One of the questions we get asked all the time is what the best empty strikes are to use in an empty hand response or when you selected not use a weapon system. Before we get into it, let’s get something straight, we aren’t the people that start fights, instigate or poke the bear but we do finish them . We emphasize being strategic and confident; knowing how to respond effectively when pushed past the limit. These strikes are to be used when you’re past the point of negotiation and you’ve made every attempt to de-escalate, distract and diffuse the situation. This is the point when the attacker is about to find out that you’re not a victim; you’re a defender. Let’s get to it.
Empty Hand Trapping Moves
The first thing we’re gonna do is remove the obstruction, which would be their hands or arms, with swift trapping moves to seize control of the narrative. Your attacker’s aggression then becomes weakness, imbalance, and a pivot point for your counter moves. That’s when they know that they chose the wrong person to mess with. Controlling your opponent's limbs sets the stage for powerful counterattacks; empty hand strikes.
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Strategic Empty Hand Striking
Once you get control of the limbs, there are several effective strikes you can use to temporarily incapacitate an attacker. You can concussively strike the base of the Jaw-line which will shake your attacker’s brain pan (This must really be seen and experienced). As we retract from that first strike, we can go for a face rake. You use your fingers to target sensitive areas of the face (eye, nose, mouth) to cause disorientation, pain and temporary blindness. Another effective strike is the open hand strike to the throat that is sure to take your attacker’s oxygen. While they’re choking, gagging or trying to catch their breath, you can follow up with a ballistic (speed and intensity) clench to the base of the neck. Now, depending on your position and what you want to transition to, while you’ve got that ballistic clench, you can go with a spearing knee strike, hitting the side of the nerve line or groin.
ISP Empty Hand student demonstrating the ballistic clench with a spearing knee strike.
Let’s go with another set of strikes after getting control of your attacker’s limb. You’ve gotta use what you’ve got and your attacker’s clothing can be used to your benefit. You can grab the shirt and go in for control striking to the face or even go for an elbow strike to the neck. This you can follow right up with a hammer fist which you can use to hit also hit the neck that has soft tissue and nerves and arteries that supply the brain with blood. Now the last strike I want to give you is the horse pinch/horse bite. This is where typically your thumb and fingers tightly grip soft tissue on your attacker’s body, simulating the powerful bite of a horse. You can use this horse bite on the inner thigh or anywhere that super sensitive and soft tissue.
Hank Hayes here demonstrating control of that right arm and striking with an elbow.
Conclusion
We want to reiterate that these strikes should be used only after all other attempts have been made to de-escalate the situation. If they continue to go after you, commence to bring the pain with savage, brutal, medieval, violence of action on your attacker to bring him down. You’ve got an arsenal that includes the face rake, elbow, hammer fist, the ballistic clench, the knee, the horse bite. Now put these together and practice until the movements become second nature.
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About The Author
Hank Hayes is a Combat Arts Hall of Famer and inventor of the No Lie Blade. He is the founder and CEO of both Intuitive Self Protection and NLB Tactical and creator of the ISP/NLB viscous fighting system. Since 1998, he has trained well over 30,000 Military and Law Enforcement personnel via Government contract mainly at the elite special teams level and continues to train both civilians and MIL/LE how to come home safe.