for a “real street fight” has always been one that gets the blood boiling of die hard martial arts practitioners and close quarters combat enthusiasts.

Here’s how I approached it once in one of my Close Quarters Combat seminars…

I asked the class if they would be willing to volunteer to go over to the cement wall and punch it (hard!) with their fist.

What? No takers? Hmmmm…

Ok, so next was “Who would be willing to go over there and hit it (hard) with a strong, open handed, palm-heel?

Ahhhh…now we got some hands in the air?

Why is that?

Simple…even your subconscious knows that it’s very easy to damage your hand striking a hard surface (like someone’s jaw). But we naturally understand that we can put a LOT of force behind a palm heel and not subject ourselves to the knuckle- and wrist-destroying impact a traditional punch could bring on.

In fact, even in mixed martial arts competitions like the UFC (back when they didn’t wear gloves), there were plenty of reports of guys nursing broken fingers and strained wrists after punching in a bout.

And watch some of the clips of Bas Rutten in his UFC and other fights! Bas Rutten was a MASTER at exploding on his opponents with a fury of open handed palm-heel strikes that they couldn’t recover from!

So what do YOU think? Do me a favor and leave your comments under the blog (whether you agree or disagree) and please click on the “Bookmark and Share” button to post the comment on your Facebook, Twitter, or other social media site!