I have downloaded about 600GB worth of fighting tournament footage of all kinds from Tang Soo Do to Muay Thai, as well as hundreds of videos of real-life altercations.
The two techniques that seem to most commonly end a fight - by either a.) knocking the opponent out, b.) knocking the opponent down, or c.) forcing the opponent to stop fighting due to pain - are face punches and low kicks.
The face punch typically knocks people out when thrown with the back hand - usually as a cross, overhand, or hook - while the reverse roundhouse kick to the legs typically knocks people down when they are off balance or when the user grabs a hold of the opponent's other leg. The face punch typically ends the fight via knockout while the low kick typically ends the fight via knockdown.
There are very few other striking techniques that seem to end fights. Occasionally, a good front kick, knee, spinning back kick, or spinning hook kick will end a fight, but the success rate is low and the timing has to be really good.
Not only that, but of the videos of real-life fights I have seen, people seem to just be throwing punches wildly and occasionally throwing a low kick. Rarely do you see any other technique being used. And these two techniques seem to be pretty effective in that regard.
So in a nutshell, the two striking techniques that seem to be most reliable at ending fights are a reverse punch to the face and a reverse roundhouse kick to the legs.
This begs the question: are these the only two strikes that people need for self defense? If someone only trains these two techniques for several years, focusing on timing/power/etc, and of course practicing on a resisting opponent, can they reliably defend themselves?
P.S. There is actually a fighting style that partially embraces the "reverse techniques only" idea:
en.wikipedia.org
The two techniques that seem to most commonly end a fight - by either a.) knocking the opponent out, b.) knocking the opponent down, or c.) forcing the opponent to stop fighting due to pain - are face punches and low kicks.
The face punch typically knocks people out when thrown with the back hand - usually as a cross, overhand, or hook - while the reverse roundhouse kick to the legs typically knocks people down when they are off balance or when the user grabs a hold of the opponent's other leg. The face punch typically ends the fight via knockout while the low kick typically ends the fight via knockdown.
There are very few other striking techniques that seem to end fights. Occasionally, a good front kick, knee, spinning back kick, or spinning hook kick will end a fight, but the success rate is low and the timing has to be really good.
Not only that, but of the videos of real-life fights I have seen, people seem to just be throwing punches wildly and occasionally throwing a low kick. Rarely do you see any other technique being used. And these two techniques seem to be pretty effective in that regard.
So in a nutshell, the two striking techniques that seem to be most reliable at ending fights are a reverse punch to the face and a reverse roundhouse kick to the legs.
This begs the question: are these the only two strikes that people need for self defense? If someone only trains these two techniques for several years, focusing on timing/power/etc, and of course practicing on a resisting opponent, can they reliably defend themselves?
P.S. There is actually a fighting style that partially embraces the "reverse techniques only" idea:
