There are arguments for and against law enforcement officers using closed-hand punches. It can be better to avoid hitting a suspect with your bare knuckles so you don't injure your hands so you can't pull a trigger, hold a baton or continue striking with a broken hand. Here are four safer strikes—palm strike, bottom fist strike, knee strike and elbow strike—when dealing with a violent suspect. Our related article, " Safer Strikes ," explains how to avoid bloodborne pathogens.
Four Safer Strikes
A palm strike can deliver significant force, yet it is unlikely to break your hand. Start with both hands up protecting the head and face in a blocking position.
Keep the thumb and fingers of the striking hand held tightly together to prevent the thumb from catching on the suspect's clothing or body. Position your chin as close to the striking arm as possible to create a smaller target for the suspect.
Deliver a bottom fist strike with the bottom portion of the closed fist. The fingers are rolled, it's done at a 45-degree downward angle. The strike is capable of generating a significant amount of force with a low probability of injury to the officer.
For the knee strike, first control the suspect's head so the suspect receives the full force of the strike. The closer the suspect, the more aggressive the strikes need to be.
For an elbow strike, you must control and isolate the suspect's head. By orienting your hand with the thumb down, it exposes the hardest part of the elbow, which will increase the effectiveness of the strike.
When delivering the strike, use your rear knee. Too little force is generated with a front leg knee strike, and it will allow an experienced grappler to grab your knee and take you down to the ground.
When throwing the knee strike, drive up and in to the suspect's body. While doing so, shift your weight from back to front.
Deliver the palm strike from the shoulder with a straight extension of your arm, hitting the suspect's chin with the heel palm area of the hand.
Grab the head with your left hand so that elbow would drives toward the suspect's sternum. Now you can fire off the right-hand elbow, hoping to knock out the suspect to end the fight.
An effective elbow strike can devastate the suspect as a knock-out blow. The faster you can end this close-up encounter, the safer you will be.