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Preserve the integrity of the fingers

In a lot of cases, the not-practitioners do not know how to close their fists and especially do not understand what are the risks of an incorrect displacement of the fingers:

The least serious ones range from a sensation of discomfort to an inferior technical effectiveness
The worst ones range from the dislocation to the breaking of the involved bones

Learning how to close the fist is extremely simple but very important: the only difficulty (especially for children) is to do not forget of doing it (read also /// Subscribe (it's free!) or Login to see this content ///)

How to correctly close the fingers to punch

Let’s see how to (didactically) close our fist in the correct way (see also the image):

Let’s open our hand at the maximum width (all the fingers must be stretched)
Let’s flex all the fingers (except the thumb) so that the fingertips go to overlap our palm at the height of the thumb base (many, erroneously, omit this detail)
Let’s make sure no fingers overlap with others (they must simply be near)
Let’s slide the fingertips of the previous 4 fingers upward so that they close by firmly grasping the underlying skin (without folds)
Let’s fold as much as possible the 4 bent fingers down and inward the hand
Let’s close the thumb so that it covers the index / middle fingers by tightening the fist

A note by Master Kongling – Naturally, this is only the explanation, we do not have to follow these steps each time (especially the detail about the grabbing of the skin’s folds). With time we will get used to close our fingers properly without having to think about it. This capability must become completely instinctive and precise.

Final notes

Some conclusive considerations:

If we have done everything correctly, by throwing our knuckles against the other open hand, we should feel a sense of compactness and no annoyance
Even if the fist must be tightened at the moment of impact, let’s keep our fingers relaxed until the last moment of the blow (the tension slows our actions / reactions (read How to punch (simple explanation))
This is the classic way but here are other ways to tighten the hand (for example in the Russian Systema the last phalanges of the 4 upper fingers do not flex)

In-depth video courses

Basic free hand fighting techniques – The best way to learn the basic combat techniques of 6 Dragons Kung Fu

In-depth articles

How to start practicing from scratch – How to start your path in Kung Fu from zero
How to kick (simple explanation) – The basic theory about the use of legs in combat

Questions

Reply in the comments and share your experience:

Do you feel comfortable with your closed fist?

Author: Master Kongling

Founder of 6 Dragons Kung Fu.

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