Headbutt

Hi John, hope you're well

I don't see you mention the headbutt that often. Was it not a favored strike for you?

Hi Jeff I teach it and have used it a few times over the years in various ways, but i've seen it fail too many times for it to be my main strike of choice. Don't get me wrong here i do believe it is a sound technique if used right and that is as a "battering ram to smash your way out of trouble" It is used as an opener on an opponant who is really unaware of the head butt about to be launched. Get it right its crack on(oops another pun) get it wrong and its an embarressment. I teach headbutting so people become aware of it or wish to use it. A couple of my old mates were masters of the butt one such move was to encircle the body of your antagonist with the arms and batter him unconscious with it! Another used regularly was the pre-emptive butt, k.o not always achieved. Though my mate easily followed through with punches. I never saw him lose when he employed the butt and continued his attack. It was when he missed or didn't quite get it right that he struggled.
Beware the butt. I used it standing and on the ground.
Thanks Jeff
John
PS butt = headbutt not ass!!

Jeff-This may or may not interest you,mate.
I've used the 'nut' myself on a few occasions,with some good results.
The method I used,I learnt from one of Geoff Thompson's books(can't recall which one),where he describes dropping your bodyweight forwards(with or without an explosive,falling step),followed by a whiplash effect with the head,making sure to use your skull anywhere ABOVE the eyebrows to contact anywhere BELOW your opponent's eyebrows,otherwise you'll both see stars!
I used to practice this on my(very soft)punchbag,which had a water filled base,striking diagonally left to right and vice versa.
The power that can be generated is pretty awesome,and I have dropped people straight on their backside(very dazed but not knocked out)when I've connected nicely,and sent one guy 'flying' across the room(somewhat dazed),when I threw the strike from too far away,and caught him as the power of the blow was diminishing.
One thing I have noticed in general(sorry Jeff),is that the American descriptions/demonstrations of the headbutt I've seen are different from and much less powerful than the 'classic' British version of 'putting the head on' someone,regularly seen in streetfights around these sceptred isles.
The US versions I've seen don't use the whiplash effect or even much bodyweight(this is only the examples I've seen on instructionals,though),and the technique seems to be more of a distraction blow than a concussive one.
In the situations I've seen on the streets of England,the attacker often gets very close(almost nose to nose)with the victim,using dialogue,before 'laying the nut' on them and following up with punches if the victims is still standing,and kicks and stomps if they're on the floor.
Basically,I think that the skill is learnt through playing football(soccer) and 'heading' the ball with power,a movement which is pretty much identical to the one used in an attack.
Whether or not other soccer playing nations use the headbutt as much as in the UK(it really is quite a common attack here),or with the same body mechanics,I'd be interested to know.
If you can watch some soccer footage,and see how the head is used to drive the ball powerfully into the goal,you'll get an idea of what I'm describing.
Hope that's of some help to you,mate.
Kemlyn.
P.S.There's a really good clip somewhere on Youtube(I'll try to find it for you),where a guy uses a nice push/pull technique with a headbutt,to drop one bloke,then bangs the fellas mate with a right hand,dropping him aswell.
The attacker didn't seem to start the trouble atall,and it's really quite funny(and of study value)to watch!
Take care,stay safe and 'use your head'!

Thanks Kemlyn, great post!

I agree, most folks in the States don't use the headbutt to good effect. It is definitely a UK thing.

I've seen the clip you were talking about; I was the one who posted it! LOL

Take care

Jeff

Pop A link here to the clip jeff if you have the time mate
cheers
John

Jeff says -'I've seen the clip-I posted it!'-well there you go!
John-the vids on Youtube,listed as 'Dual KO Bar Fight'.
Enjoy!

here's link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKdZgeesw68

Guys,

Not too good for me at 6'9 unless anyone can suggest a technique which will work and not only on taller peoplelol?!

Neil

Neil,

Dave Turton recommends that tall folk grab the head of the bad guy with the thumbs firmly in the eyes. Crank the head back so the face is skywards and slam your forehead into his face.

If the height difference is that pronounced Neil, you shouldn't be doing any headbutting as you don't really need to, due to the target not actually being at close range, no matter how close you are standing - range doesn't just exist in a horizontal plane as many seem to think.

Same as when guys constantly ask me how to elbow really tall people in the head, answer is that you don't - you just punch them instead, as the target is actually at arm's reach.

Mick

Thanks Mick, Slackbladder.

6'9"? Who the hell is gonna mess with you anyway?

If you decide to though - cause sometimes you want to be covert and quick...I'd bend down and put my ear at their mouth level like I was struggling to hear what they were saying and then whip one in sideways.

It's the perfect camouflage for taking your head down to their level and pulling one off.

N

All this talk of whipping one in sideways, and pulling one off..... I'm off for a cold shower.......

Jeff-This might seem obvious,but an important technical detail missing from my description of the 'nut' is that,to actually 'crack' it in properly,you need to give your head a little 'nod' forwards,and tense the neck muscles just prior to and during landing it.
As with most,if not all strikes,it's important to stay relaxed until contact.
Sorry if this sounds,patronizing,it's just on re-reading my post I realised that the description was incomplete.
Take care.
Kemlyn.

Jeff Menapace wrote:Thanks Kemlyn, great post!

I agree, most folks in the States don't use the headbutt to good effect. It is definitely a UK thing.

I've seen the clip you were talking about; I was the one who posted it! LOL

Take care

Jeff

I've been told the main reason for that came out of the UKs interest/obession with soccer and heading the ball which became a major influence among the hooligan/streetfighter community and in turn gave rise to the popularity of the headbutt among the Brits.

Tis what i've been told anyway.

The infamous Glaesgie kiss

I've got a sneaky feeling that people were deliberately hitting others with their heads long before the game of soccer was invented!

Mick

i enjoyed that, liked the nut but the punch to the other guy was a cracker too

hey there,

I don't post too often but I thought this was ineresting regarding different cultures' favoured weapons. Here in Canada, I've seen many fights where the influence of ice hockey is obvious. One man will grab the collar of his opponent(cross arm) just behind the neck and pull the shirt over the head and pull him somewhat down and commence punching, usually uppercuts. Kind of ties your arms up too and its the gold standard in ice hockey fights. Headbutts aren't so common though. I believe headbutting is as old as water in Korea or so I've heard(along with kicking of course). I have also heard that in southern Europe you are more likely to see wrestling and slaps as oppposed to punching, not sure how true that is.

yes mate thats true a slap would be used in a humiliating sense as opposed to a knock out strike and wrestling would be to pick you up and dump you on the floor and crush bones. most of my friends who used to wrestle do that anyway.
a fresh example someone i know, was talking to a guy who was harassing his girlfriend (telling him to leave her alone) and the guy threw a right hand, the guy i know ducked under his punch moved closer and put his right arm between his legs lifted him off the ground and threw him behind the bar. job done.

Mick Coup wrote:I've got a sneaky feeling that people were deliberately hitting others with their heads long before the gamke of soccer was invented!

Mick

You'd have to research back a lot of centurys to find out either way.

Hey Alban.
Not only is a hard slam going to potentially knock the fight (and maybe the life!)out of someone-hence the 'ippon' score for a clean throw in judo etc.-but the psychological impact of sending someone literally flying through the air must be massive.
It really must look to many observers like King Kong's there fighting!
Kemlyn.

yes Kemlyn,
i reckon it's a scary thing to observe, i've never done that sort of thing but i've taken people down from a headlock or a bearhug and thrown them on their back with me landing on top of them and they were hurt.
you could see the look of their friends faces of not wanting to step in and have a go. but that was on the school days. now every f88ker would join in, but yeah in my friends case none of the doorman wanted to manhandle him and he just walked out without any other hassle.