Palm Strike Krav Maga
BY MOSHE KATZ 
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL

July 17, 2025, Israel

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Classic Palm Strike (stock photo, not one of students as we dont' advocate that wrist grab)

There has been a long-standing debate among martial artists over the years, the Palm strike vs the Punch. Strong arguments have been advanced by both sides. My conclusion, like Tevya in Fiddler on the Roof, you are right, and you right. And then a third person says, But they can't both be right! to which the simple but wise Tevya the Milkman answers, "You are also right". 

So, who is right? Both. I would say it depends on the person and the circumstances.  There is a time and a place for both. There are advantages to both, and I would also say it is very individual, some people are very comfortable with punching, and very good at it, so we will not try and change your habit. 

For smaller people, for less-well trained people, I would say the Palm Strike is an essential tool to have. But even this must be learned correctly. It is not quite as simple as it looks. 

The advantages of the Palm strike are as follows:

Unlike the punch, which involves making a fist, it is nearly impossible to break your hand, your wrist, or your knuckles while using the Palm Strike.

Unlike the punch, nearly every target is viable. With a punch only a few targets make sense. If you punch the forehead or the top of the head, you are likely to break your wrist, I personally know of several cases where this happened to well-trained individuals.  With the Palm Strike, however, you can strike the chest, the chin, the face, the nose, the mouth, the forehead, and all are very effective.  

But we need to understand, and I speaking most specifically to instructors, that the Palm Strike is still not so easy for beginners, it is not just a matter of putting out your hand in a "Stop! in the name of love" type position. There is more than that, there is some serious training involved. 

Many beginners will pull their arm back, as in a winding up motion for a punch, not only is this anatomically awkward, it is also time consuming, and it actually weakens the strike. It is only an illusion of power. 

The key advantage of the Palm Strike is the immediacy of the delivery. If I need to pull back my arm to wind up for the strike, I have lost the key advantage of this technique. So how do we generate power? We need to use our hips but first we need to develop a powerful body stance, our fighting stance. In traditional karate the stance is very basic, it is a foundation and a great deal of time is devoted to this, but in the "faster" systems this is often neglected. A powerful stance is the key to all successful techniques. 

So, we develop a strong, solid, fighting stance. Next, the Palm Strike is delivered from the position where you are, unlike boxing it is not a moving strike, and this is what I try to show in this video. There is Body Movement in terms of my hips rotating but we are avoiding body movement in terms of the entire body taking a step or moving locations, as might be appropriate in other defenses. Here, we hold our ground and respond at once, our Palm Strike is our opening blow, which may be followed by other techniques. So we must deliver it here and now with maximum force. That Maximum Force comes from our hip movement, not from arm movement. The power is coming from my hip rotation, not from swinging my arms.

Powerful stance, integrity of our position, practice the strike on a pad or shield. Rotate your hips. This is an important tool in our self-defense arsenal. Learn when and how to use it effectively.   

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Moshe Katz, 7th dan Black Belt, Israeli Krav Maga. Certified by Wingate Institute. Member Black Belt hall of fame, USA and Europe.

Understand the Israeli Fighting Mentality - Israel a Nation of Warriors by Moshe Katz

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