Liver Punch – Martial Arts Technique

The liver punch is a strike to an opponent’s liver. This punch is used in many martial arts such as boxing and mixed martial arts. For information on other punches & strikes, please visit Black Belt Wiki’s section on Martial Arts Punches.

Given the shock to the liver, the liver punch can incapacitate a boxer during a fight. A liver punch often involves a left hook punch that strikes the right side of the opponent’s lower rib cage. This technique is also known as a liver shot.

According to the Mayo Clinic, the liver is about “the size of a football” and “it’s located mainly in the upper right portion of your abdomen, beneath the diaphragm and above your stomach”. Martial artists also use other techniques such as roundhouse kicks and knee strikes in order to strike an opponent’s liver.

Martial arts punches & strikes and all other martial arts techniques should only be practiced under the supervision of a trained martial arts instructor in order to prevent injuries and to ensure the proper technique is utilized.

Liver Punches or Liver Shots

Reference Sources

  1. Mayo Clinic, Liver Disease, http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/liver-problems/multimedia/the-liver/img-20007443