A question to those who have at some point been punched in the face.

[Zhukov]

Short version: What does it feel like to you? What exactly is the resulting physical sensation?

I ask because every time I've gotten involved in a scuffle and taken a punch to the face (not that this happens often mind you, I'm no brawler), the affected area just goes instantly numb. I register the impact and if the blow was hard enough there's a brief moment of disorientation, but there's no pain, just a slightly heavy numb feeling.

I assumed this was normal, perhaps the result of adrenaline or endorphins or something, until having a conversation with some workmates earlier today. The general consensus among them seemed to be, "it hurts". They were mildly surprised and a bit sceptical when I told them about the numbness thing.

So, oh great and wise internet, I put the question to you. What exactly does it feel like when you take a knuckle to the facial regions?

 

[Hagi]

Only been punched in the face once but yeah, also numbness.

Later on it started to sting a little though but nothing major.

Been a while ago though, so my memory may have gotten a bit fuzzy.

 

[DrRockor]

I've only been punched in the face once and it was the same as you. I didn't even stop walking. It did really annoy the guy that I didn't even notice that he did it which was quite funny

 

[Vanitas likes Bubbles]

Never been punched in the face before. I've been slapped, bitten (long story), had balls thrown at it (as in tennis balls, basketballs etc. not the man type balls), had a cricket bat swung at it but never punched for some reason. It's not that I'm in a rush to see what it feels like.

 

[SckizoBoy]

Depends... I've never been punched when I wasn't expecting it. It's always been during a fight. Even then it's generally been while I've had a good block up, but since I'm more of a deflector than a blocker, my blocks tend to be shite.

It stuns more than it hurts at first, but afterward, it gets at me. Granted, I've only been (successfully) punched by guys with gloves (or wraps at the least) on.

 

[BringBackBuck]

Adrenaline counts for a lot in a fight.

I got my arse handed to me by a couple of big Tongan lads in a fight during a rugby game. Got knocked the fuck out. Woke up, finished the game, played maybe another 20 or 30 minutes bothered only by the fact that it was hard to catch a ball as my peripheral vision disappeared as my eye swelled up - after the game went to hospital for face and jaw x-rays, my face was a mess, got some stitches for the cut above my eye, and had lots of lumps on the back of my head from being punched whilst I was unconscious. Was sore as fuck for the next couple of days, but at the time - meh.

 

[Saulkar]

I never felt pain when punched in the face. It hurt hours later, yes, but it never actually when I was in the fight itself and many hours afterwards. Hell, it does not even disorientate me whatsoever, maybe if struck by a trained boxer but anything less does not faze me. Might be because there is nothing left in this skull to damage.

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

I've been punched in the face once or twice in Martial Arts
(Most important rule of early MA training, don't block with your face)

If your unlucky enough to get it right in the nose, it makes your eyes water. It's disorienting for a small amount of time but otherwise numb. If you broke anything, you feel it after things are settled.

In my opinion, a good solid, round house kick to the head hurts much worse.

 

[CAPTCHA]

I'm in the same boat os OP, I just feel the shock of the impact and the pain warms up over time. I've never been punched out before, but I've been stunned pretty badly. Some guy landed a blow square on my lips one time and I stumbled backwards while seeing black spots for a few seconds.

 

[hazabaza1]

You know when you get winded? Your stomach feels all empty and kind of doesn't feel like it's there? Something like that but with my face.
Keep in mind that I've only really been hit by friends by accident. I might react differently in an actual fight.

 

[purplecactus]

I've only ever been punched in the face by someone who could actually throw a proper punch once. It hurt like hell, never mind numbness. The other times I felt a tiny amount of pain, or a little bit of numbness, but they weren't really punching all that hard.

 

[Zhukov]

Y'all have never been punched in the face properly. "Oh yeah, I got punched in the face and it just got numb and" - yeah, no. If you get punched in the face - like, properly - you're gonna feel dizzy, disoriented, and your face is gonna throb with pain for a few days.

Unless of course you got punched in the face by Bob, the 13 year old kid who's never been in a proper fight, and he just kinda grazed your cheek with his knuckles. But that's hardly a punch.

So you don't get the numbness thing?

I get the disorientation and I've been concussed once, but the numbness happened every time.

Granted, I'm talking about common brawls here, not trained fighters. Although Bob was at least 22.

 

[Fappy]

I don't think I've been punched directly in the face before come to think of it.

 

[Phasmal]

It feels.... like getting punched in the face.

Uh, the most common thing I've experienced is a ringing in your ears and being dizzy.
Been at least 5 years since I got punched though, I know because my nephew is 5 and my sister is mean when she is pregnant.
She's got a fist on her, she broke my glasses.

 

[Susan Arendt]

Gets really hot, then hurts like a *****. That's right on the cheekbone, though, dunno about other spots. Oh, getting socked in the nose makes you feel all stuffy.

 

[thejackyl]

I've only been punched in the face once... with a softball... after the batter hit it.

I was apparently unconscious long enough for my friends to think I was dead (though according to some of the more sane ones, I was only out for like a minute).

It made me feel really REALLY tired, but I think that was the concussion, not the softball sided bruise on my face.

If you mean an actual fist, I would assume it feels the same as getting punched anywhere else, just located somewhere on your face

 

[M920CAIN]

Short version: What does it feel like to you? What exactly is the resulting physical sensation?

I ask because every time I've gotten involved in a scuffle and taken a punch to the face (not that this happens often mind you, I'm no brawler), the affected area just goes instantly numb. I register the impact and if the blow was hard enough there's a brief moment of disorientation, but there's no pain, just a slightly heavy numb feeling.

I assumed this was normal, perhaps the result of adrenaline or endorphins or something, until having a conversation with some workmates earlier today. The general consensus among them seemed to be, "it hurts". They were mildly surprised and a bit sceptical when I told them about the numbness thing.

So, oh great and wise internet, I put the question to you. What exactly does it feel like when you take a knuckle to the facial regions?

I got dizzy, it hurt for a while. I got punched in the face 2 times, once I got a black eye... thing is... it's a weird sensation.