Boxing with open-handed strikes. Opinions?

[Fuhrer Drumpf]

I've been developing simple boxing combos with the various open-handed strikes from karate. I suppose some people must already do this, so what are your opinions? Open-handed strikes require great accuracy, and I feel that mine have improved trememdously since incorporating them into a western boxing context.

 

[drop bear]

Slap boxing is already a thing.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I haven't tried using them in a boxing context. I already use some in sparring (when wearing gloves that allow it). It's a natural inclination for me now, because I like having my hands open to grab. I seem to flow back and forth between open and closed hands without thinking about it. Some end up as slaps, some as palm-heel strikes. I don't think I've ever pulled out a chop in sparring, but I'm not sure.

 

[drop bear]

I haven't tried using them in a boxing context. I already use some in sparring (when wearing gloves that allow it). It's a natural inclination for me now, because I like having my hands open to grab. I seem to flow back and forth between open and closed hands without thinking about it. Some end up as slaps, some as palm-heel strikes. I don't think I've ever pulled out a chop in sparring, but I'm not sure.

The biggest issue with open handed sparring in that sort of manner is you will tend to poke people in the eye.

Which for us would eventually get you kicked in the head.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

The biggest issue with open handed sparring in that sort of manner is you will tend to poke people in the eye.

Which for us would eventually get you kicked in the head.

Yeah, I have a nasty habit of catching eyes, though not with those strikes (I don't tend to go open-hand to the face much for some reason). I do it in grappling. I'm not sure why - I don't do it when I visit my instructor's school, but I do it all the time when teaching. I blame it on my students - they must all have big eyes.

 

[drop bear]

Yeah, I have a nasty habit of catching eyes, though not with those strikes (I don't tend to go open-hand to the face much for some reason). I do it in grappling. I'm not sure why - I don't do it when I visit my instructor's school, but I do it all the time when teaching. I blame it on my students - they must all have big eyes.

Yeah but you grab hands. So if their hands are near their face you will take a bit of their face away with the grab.

I found that a bit doing RSBD. which was very hand grabby arm lock trappy.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Yeah but you grab hands. So if their hands are near their face you will take a bit of their face away with the grab.

I found that a bit doing RSBD. which was very hand grabby arm lock trappy.

Yeah, I do grab arms. I'm pretty likely to push their own hands into their face if that's available. So, they poke themselves in the eye. Really, not my fault!

 

[Danny T]

Lots of open hand strikes in several martial arts. Kali, Silat, Wing Chun, Slap boxing, and MMA as well just to name a few.

 

[Fuhrer Drumpf]

Slap boxing is already a thing.

Not slap-boxing. I'm talking about incorporating various open-handed strikes like haito-uchi and shuto-uchi and teisho-zuki into a western boxing approach alongside punches and elbow strikes.

 

[Touch Of Death]

Not slap-boxing. I'm talking about incorporating various open-handed strikes like haito-uchi and shuto-uchi and teisho-zuki into a western boxing approach alongside punches and elbow strikes.

I am more a wing chun, slap boxer.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Not slap-boxing. I'm talking about incorporating various open-handed strikes like haito-uchi and shuto-uchi and teisho-zuki into a western boxing approach alongside punches and elbow strikes.

You cannot effectively execute an open hand technique while wearing boxing gloves.
If you're not wearing boxing gloves, then you're just talking about what's done in most forms of TMA sparring.

 

[drop bear]

You cannot effectively execute an open hand technique while wearing boxing gloves.
If you're not wearing boxing gloves, then you're just talking about what's done in most forms of TMA sparring.

You can open hand all you want in MMA. Which a lot of people use boxing hand strikes. Ear slaps are sometimes thrown from inside guard. Never even seen a rule against judo chops. And heard of occasion where they have been thrown.

Closed fist is generally either better or safer.

 

[drop bear]

Baz rutten is mad keen on the idea.

For me I just don't want to catch a finger or something. And this goes back to fights happen a lot faster than people expect. So a lot of shots dont really hit where you want them to. If I am wailing a judo chop at you and you move and my f8ngers catch your forehead I could be in real trouble. If that was a hammer fist. I feel I have a bit more protection.

 

[Dirty Dog]

You can open hand all you want in MMA. Which a lot of people use boxing hand strikes. Ear slaps are sometimes thrown from inside guard. Never even seen a rule against judo chops. And heard of occasion where they have been thrown.

Closed fist is generally either better or safer.

Sure. I do all my sparring at our dojang wearing MMA-style gloves. And yes, I do open hand strikes. But the context was BOXING, which is why I said you cannot do open hand techniques wearing boxing gloves. You cannot.
MMA-style gloves limit techniques that rely on small joint manipulation and some pressure point techniques. That's about it.

 

[Charlemagne]

We use open handing strikes all the time in Pekiti Tirsia Kali. Our mindset is that we don't want to suffer a fracture (they call it a boxer's fracture for a reason) which would take away our ability to access and use a weapon if the situation requires it.

 

[MA_Student]

Well have fun getting it to work with boxing gloves on

 

[Martial D]

Boxing with other types of strikes mixed in? Pretty sure MMA has you covered.

 

[dancingalone]

I've been developing simple boxing combos with the various open-handed strikes from karate. I suppose some people must already do this, so what are your opinions? Open-handed strikes require great accuracy, and I feel that mine have improved trememdously since incorporating them into a western boxing context.

Not exactly western boxing, but you might find interesting some of the pre-defined self-defense combinations in American Kenpo. Check out Five Swords for example.

 

[punisher73]

Not slap-boxing. I'm talking about incorporating various open-handed strikes like haito-uchi and shuto-uchi and teisho-zuki into a western boxing approach alongside punches and elbow strikes.

Marco Lala (Kyokushin stylist), put out a dvd on incoporating boxing into karate type punching and it includes open hands I believe.

 

[hoshin1600]

The bulk of what I do are open hand strikes so I'm all for that. However I am not sure what or how you are combining open hand and boxing. The body mechanics for boxing punches are different from karate. I have spent a lot of time on boxing mechanics, if your only doing karate strikes in combinations of 2 & 3 then that is really not boxing , it's just normal combinations.
If you are using boxing mechanics with an open hand....I'm not so sure it works well
Sounds interesting.