This punch has a somewhat deceptive name. It’s called the “groin” punch and in our punching drill, your imagined target is the groin. A lot of people practice this with a target that’s much higher, and I tease my students that they shouldn’t be imagining a hugely tall person in front of them. To do the groin punch with the groin as a target, you really need to drop low, using the knees, to get there.
The groin punch is an upward strike with the thumb knuckle, using the Bando fist (it doesn’t really work with a karate-style fist). As an upward strike, it can be used not only against the groin, but any other target that could be hit from below. For example, it could be used to strike the bottom of the opponent’s extended arm or the back of the thigh in a kick.
The punch starts by lowering the hand below the level of the target. All of our punches incorporate the principle of push-pull-twist. In the groin punch, the “pull” happens with the arm executing the cover. The “Push” happens with the striking hand, using the biceps to forcefully bend the elbow to raise the forearm and the fist. The”twist” happens with the cover hand, but there’s also a slight turn of the fist just before the thumb knuckle strikes the target. If you’d like to practice along with me, here’s a short video below (so glad my eyes are open at the start of this one!)
Enjoying these Bando minutes? Do take time to comment below and share your thoughts. You can also read past Bando minutes on the Bando minute archive. And if you want more practice to further your own path, contact me about our on-line class. — Debby