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Thread: Punched in the Jaw

  1. #1
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    Punched in the Jaw

    So I've been hit in the jaw/chin at various degrees of intensity, with and without a mouthguard. Every time I can't clench my jaw or even chew for days. It sucks.

    Help me out here:
    Is it better to clench your teeth when taking a hit or to leave the jaw slightly loose?

  2. #2
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    I usually clench my teeth and bite down on my mouth guard.
    The worst shot to the jaw that I ever took was wearing a double-sided mouthguard that was too bulky to let me get a good clench.
    In general though, i try to keep that chin tucked and not take shots to the jaw.
    What would happen if a year-old baby fell from a fourth-floor window onto the head of a burly truck driver, standing on the sidewalk?
    It's practically certain that the truckman would be knocked unconscious. He might die of brain concussion or a broken neck.
    Even an innocent little baby can become a dangerous missile WHEN ITS BODY-WEIGHT IS SET INTO FAST MOTION.
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  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by WingChunABQ View Post
    So I've been hit in the jaw/chin at various degrees of intensity, with and without a mouthguard. Every time I can't clench my jaw or even chew for days. It sucks.

    Help me out here:
    Is it better to clench your teeth when taking a hit or to leave the jaw slightly loose?
    Not getting hit.
    That said, raise the shoulder and tuck the chin and when you strike, clench your teeth.
    A loose jaw will get your jaw broken.
    The worse time to get hit is when you are hitting (obviously) so take care to see that you are NOT raising your chin when you throw a strike.
    Psalms 144:1
    Praise be my Lord my Rock,
    He trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle !

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by WingChunABQ View Post
    Help me out here:
    Is it better to clench your teeth when taking a hit or to leave the jaw slightly loose?
    I was taught to 'smile', which doesn't involve clenching the teeth but putting intent throughout the face and head, lifting the ears and tongue. Develops a kind of Iron Head
    Ti Fei
    詠春國術

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by LoneTiger108 View Post
    I was taught to 'smile', which doesn't involve clenching the teeth but putting intent throughout the face and head, lifting the ears and tongue. Develops a kind of Iron Head
    Seriously?

    My advice would be to bite down on your mouth guard, less a chance you'll have your jaw broken or even ko'd. Also, strengthen your neck.

  6. #6
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    Shoulders up, chin tucked, eyes forward, guard up.
    You will minimize the target that is your head when you do this.

    That whole thing about relaxed shoulders etc applies when you are out of reach.
    Once you get into range, you better tighten up your en-garde positioning. Protect the head.

    Much of the instruction from sources that do not competitively fight or do not get involved in full contact sparring will neglect this feature of protection.

    Concur with SR. Get cha hands up, get ya shoulders up, get ya chin tucked, keep moving, keep ya eyes open.
    Kung Fu is good for you.

  7. #7
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    personally, i found that while i keep the tip of my tongue against the roof of my mouth, it makes it difficult to have a slack jaw. a habbit i created for myself and, for me, it tends to promote a more constant clench. this might be just me though.
    For whoso comes amongst many shall one day find that no one man is by so far the mightiest of all.

  8. #8
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    Sounds like you've been dislocating your Jaw...I'd get it checked out by a doctor. Not something to play with. They have some newer mouth pieces that are supposed to more shock absorbent. You could try moving your lower jaw left and right hoping to slide it back into joint. The mandible is kind of free floating attached by powerful muscles. I'd also look into wearing head gear.
    "if its ok for shaolin wuseng to break his vow then its ok for me to sneak behind your house at 3 in the morning and bang your dog if buddha is in your heart then its ok"-Bawang

    "I get what you have said in the past, but we are not intuitive fighters. As instinctive fighters, we can chuck spears and claw and bite. We are not instinctively god at punching or kicking."-Drake

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  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lucas View Post
    personally, i found that while i keep the tip of my tongue against the roof of my mouth, it makes it difficult to have a slack jaw. a habbit i created for myself and, for me, it tends to promote a more constant clench. this might be just me though.
    You are also creating a connection at a lao gong point that negates a bubbling well void and cultivates continuous flow of qi.

    true story.
    Kung Fu is good for you.

  10. #10
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    Thanks all. Thankfully, I haven't had a full-on dislocation yet. I also have had the bad habit of leaving my mouth slightly open during fisticuffs, mostly because I'm breathing heavily.

    Guess I can stop wondering if I'm like Glass Joe from Mike Tyson's Punch Out.

  11. #11
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    That would even make it more likely that you've been dislocating it. Probably lucky it wasn't broken.
    "if its ok for shaolin wuseng to break his vow then its ok for me to sneak behind your house at 3 in the morning and bang your dog if buddha is in your heart then its ok"-Bawang

    "I get what you have said in the past, but we are not intuitive fighters. As instinctive fighters, we can chuck spears and claw and bite. We are not instinctively god at punching or kicking."-Drake

    "Princess? LMAO hammer you are such a pr^t"-Frost

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by WingChunABQ View Post
    Thanks all. Thankfully, I haven't had a full-on dislocation yet. I also have had the bad habit of leaving my mouth slightly open during fisticuffs, mostly because I'm breathing heavily.

    Guess I can stop wondering if I'm like Glass Joe from Mike Tyson's Punch Out.
    If you jog or run, a habbit you can help yourself with is to work up to being able to run consistantly with your mouth closed doing only nose breathing. this will get you in the habbit of using more nose breathing while you fight.
    For whoso comes amongst many shall one day find that no one man is by so far the mightiest of all.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by David Jamieson View Post
    You are also creating a connection at a lao gong point that negates a bubbling well void and cultivates continuous flow of qi.

    true story.
    thats because i have the bone structure of a kung fu genius.
    For whoso comes amongst many shall one day find that no one man is by so far the mightiest of all.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lucas View Post
    If you jog or run, a habbit you can help yourself with is to work up to being able to run consistantly with your mouth closed doing only nose breathing. this will get you in the habbit of using more nose breathing while you fight.
    Good idea!

    Although, I like running about as much as I like being beaten with sticks, but doing cardio with a mouthpiece in sounds like a great way to condition.

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