Horizontal vs. Vertical

This is a topic in and of itself; and a good one I might add.

One major difference is a horizontal punch goes "to" the target and a vertical punch goes "through" the target. I like both of them and do both of them, however.

Being an ex boxer, I am used to the horizontal punch in a sport context. As for street, the vertical is better as a punch and the horizontal works very well for other things (utilizing the torque) such as hyperextending the arm. Although there is nothing wrong with using a horizontal punch to the body, you are gambling to use it to the face without hand protection. A vertical, as you mentioned, aligns the bones properly and has a much more favorable outcome if you punch the face bare handed.

Good topic. All in all, both are very effective used in the right context.

Michael Miller