The Most Vulnerable and Often Overlooked Primary Striking Areas: Eyes, Throat, Knees and Groin

Do you know what the most obvious primary striking areas on the body are?  What are the most vulnerable human body targets - regardless of size or shape? If you guessed the eyes, throat, knees or groin, you are correct. Let’s review some of the benefits of targeting the fantastic four target areas of the human body:

GROIN

The groin makes for a good break up tactic. It won’t permanently take out your opponent, but it will distract them.

KNEE

The knee is a very good place to strike because this can leave your opponent immobile and make it easier for you to either, run away or break away from the attack.  Attacking the knee is also great prior to a takedown or as a break up before you commit to another attack.

THROAT

The throat is a very good target or primary striking area because it will work as a breakup tactic and it is great as a strategy for removing the threat of further attacks. This can be done by a controlling the opponents breathing, choking them out by constricting the carotid arteries or in the worse case - striking hard at the windpipe and forcing the opponent to deal with a more serious threat than attacking you. Never strike to the throat unless your life is at risk!

EYES

And finally we have the eyes. The eyes make a great primary striking area because they are vulnerable soft tissue areas with a variety of ways to attack. The eyes are extremely sensitive regardless of your opponents size and training  - which makes them the number one target in a street fight.

There are few ways to go about attacking the eyes. One simple strategy is to simply strike at the eyes with the tips of your fingers. This will cause the eyes to water and sting which makes it hard for your opponent to see. Strikes to the eyes will also break your attacker’s concentration, allowing you some time to either escape or prepare for another attack. Another way to attack the eyes is to use dirt or other small objects that can be thrown or sprayed directly into the eyes.

This is why pepper spray is so popular as a self-defense tool. You can also use keys, clothing, shoes and other items to throw into the eyes again either as a breakup or an attempt to scratch the retina making it hard for the opponent either see you or continue with their attack.

The reason this becomes the most practical strategy is because if the person cannot see you, it’s going to be very hard for them to attack you.

Photo Credits: dangoodwin

Originally posted 2010-04-04 03:55:54.

This post involves:

attacker, carotid arteries, concentration, groin, human body, knees, opponent, opponents, soft tissue, street fight, strikes, striking area, takedown, windpipe

... and focuses on:

Attack, Martial Arts, Sparring

Posted by Martial Arts Karate Kung Fu on January 16, 2012 in Attack, Martial Arts, Sparring. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.