I have worked in the county jail here for going-on 5 years now, and i'll likely be here for a long while. Since I started i've been in more "confrontations" than I care to count.

1v1, 1v2, 2v2, etc. You name it, i've probably had to do it.

I have training in muay thai and submission grappling mostly. My basic boxing skills are my strong suit because I find it the most helpful for "overcoming" someone until help arrives.

Unfortunately, our department has a pretty strict policy on closed-hand strikes and they're starting to crack down on it pretty hard. Even if it is a 1v1 situation and someone is trying to hit you, they seem to have a problem with officers using the same force. Don't get me started. Let's just say I think it is ridiculous.

I've been training my hands in iron palm for a bit now because they are really harping on this as opposed to punching. (I'm not interested in having a debate on whether I should seek a qualified instructor to teach it in my area. There are no kung fu schools within 100 miles of me. I'm not going to stop training it because it is helpful in my profession. Let's please leave it at that.)

What i've been doing is modifying my boxing so that I strike with open hands. It works, for sure. But, it got me thinking about what styles of kung fu would be good for the type of fighting they are forcing some of our officers to fight here. With an emphasis on the striking arts, and not the joint-locking systems.

- Fighting in small cells
- Fighting multiple people
- Open hand strikes

My first thought was that bagua would be a good choice, but I didn't know about space requirements for that style. Then I thought perhaps some style of southern kung fu, but I don't know of any that are predominantly palm styles.

Just a topic for discussion. I'm not looking to train in any of this, just curious of what you guys think would be fitting.