Il danneggiamento delle nocche è un rischio sempre presente in ogni tipo di pugilato. Generalmente la rottura di una nocca è dovuta all'impatto su un “non bersaglio” del pugno, cioè ossa dure tipo la parte frontale del cranio e i gomiti. Altro elemento che facilita la rottura è quello di usare le nocche “sbagliate”
in relazione alla tecnica usata, es.: un gancio sinistro piatto (palmo verso il basso) che impatta con la nocca del mignolo. In questo caso la nocca è “fuori linea” ed assorbe tutto l'impatto senza scaricarlo sul braccio e sul corpo, ovvio che il rischio di danneggiarla sarà elevato.
Il fatto di impattare con le ultime due nocche e a volte con la terza (come detto nel mio articolo) dipende in larga misura dal
bersaglio attinto con il pugno (il viso ed il corpo umano non sono una superficie piatta e regolare), l'importante per evitare danni è il loro corretto allineamento con il braccio e la spalla.
Problema di gran lunga maggiore alla rottura delle nocche è quello dei danni al polso dovuti ad un suo
non corretto bloccaggio o ad un suo
posizionamento errato in base alla traiettoria della tecnica (soprattutto senza bendaggi). Su questo versante il pugno verticale risulta più stabile e si presta più facilmente a seguire la linea di forza del colpo allineando tutti i segmenti del braccio.
Il pugno verticale (utilizzando sia le prime due nocche che le ultime tre della mano) è storicamente utilizzato da pugilati di tutti i tipi e di tutte le latitudini: dal pugilato e pancrazio dell'antica Grecia, al Karate di Okinawa, fino alla Boxe Occidentale e alla Muay Thai pre-guantoni.
In tempi più recenti sia io che i miei amici Jim Driscoll, Jack Dempsey e Rocky Marciano (solo per citarne alcuni) abbiamo potuto costatare l'efficacia del pugno verticale in tutte le sue forme (linea retta, ascendente, gancio, ecc..).
“...Professor Mike Donovan, an ex-middleweight champion, in his 1893 book The Science of Boxing, advocated using a three-knuckle landing, vertical punch. Jack Dempsey was an advocate of the three-knuckle, vertical punch, as it worked well with his "power line" theory (similar to the Wing-chun centerline theory)....”Il pugno
“Suzie Q” di Marciano che mise fine all'incontro con Jersey Joe Walcott altro non era che un poderoso, corto e devastante pugno verticale.
Al minuto 00:34
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQwTxwozUDke un bell'omaggio con il festival dei pugni verticali
Rocky Marciano - Suzie Q Tribute (Any Given Sunday Soundtrack)Marciano era famigerato e temuto anche per i suoi pugni verticali al plesso solare/sterno che usava per fiaccare/demolire i suoi avversari (il pugno verticale penetra più facilmente la guardia avversaria, soprattutto se si indossano guantoni).
Un articolo interessante sull'argomento.
“
Horizontal v. Vertical Punching History of Punching
Little is known about the guard used by fighters and fighting rules before the great English pugilist Jack Broughton, a student of James Figg, devised the Broughton Rules in 1743. Broughton also invented "mufflers" (padded gloves), which were used in training and exhibitions. Under the Broughton Rules, not much was considered illegal when compared to the London Prize Ring Rules so a higher guard and quicker stance was necessary. There were no limitations against butting, gouging, kicking, or hitting below the belt. The rules mostly just kept a boxing match from becoming a wrestling match.
Until the use of gloves became common, pugilists struck mostly with a
vertical fist because it was considered less injurious to the fist to hit with a vertical fist than a horizontal one, especially when using hooks or swinging punches. However, they used a horizontal fist when the target warranted it, such as to the side of the neck. The vertical fist was thought to have a greater range, but, in fact, the arm's reach does not get longer just because the fist is rotated 90 degrees, unless you make some other body adjustment.
The wearing of gloves in a boxing match is a fairly modern innovation. Prior to 1866, when the Marquis of Queensbury Rules made the wearing of gloves mandatory, boxers fought bare-knuckled. Gloves, or “mufflers” as they were called, were used only in sparring. One may think that fighting bare-knuckled, would cause significant damage to the fist.
A common injury among modern boxers is the “boxer’s fracture,” in which the outer two knuckles, and sometimes the outer metacarpals of the hand are broken from the impact of an unprotected punch. Many boxing greats have broken their fists in this way when engaging in street fights.However, the risk is
significantly reduced through the biomechanics of throwing a bare-fisted punch. Old style pugilism, which was built primarily on linear action and emulated the thrust of a sword used a vertical fist, rather than today’s horizontal fist.
With a vertical fist, the entire arm is extended in one line from the shoulder through to the fist. The elbow is tucked beneath the arm as opposed to jutting outward, and the wrist is kept straight. This changes the angle at which the fist connects, and maximizes the striking surface by using the whole fist and not just the first two knuckles. Even when throwing a “rounding blow,” which is the ancestor of today’s hook, the vertical fist was used – either normally or inverted. Punching with a vertical fist provides fewer places in the arm for energy to “get lost” (like a bent elbow or wrist), and it provides more protection for the arm as a whole. The result is that that more kinetic energy is realized as force, and is distributed evenly across the fist. This protects the hand better than if the force was concentrated in one area, while still providing a powerful blow.
Professor Mike Donovan, an ex-middleweight champion, in his 1893 book The Science of Boxing, advocated using a three-knuckle landing, vertical punch. Jack Dempsey was an advocate of the three-knuckle, vertical punch, as it worked well with his "power line" theory (similar to the Wing-chun centerline theory).However, the benefits of punching with a vertical fist are neutralized when wearing gloves. The hand is already protected so linear blows may be replaced by more circular blows like the “corkscrew” jab and, of course, the hook. These blows may be thrown with more power because they have the increased energy of momentum behind them, as well as the weight of the gloves themselves, which may weigh anywhere from 8 to 20 ounces. Additionally, because boxers need not worry about breaking their fists, they may throw punches that are more powerful Gloves, due to their size, act much like small shields around the hands, and may be used to block incoming blows. Modern boxing guards reflect this, with the hands are held close to the body to easily tuck and cover. Gloves also make getting through a modern guard with linear punches more difficult, which works to the defender’s advantage when blocking shots to the stomach or sides with the elbows, forearms, and biceps.
The older guards, or “attitudes,” were far more extended because the fighters could not rely on the extra protection gloves provide. They needed to block many blows further away from their bodies. This is particularly true for shots to the head, which could not effectively be blocked with the modern tuck and cover. Combatants needed time to react and parry, having little protection close in. Therefore, the distance in bare-knuckle pugilism was considerably longer than in today’s boxing, being fought just outside the range where each antagonist could hit the other without moving his body or feet.”
Pugno orizzontale e verticale hanno i loro vantaggi e svantaggi nonché il loro specifico ambito di applicazione.
Sta al pugilatore, con le sue qualità, abilità, esperienze, ecc., capire come e quando usare l'uno o l'altro.
Come sempre a fare la differenza sono l'uomo e come usa uno strumento e non lo strumento in se stesso.
Ma vista che la grammatica è bella, ma la pratica è meglio chi volesse ulteriori informazioni sul pugno o su altre tematiche può trovarmi qui:
Venerdì 18 Ottobre 2013 sarò a Voghera presso la palestra "Bu-Sen" in Via Sturla, 63 dalle ore 20:00 alle 22:00.
Sabato 19 Ottobre 2013 sarò a Voghera presso la palestra "Bu-Sen" in Via Sturla, 63 dalle ore 15:30 alle 19:00
Domenica 20 Ottobre 2013 sarò a Genova presso la "Palestra Popolare" in Via Vico Vegetti, 2 (a 100 m. da P.zza Matteotti) dalle ore 14:00.
Il 16 e 17 Ottobre 2014 sarò a Mestre per un seminario con Philipp Bayer, non credo avrò molto tempo ma se qualche amico del forum fosse da quelle parti e volesse incontrarmi può usare i contatti del forum o chiamarmi al 338 5720053.
Un saluto