If you are blocking a fight scene ripe with punches, this post is for you. It’s important to know where to punch a character, because where you punch your character will create certain responses. If there is a specific response/result/injury that you are looking for, it’s good to know which punches will get you to that point. In this post we will look at where to punch a character to create a create a certain outcome. Guys, this is where having actual fight training/experience comes in super handy. Don’t worry if you don’t have it. That’s why I’m here!
Does Getting Punched Hurt? where to punch a character
First, does it hurt to get punched? If the punch occurs in the course of a fight, it will be a different sensation than if it is unexpected. If it is in the course of a fight, it’s different. A couple Muay Thai fighters talk about this in my book. If the punch is out of nowhere and y0u are struck unconscious, no. When you wake up you will be sore, sore, sore but that actual punch won’t register. If you are hit by someone and not expecting it, yes, it will hurt. The punch that hurts most is the one you don’t expect. And that’s if your character is a trained fighter or not. The type of pain will depend on where the character is hit and the injuries will be worse because your character didn’t have a chance to prepare for the punch. (I will get back to that.) If the character is in a fight and punched in the midst of it, the punch might hurt a bit or it might be that the impact just registers. While in a fight, adrenaline surges which lowers the pain response. A fighter can literally sustain an injury and not know it. That is not to say that all the punches a fighter eats are pain free! The level a pain a character registers while fighting is all over the board. The only thing that is for certain is that once adrenaline ebbs, that pain increases big time. I can’t stress that enough.
A Few Things to Keep in Mind Before Picking Your Punch
Bruising
Any punch can leave a mark. It is more likely to leave a mark to a boney area. The head and especially face tends to bruise worse because they are blood rich. Keep in mind that a bruise can take the shape of whatever caused it. I have had bruises that were in sequential dots the exact size of the knuckles on fist that caused them. I even had a bruise from the kick that had faint toenail lines in it. If the striker has on a ring, that ring will leave a peculiar bruise which can be evidence.
How Much Blood Can You Lose and Still Fight?
Punching the Face
If your story needs the punch to leave a visible bruise, cause swelling or blood, the face is the place to go. The boney areas of the face will swell into what is known as a “mouse.” A “mouse” is a hematoma – pocket of blood – that just looks like a knot. You can see one beside my eye in the pic here. A “mouse” can be the size of a pea on up to the size of an egg. If the hematoma is hit after swelling, it
can split and pour blood. Also, any boney portion of the face can just plain split when punched by something hard like a fist. You see this all the time in combat sports. The lips, of course, can split as well. So, if you need a visible injury or a bloody mess, aim for the face!
Hands Aren’t for Hitting.
Punching anything with a bare fist can cause a boxer’s break. Combat sports fighters wrap their hands to protect those bones. So, if you need some evidence, let the assailant have a boxer’s break and bruises left behind that match the pattern of their knuckles.
Where to Punch a Character
These are the results of particular punches. Bear in mind that any blow to the body that is substantial enough to disrupt blood pressure will knock a character out. A family member of mine was working on a construction site and a cable broke and hit him hard enough to throw his 6’4″ frame. He was knocked out before he hit the ground.
Nose
First, there is no “nose bone.” Think about it, have you ever seen a skull with a big ole’ schnoz on it? Never. The nose is cartilage and it only takes about eight pounds of pressure to break it. The pain is very disorienting and way more than what you think it would be. Give the tip your nose a flick with your finger. Yeah, it definitely get your attention.
The impact of a strike to the nose also causes the eyes to tear, impeding vision. This can give your striking character a moment to further attack or escape. If the nose bleeds it can inhibit breathing and cause choking. A good nose bleed doesn’t just pour down the face, it also pours down the throat and flows into the mouth. All of that situation gives the striker the upper hand.
Point of interest, the worst bloody nose I ever got training was when I managed to shove my own finger up my nose! I was reaching up to guard my neck from a choke and so help me I went so far up my nose I tickled my brain. It was AWFUL. Blood went all down my throat, into my mouth and mouthguard… Plus, it was just stupid! I finished class with a pound of toilet paper shoved up my sinuses.
Jaw Where to Punch a character
A punch to the jaw, even a light or incidental strike, can rock the brain and/or vagus nerve causing a “knockout.” The body loses consciousness as the brain “resets” or attempts to bring the heart level with the head. Unless the character can float midair, getting the heart and head level requires the body to collapse – thus why the brain makes the body go limp. If the body doesn’t lose consciousness, the head might get dizzy or cloudy. This is why you might see a fighter shake his head after a punch. The fight announcers might say the fighter is “shaking the punch off.” Shaking the head really does help with the dizziness.
Neck
A punch to the neck impacts the vagus nerve and/or the jugular. Both can lead to dizziness, disorientation & unconsciousness. And yes, your neck can swell from a strike just like a cheek or chin.
Throat
Do not confuse a punch to the neck with one to the throat. The latter can kill a character. I repeat, a throat punch can kill!!! The throat is not only fragile but very sticky on the inside. It can stick to itself, effectively closing off the airway, and cause suffocation. If your character doesn’t want the victim of the throat punch to die, they will need to pinch the throat open, if they can, and keep it open until medical help arrives or perform a tracheotomy. A direct throat strike is illegal in sanctioned combat sports.The reason you don’t see more incidental throat punches in combat sports is because fighters teach their body to keep their chin down.
Behind the Ear
This punch is illegal in most sanctioned combat sports. A strike behind the ear (back of the head) can cause brain damage and concussion which, in fairness, all punches can. The extreme difference with a punch behind the ear is the possibility of damage to the cerebral vertebrae and spinal cord. A punch to the face can cause vertebral issues but not the extent of a strike to the back of the head. So, if you want your character to have disastrous issues after a punch, have them struck behind the ear, especially at the base of the skull.
Body Punches
Punches to the body don’t generally have as a great an impact as punches to the face/head. Punches to the body are helpful in bringing the hands away from the face, making the opponent lean forward or can be used to simply wear an opponent down. When a strike comes, a fighter flexes to mitigate impact. This gets pretty tiring after a while.
Solar Plexus
Punching a character below the sternum, between the parting of the ribs, can knock the wind out of them and/or cause them to vomit. Most people have had their wind knocked out and can relate to it. It’s surprisingly awful.
Liver
A strikes to the liver can cause the body to collapse in physiological shut down. That means the body drops like a bag of wet laundry beyond the control of the fighter. The strike impacts the vagus nerve which is responsible for rest and digestion. The heart rate will drop, dizziness and nausea will ensue and the body will go down. It takes a second or two, weirdly. The punch will land and everything will seem fine then, bam, the fighter drops. Liver shots are excruciating and will take down even the biggest fighter. It is impossible to train the abdominal muscles to protect the liver completely. It’s a hard punch to make, but if your character does deliver a liver punch, their opponent will be incapacitated.
Punches to the Legs
If your character is on the ground punching their opponent’s legs, then their own head is open and free game! It doesn’t make much sense to take an opponent down and wail on their legs. It’s smarter, and far more safe and efficient to attack the knees, ankles or foot bones with locks or torques such as you have in Brazilian jiujitsu. Yes, you can “frog” the thigh to give someone “dead leg” but it’s not worth the effort. If you don’t know what any of that sentence means you were probably born after 1980.
I hope this helps you understand where to punch a character and how each target can impact your fight scene – pun intended. Writing a fight scene is like actual fighting. The goal is maximum efficiency with minimal effort. This post can help with that. So, if you know a fightwriter struggling to figure out where to punch a character, forward this post to them.
If you have any questions you’d like me to answer, reach out via the contact card on the site here. I answer every single one. Really.
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