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OK, I’ve been giving it some thought lately. You have the opening. You have the training. Your right cross is about to land. All other things being equal, do you hit for the jaw/knockout-end the fight, though with a smaller target, possible miss, etc… or the nose and the associated tearing up, incredible pain and disorientation, opening up other shots, etc.
I had always been a nose guy until Krav. Now, three years of Krav later, I think the jaw is the way to go….but would love to hear what some others have to say, especially some of our esteemed instructors! I’ll be seeing our lead instructor tonight, and will ask him for his thoughts.
Does it depend on the opponent? His apparent condition? Again, assuming all things are equal, and you have access to either target. If he’s sideways, or one is the easier target, your question is answered.
Thanks!
Re: Nose or jaw?
I would aim for the nose. If the guy has a hard jaw or is on something your less likely to get a clean knockout. Hitting the nose on the other hand cuases a biological reaction that even most “tough” guys cannot stop from happening.
Plus with the nose you are aiming for the center of the face so if you are off inchs in any direction you should still strike the face. The chin/jaw is a smaller target and easier to miss.
Re: Nose or jaw?
+1
between those two targets I’d say nose every time. The jaw is just too hard a target to punch, risks injury…”hard weapons for soft targets and soft weapon for hard targets”
Re: Nose or jaw?
Jaw…not even much of a debate, in my mind.
Folks get hit in the nose in sports all of the time, and keep playing (and that’s not a fight for their lives.) Fighters continue to fight with broken noses…not broken jaws (or unconsciousness.)
The jaw is not fixed, so it’s not as “hard” a target as you may think, and it is considerably larger than the nose. The jaw wraps around a good two-thirds of the head.
If I aim for the chin and I’m high, I get the nose. If I’m low, I get the throat. If you’re high on the nose (or they tuck their chin), you get the forehead.
Fights are ended by making someone unwilling or unable to continue fighting. Punching someone in the nose rarely does that. If I get ONE shot, I’m trying to leave them unconscious, not teary eyed. Just my opinion.
Re: Nose or jaw?
The jaw. It’s the reset button. The computer shuts down… This is why learning to throw a great hook is a priority, too. The hook, thrown behind the right hand in an automatic fashion, gives you two great shots to hit that reset button.
Re: Nose or jaw?
Thanks all, these are all the thoughts I had. Ryan and Steve, these are exactly what has put me in this mindset. I like the idea of the “button” tunring off the aggressor. DO I know that I always hit hard enough to knock everybody out? No…but three years of Krav has made me that much more confident.
Steve, the person that I talked with about this is your buddy big Bill. We’re hoping to find a weekend to pop over and train with you.
Thanks again everybody!
Train hard. Hit harder. Go home safe.
Re: Nose or jaw?
Well… Get yourself out here already! Summer is flying by!
And, back on topic: As a friend of mine from the great state of North Carolina has often said, “GET FIT TO FIGHT AND HIT F’N HARD!!!” No matter where you hit them, hit them hard!
that is all…
Re: Nose or jaw?
I think jaw is fatal. Makes your opponent facially numb. Therefore, he/she won’t be able to do something about it.
Re: Nose or jaw?
i was in NYC a few years back and watched an altercation between two cab drivers. both we rather large framed older men, one taller than the other. the taller of the two walked up to the other yelling at him with his arms flailing about. i watched as the shorter guy brought his arms up and popped the taller one in the nose. You could see his eyes water up though his sunglasses.
would this have stopped someone intent on harming you? no , this did accomplish an attitude adjustment, after this the two men talked and sorted things out. what i learned from this is that i am aiming for the jaw.Re: Nose or jaw?
do you in all honestly think you’d be at all concerned about aiming you punch that precisely in a real life confrontation? i get paid to put myself into the middle of confrontations. what i’ve learned is that if you’re in any sort of danger, you aim for the general area and pop him like your life depended on it.
i’ve been in situations where i’ve blanked and all my training just goes right out the window, you kind of freeze up for a split second before your mind screams at you to move, do something, anything, and then you react, and by then you don’t have time to be aiming for his chin or temple, the only thing that matters is, i’m going home tonight and do i give a **** where you’re going after this? the important thing is to hit him and hit him hard.
besides, consider that his head is a moving object and every second you spend waiting for your shot is a second that you haven’t hit him.
pop him and use the opening to go for like an armbar takedown, then as he falls, back away and run. he doesn’t have to be knocked out he just has to take the time to get up before giving chase for you to put some distance between you.
Re: Nose or jaw?
quote XOEK:do you in all honestly think you’d be at all concerned about aiming you punch that precisely in a real life confrontation? .Yes. I’ve been in fights. Just because target is small or precise, doesn’t mean I shouldn’t aim for it. I don’t want to hit him “in or about the head area” if I can help it. There are some unpleasant areas of the head to hit. I’m not saying I’ll delay one milisecond. When I punch, if I have the openening at either, where should I send my hand? If the openeing is clearly only there for the neck, the neck it is. If it is only there for the jaw due to his hand position, that’s where I’ll go. I train my hands so I have these options. I train so that I don’t HAVE to be concerned about aiming.
quote XOEK:pop him and use the opening to go for like an armbar takedown, then as he falls, back away and run. he doesn’t have to be knocked out he just has to take the time to get up before giving chase for you to put some distance between you.I can not disagree with you more. If a situation has gotten bad enough for me to throw a punch, I am certainly not going to “pop him,” take him down and run away. I am going to eliminate the threat. if he is unconcious after that one punch (i’m not exactly a power puncher, but it could happen with a well placed shot), it is eliminated. If he is still fighting, I am going to continue striking until I am safe enough to remove myself from the situation. If he bends over, I am going to knee him until he stops moving, if he hits the gound still fighting, I’m going to stomp him, or soccer kick him until I am no longer in danger of being harmed. I don’t want to do any undue harm to him…I just want to eliminate the threat. I am not a self-denfense expert, nor am I a criminal lawyer, but I will not keep myself or my family in danger for one second more than neccesary.
Sorry, feel kinda strongly on this point. I’ve seen someone do “just enough” and then get hit in the back of the skull with a metal folding chair.
Re: Nose or jaw?
“do you in all honestly think you’d be at all concerned about aiming you punch that precisely in a real life confrontation?”
I don’t think so, I know so. Been there, done that. Worked with a few who have done it many more times than me and quite successfully. Of course it isn’t easy; that’s why we train.
I won’t argue this point. Aim for whatever you like. I may only get one shot…I’m looking to make it count.
Re: Nose or jaw?
…and as far as this goes:
“pop him and use the opening to go for like an armbar takedown, then as he falls, back away and run. he doesn’t have to be knocked out he just has to take the time to get up before giving chase for you to put some distance between you.”
What if I’m with my family? What if there’s more than one? Where am I running to? What if he’s 240 and I’m 135 (armbar takedown?)? What if I “pop him” and it creates distance between us or he pulls a weapon? What if I aim for the “general area” and hit his skull (how’s that armbar takedown looking?)? What if he doesn’t fall?
Re: Nose or jaw?
The jaw- it’s easier to aim for, can be hit at many angles and has caused countless knockouts. Also even though it’s a bone, it’s not super likely to break your hand, because there’s some give there. In fact, there’s an old karate training device that’s like an iron mask with a rubber ball behind its jaw (which can move), and it teaches to aim for the jaw/chin. The nose is okay too, but isn’t an automatic fight ender. A guy I know had some other guy punch him right in the nose and broke it, and when he felt a bunch of blood flowing down his face, he took a big mouthful of it and spit it in the punchers’ face before tackling him and beating him.
Re: Nose or jaw?
FWIW, I’ve gotten in much more difficulty when I’ve tried to do “just enough” in a violent encounter. As cops, we’re always being told that we’re going to get our butts sued off if we do this or that. That thought was on my mind during a couple of situations that got worse because I didn’t overwhelm the bad guy from the get-go.
If a situation arises, deal with the immediate danger and counterattack as soon as possible… Take away the bad guy’s ability to fight and his WILL to fight.
Finally, one of my favorite AA sayings: “Half-measures avail us nothing.”
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