Forearm strikes against the neck are extremely powerful; they can be delivered with such force that it feels like the head is being torn off the body. Wind the arm around/across your body as if you were going to make a hammer-fist strike; of course, you will be much closer to your assailant when you are striking with the forearm.
Unwind the strike, aiming your outer forearm at your assailant’s neck. Power should come from the turning action of your hips, coupled with the pulling action of your back muscles. It should be the body moving the arm, not the other way around.
Strike at a 45-degree angle, hitting downward into the base of the neck.
Keep transferring your weight into the strike and driving through your target. With a solid, driving strike you should be able to knock your attacker to the ground.
Hook Punches and Slicing/Circular Elbow Strikes
The toughest striking tools you have on your body are your elbows, knees, and head; and at some point you will be looking to move into an effective range to use these. (In reality, most fights either start at this range or soon close distance to it.)
Most people fail to make contact with circular elbow strikes because they underestimate how close they need to be to the target (their aggressor’s head), and either miss completely or lean forward to make sure that they connect. When throwing any strike, the head should remain over the shoulders, and the shoulders should stay over the hips. If your body leans forward, not only will your balance be compromised, but you won’t be able to fully utilize the power of the back muscles, which should help turn the torso and power the strike.
It is harder to get the timing and distance right with a circular strike than it is with strikes and punches that are directed forward. It is easier to judge distance and timing when your strike is traveling in a straight line, as opposed to a strike that travels in an arc, because the point at which that arc intersects the target has to be calculated. It is worth noting this, because in any physical confrontation you will want to keep things as simple as possible, and circular strikes—especially those delivered with the forward arm/hand—can be difficult to pull off successfully in a dynamic situation.
The power of the circular elbow strike comes from the hips and torso, rather than from the arm and shoulder; however, not a great deal of power needs to be generated for the strike to be successful. If the elbow can make impact and then drag across the face, digging into flesh and cutting skin, it will be an extremely effective strike, generating a lot of pain. One of the big myths about cutting the flesh/skin of the face is that you can cause a great deal of blood to run into the eyes, and so affect your aggressor’s vision. This really only happens in a prolonged fight, after the effects of the adrenal fight/flight response have worn off. This is because when a person becomes adrenalized, the blood moves from the surface skin and peripheries to the larger muscles. This means that in the first 15 seconds or so of the fight (and most fights are shorter than this), there isn’t a great quantity of blood in the forehead.
Rear Slicing Elbow
If you are facing an aggressive individual who has yet to launch an attack, you should adopt a de-escalation/interview stance. Your head should be over your shoulders, with your shoulders over your hips (i.e., you are upright, rather than bent forward or backward). Your hands should be out in front of you, controlling range and distance in a placating, non-aggressive manner. This is a good stance from which to launch many different attacks without giving your intentions away to an aggressor.
To throw a rear slicing elbow strike, first turn your left hip inward as you pull your arm back to make the strike. You should also shift some of your weight onto your back foot so that you can transfer it forward when you make the strike.
Start to pull your left hip back and drive your right hip forward as you turn at the waist to start bringing the elbow forward.
Start to roll the elbow over so that it can cut down at a 45-degree angle, as you drive your right hip forward and shift your weight toward the target.
When you make the strike, continue to drive through the target, rather than recoiling it—from here, you will also be in a good position to deliver a horizontal hammer-fist strike with your right arm.
You should be looking to cut across your assailant’s face at a 45-degree angle, driving your strike into them and downward.
Forward Slicing Elbow
Assume a neutral but prepared stance, with your hands out in front of you. Position your feet on opposite corners of a rectangle, with your weight distributed evenly. This is a non-threatening, non-challenging stance that also displays confidence and self-assurance due to your upright posture.
Turn your forward hip in and pivot on the toes of your front foot. At the same time, pull your forward hand toward your chest and swing your elbow out.
Keep turning to bring your elbow into the target. As you do this, raise your other hand up to protect your head. You should still be looking ahead at your assailant.
Don’t immediately recoil the strike on impact, but continue to drive through with your elbow. From here, you could swing your left arm back toward your assailant, using a hammer-fist or forearm strike.
When you are striking someone with a series of blows, you need to be able to work their response(s) into your strikes. It is unlikely, for example, that their head—the target—will remain in the same place, especially if you are effective in your striking: some people will duck; some will try to close distance with you to clinch and cover; others will move back, etc. This is the dynamic nature of a fight, and you must be able to adapt and alter your strikes based on your assailant’s movements and responses. It may be that as you go to launch a forward slicing elbow, your aggressor has already moved back as a result of to your previous strike. This means you must be able to make this strike on the move, rather than from a static position. Being able to strike powerfully and with effect while moving is something that many people in the self-defense community neglect in their training, thinking it is something that is only applicable in combat sports such as Boxing, Muay Thai, and MMA. Being able to strike with power while moving, however, is an essential fighting skill that you will need to train in order to be effective