Self Defence and Martial Arts Tips - the Role of Tools and Targets in Maximizing Striking Power

In a self defence/self protection situation, once conflict becomes physical, you need to get the job done very quickly (within 30 to 60 seconds). The objective of every strike is to incapacitate the opponent. To produce an injury that fundamentally changes the normal functioning of the body.

To cause such an injury, you have to generate and transfer the largest amount of kinetic energy possible into the target……you have to maximize your striking power.

There are four elements required to maximize striking power. Four elements to achieve the power required to incapacitate an opponent. Those four elements are: Structure, the Body in Motion (kinetic energy), an Appropriate Tool, and a Specific Target.

This article is confined to a discussion of the third and fourth elements – an Appropriate Tool and a Specific Target.

The term tool describes the upper or lower body weapon that is used to impact on the target. It is the conduit between your body in motion (kinetic energy) and the target.

To maximize striking power, the tool will be structurally sound and prepared for the impact. It will give you the ability to strike with your bodyweight and not just with the weight of your limbs.

An appropriate tool will result in an injury to your opponent and not to you. It will always adhere to the following principles: keep it simple and straightforward (KISS), the closest weapon to the closest target, and, hard on soft, soft on hard.

At the point of contact with the target, the tool, together with the rest of your body will be one solid unit. However, beyond that initial contact, your intent is to penetrate the tool deep into your opponents body. To achieve this penetration we use the potential energy stored within our muscles to extend and drive or extend and rotate the tool through and beyond the target.

In martial arts competitions, targets such as the eyes and the groin are out of bounds and for very good reason. A thumb in the eye or a knee to the groin has the potential to cause a serious injury. It is for this very reason that the eyes and groin are excellent targets for self defence/self protection. Self defence/self protection is not a passive, non violent act; it is about self preservation and whatever it takes to get the job done quickly.

The best targets are those which are going to result in an injury that requires medical attention. They are the weak points on the human body, regardless of gender, size or muscle mass. When hit correctly, they are the points on the human body that will result not only in an injury but also a predictable involuntary response.

There are hundreds of targets on the human body. There are numerous tools that can be employed in self defence and the martial arts. However, not all of them will adhere to the self defence/self protection principles and performance criteria discussed in this article. The following is a list of tools and targets that I prefer and recommend:

Tools - Palm Heel, Hammer Fist, Forearm, Elbow, Shoulder, Vertical Fist, Phoenix Eye Fist, Front Kick, Knee, Oblique Stomping Kick and Side Stomping Kick

Targets – Eyes, Ears, Nose, Chin, Neck/Throat, Collarbone, Solar Plexus, Liver, Spleen, Kidneys, Groin, Outside Thigh (Lateral Femoral Cutaneous Nerve), Knee, Shin and Ankle

With these tools and targets, your objective is to cause an injury; to incapacitate your opponent. To achieve this, you have to generate and transfer the largest amount of kinetic energy possible into the target. You have to maximize your striking power. 

Using an appropriate tool for a specific target is an important ingredient in the recipe for maximizing striking power, but as discussed earlier in this article and in previous articles, there are four elements that need to be present. The four elements are: Structure, the Body in Motion (kinetic energy), an Appropriate Tool, and a Specific Target.