Origin
An improvised-tool application: the pen is not a weapon of injury but a small, hard index point that concentrates your force onto a bone the hand cannot ignore.
Purpose
Use a pen to create a focused pressure point that opens a controlling grip.
The Walk-through
01
Hold the pen in a hammer grip, thumb wrapped, tip protruding from the bottom of the fist. A hammer grip transmits your body weight into the tip; a pencil grip collapses.
02
Target bone, never soft tissue. The back of the hand, the top of the wrist, the sternum, the collarbone. Pressure against bone produces an involuntary release.
03
Drive with a short punching motion, not a long swing. Hips first, shoulder second, arm last. Then transition: the pen buys one beat of freedom; use it to escape.
Key Points
- 1Grip like a hammer, not a pencil
- 2Target bone, not soft tissue
- 3Transition immediately after contact
Common Mistakes
- Holding the pen like a pencil - it collapses on impact
- Stabbing at fabric or muscle instead of bone
- Swinging wide, telegraphing the strike
- Fixating on the pen and forgetting to escape
When to Use
A grip that must be broken quickly at close rangeConfined spaces where a full strike has no roomAs a distraction and index point before a larger technique
My Notes