Striking with elbows instead of fist

[Kuma]

Elbows are great, and a street fight is likely to become very close-range from the start. Elbow the throat and end it quickly.

Not every fight deserves deadly force.

[WireFrame]

I meant the confrontation, not the person's life. Control should always be used of course.

[Ichi_Geki]

If you were planning on hitting to the throat...it would be more practical to use the knuckles, because you can extend 'through' the throat. But I agree with Kuma even past what he says. NO fight deserves deadly force. Instead you can shatter his ribs with an empi uchi (Swinging elbow strike). And most times if you bring an elbow straight down on a forearm, the fight is usually over anyways. Hit that nerve correctly, and he wont be using that arm for the rest of the day.

[Kuma]

I meant the confrontation, not the person's life. Control should always be used of course.

So with your adrenaline pumping, your opponent moving aggressively forward to you and throwing combinations of his own, the shock of actually getting attacked, and the fear that you could be seriously hurt....despite all this, you feel you can still elbow the person in a potentially lethal area yet use enough control not to cause serious damage?

I wouldn't rely on that.

[algernon]

I would just like to mention that I have been punched and kicked in the throat before, and not once did it kill me. The throat is not that sensitive; it would take quite the blow to destroy someone's airway. Has anyone ever had their trachea pinched shut while grappling? It leaves you hoarse, to be sure, but far from dead.

For me, elbows wok best when accompanied by the hands (though not necessarily fists). An inward elbow strike to the head, for example, leaves the hand in a perfect position to claw the face or hammer the groin. An "uppercut" with the elbow leaves a good opening for a backfist. Likewise, a hand strike can provide the opportunity to follow with an elbow. You can do much more than punch with your hands, and it would do no good to neglect them.

[Kuma]

True, the body is tough. But when you're striking anatomical weak points that can be potentially deadly in a situation that doesn't warrant it, you're leaving yourself wide open to repercussions. The saying "Better to be tried by 12 than carried by 6" is all well and good, but I'd rather have no problems at all due to my actions. There are so many easily accessible targets that can incapacitate someone without risking serious damage.

For what it's worth, I did see someone's windpipe get smashed once. During a lacrosse game, we were in a big melee fighting for the ball when somehow the head of one of my teammate's sticks ended up whacking this kid in the throat. I don't remember seeing it, I just remember tons of whistles, people backing off quick, seeing blood coming out of that kid's mouth and someone yelling for the paramedics. From what a friend of mine that attended his school said, he had to have extensive surgery done and could barely speak above a whisper at graduation.

[WireFrame]

I meant the confrontation, not the person's life. Control should always be used of course.

So with your adrenaline pumping, your opponent moving aggressively forward to you and throwing combinations of his own, the shock of actually getting attacked, and the fear that you could be seriously hurt....despite all this, you feel you can still elbow the person in a potentially lethal area yet use enough control not to cause serious damage?

I wouldn't rely on that.

Everything you've said there is bang on. And I hope I'd never be in that situation, but understand I was merely talking about the worst-case scenario. If I was about to die, and all I had to hit was their throat, I hope I wouldn't think twice. But if it was just a fight, not life-threatening (yet) and other options are available, then obviously nothing's worth causing that much damage. My original statement may have appeared more rash than I had intended.

[BDPulver]

There's that style in the new batman movies (name of it slips my memory) where elbows are used instead of punching.

I looked it up when movie first came out and its a very street type MA and looked very effective.

[Mistassailant5]

Elbows are a very powerful and versatile tool which users who are highly proficient in are devastating. Skimming the elbow across the skin causes deep cuts or a full on strike is heavy blunt trauma. You must be careful though, elbows can be very dangerous, I saw in a Muay Thai match someones head getting split open by an elbow. Just use your elbows wisely.

[sensei8]

Elbow or fist or palm heel!? Either one of these are an effective tool in the arsenal of any martial artist. Varying parameters are paramount in the equation, and the equation changes from moment to moment. At that time and at that moment, which one to use must be decided instantaneously, without any pause and/or any reservation. Blunt trauma is called that for a perfectly good reason; its effects can be devastating.

Will you decide as to which one to use?

Or

Will the situation decide for you on its own?

Either way, an elbow or a fist or a palm heel can all be good choices: It's just...which one at which time!?