Military CQC provides primary execution options in unarmed offensive assault skills combinations as well as secondary alternative or emergency options for specific situational employments.
The primary variation of the palm heel strike and chin jab palm heel strike is executed with a flat hand configurations to protect delicate small fingers joints over having the fingers extended and more exposed to injury.
The same flat hand configuration applies to the hand edge strike once again reducing the risk to the delicate digits if fully extended.
Two such situational requirements for rugged variations of palm heel and hand edge strikes are in the case of using such skills with weak or injured wrist joints or in gross motor skills requirements in close quarters combat encounters where multiple strikes against a well guarded foe may be required.
Also, in practice on training equipment where impact compression can raise injury risk levels clenched fist variations increase safety.
In the three previous situations clenching your first and positioning your thumb on top of your clenched fist index finger will reduce the length of hand configuration extension above the wrist joint making it shorter more rigid and less prone to causing wrist spraining.
Important considerations are that in the execution of the Palm heel strikes straight and chin jab variations the contact is made still with the palm heel.
The clenched fist hand edge strike contact point is still the side edge of the heel of the palm and not the bones of the little finger. This is achieved in the same manner as with the primary flat hand configuration option of the hand edge strike by angling the hand to ensure accurate correct target contact is achieved. These are still sharp hand edge strikes produced by angling the previously described clenched fist variation and are not hammer fists.
In rugged close quarters encounters, clenched fist palm heel strikes and clenched fist hand edge strikes will increase safety and provide increased gross motor skills striking capabilities.
For lethal military battlefield, hand edge strikes employments the narrower flat hand configuration of the hand edge strikes are more applicable to narrow straight line destruction of delicate life-support targets, especially in relation to accurate target contact requirements. This is especially applicable to narrow target exposure and access like to get under, above, or between helmets, battledress, and body armour.
