Self-Defense and Personal Protection - When Disaster Strikes - page 276

Figure 10-10. Palm thrust to the chin.
7. Jaw. A side blow to the jaw from an elbow swing, or a hammer fist (make a fist and swing it as
hard as you can, striking on the flexed side of your hand that is opposite the thumb) will often
break the jaw and/or knock out your opponent ( fig. 10-11 ). This spot is called the “knockout but-
ton” where the maxilla meets the mandible. As always, be aware of your own fist alignment,
which you can learn from a trained martial artist, since you do not want to injure your own hand.
Figure 10-11. Hammer fist to the jaw (swing from the side as hard as you can).
8. The ears. The area in the hollow directly behind the ear lobes is an extremely sensitive pressure
point. If you are tightly held, you may not have room for delivering a swinging blow, but if you
can reach the area behind your opponent's ear lobes ( fig. 10-12 ), with one or both of your hands,
driving your thumbs into that hollow and up toward the top of his head, will deliver excruciating
pain to your assailant and he will most likely pull back, opening himself up to attack on other
vulnerable areas, such as the groin, throat, eyes, or knees.