The Headshot

Hands down, the head shot is a winner. But, it isn't everything.

This video is a nice compilation of head shots, but it is chock-full of the head shots that don't win the fight. Statistically, a concept I considered in my last video, the head shot is a finisher. But it is not always the end-move. Why do we get so excited in a boxing match when a clean and uncontested hook hits the head, or an uppercut slams into the chin corner? Because we anticipate the scenario of the contest's end.

In any fight, a properly placed, and correctly received head shot will bring the conflict to a screech halt. That being said, it is most often the "correctly received" portion of the equation that we miss out. If a defender rolls his head, or takes it off a vital mark with another part of his face, the attack is cushioned, an almost worthless. A good combat sportsman can end a fight with a head shot. He can also preserve his fight by knowing how to defend against it: whether that is by blocking the attack, dodging, parrying, or intercepting it- defense is defense.

As a final note, as you can see at 1:50 in the above video, the head shot also leaves the attacker vulnerable when executed incorrectly, or when it is defended well.