Why have palm strikes been abandoned by MMA practitoners?

Question

Why have students of MMA done away with palm strikes in their training and in their overall technique? Is boxing more important than your art?

Answer 1

You can most certainly count accidental eye gouges.

While you are striking with the "HEEL" of the palm, you are also aiming at a moving target. It is easy to accidentally get your thumb in their eye.

Not to mention the fact that the reason you use palm strikes is to avoid damaging your hand when you are NOT wearing gloves, as in a real fight.

Since they are wearing gloves and are wrapped up well, they have no need to protect their hands from breakage.

Plus, let's not forget that a fist can fit into a smaller opening than a palm strike. When you are trying to snake your strike around his block, a fist is going to be more successful.

Answer 2

Its diffucult to do them with the gloves plus the number of inadvertent eye gouges greatly increases. Its not worth maiming your opponent of getting DQ'd.

*edit - please refer to Anthony Johnson v. Kevin Burns at UFC fight night. Stoppage was due to an accidental eye gouge. Burns said he messed up his hand and was using palm strikes instead. There were numerous eye gouges committed during this fight.

Answer 3

I have to agree with those that said the palm heel strikes were used so as to not break the fighters hands. If someones head is on the mat and you punch down on their head it has nowhere to go. The chances with that are if you put power in your punches you are going to break your hand.

When the UFC introduced gloves and competitors taped up this provides enough protection to the fist to allow a punch with a massively reduced chance of injury(to the puncher at least). And most folk will generally feel more comfortable and have more power in their punches, so the palm strike went out the window.

I think I remember Dan Severn Using a lot of palm strikes before they brought in the gloves (could be wrong) but as soon as they did he switched back to punching.

Answer 4

I would guess because the main reason to throw a palm strike instead of a punch is to protect your knuckles.  Since they wear gloves, they can punch full power to the head without worrying too much about breaking their hand, whereas in a street fight that would be a major risk.  Many fighters suffered broken hands in the first few UFC's before gloves were allowed.  You also saw at least a few palm strikes, hammer fists, etc., being used back then.  

Answer 5

IMO there are a few reasons:

1) With their wrists so heavily talep and wearing gloves to potect their knuckles, they do not really have to worry about breakin their knuckles or their wrist buckling on a punch.

2) A punch gives you a couple of inches more reach then a palm heel.

3) many of the fighters only have striking training in boxing and muay Thai, neither of which uses palm heels. boxing and muay thai are probably the two easiest arts to get th basics down and are quicker to make you an effetive striker then say Okinawin karate. Getting somebody up to speed fast is importent in the MMA world.

I think the thumb in the eye is also a factor.  

Answer 6

The reasons why palm strikes are not used has a couple of reasons. The hands are heavily taped, so there is some difficulty to get the hand in a more "natural" position. Look at this vid with a basic hand wrap and focus on the palm heel and see how it changes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGuneYU0O...

The fingers can get jammed,broken,etc, if they get stopped or hit another part of the opponent before the palm heel makes contact.The gloves are wet from sweat and vaseiline from opponents face. This would tend to slide off.Since the palm heel is a broader striking service which would slide more, than proper front knuckle focus punch like hook,jab,cross.

Answer 7

i agree with inadvertant eye strikes. it happens.

its hard to get your wrist in the right position for a palm strike when it's wrapped and taped.

also boxing IS a part of the art. though alot of mma fighters seem like rather sloppy boxers. you can just throw your fist without thinking.