Watch most of the martial arts movies coming from Hong Kong, and you'll see some unusual hand weapons being deployed.

Some look like striking snakes; others like pecking hens.

Which hand weapons are best?

In my view, we should learn a variety of hand variations, but stick to deploying a just a few simple and solid ones in our training and in combat.

Here are my four favorites:

(1) Closed Fist. There is a reason that many punches employ a closed fist. It is solid, hard, resistant to injury, and it penetrates upon contact with the opponent. The knuckles are the primary striking surface, moving frontally or side to side, but the soft surface, next to the baby finger, can be used as well in a hammering motion.

(2) Tiger's Claw. This is a five-finger deployment, utilizing curled and rigid digits, useful in facial and eye attacks.

(3) Braced Thumb. Make a fist, bring your thumb up beyond and flush with your index finger, and you have an excellent weapon for soft targets, such as eyes, or the temple area.

(4) Eagle's Talon or Crab. This is a three-digit deployment, using the index and middle fingers and the thumb, in opposition to each other. Squeezing these together in an attack on the neck and Adam's apple is efficient because it creates a quick grab and requires very little space for landing in the right spot.

I'm not a big fan of the "shuto," known commonly as a "karate chop." I think it's too easy to damage yourself when using it, especially if you accidentally strike a hard surface of the opponent's body.

For the same reason, I'm reluctant to launch solitary finger strikes. It's way too easy to break an unsupported finger, causing pain and distraction in a critical situation.

Let me know what works for you, and why!

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