Fighters call the soft spot just below the breastbone the solar plexus. A clean shot there takes your breath.
Tap any strike on this page to hear FightFlow call itQuick answer
Orthodox opponent, facing you
The center, just below the breastbone
Your style
Tap a strike to hear the call exactly as FightFlow says it in a round.
Knees count as kickboxing here because WAKO K1 rules allow them. WAKO Full Contact and Low Kick rules do not.[4]
It is a straight-line target: the shots that reach it travel straight down the middle.
A high, tight guard covers the head and the sides. What it leaves is the middle.
Each exchange is shown for orthodox against orthodox. In the app the calls follow your stance, so as a southpaw you drill the mirror image, aimed at the other side. Tap Hear it and FightFlow calls it three times, at the pace it uses in a round, so you can shadowbox it.
Target
Solar plexus
Gloves up, the middle is the gap.
You
Jab to the head.
They
They bring both gloves up and tuck the elbows.
Finish
Cross to the body.
A high guard closes the head and the sides. The gap is straight down the middle.
In the app: Jab, body cross
Open in FightFlowTheir center comes into range.
You
Hold your range, lead leg ready.
They
They walk forward to close the distance, weight coming onto the front leg.
Finish
Lead teep to the body.
The lead teep is already in front, so it lands before their attack does. It stops them and resets the range.
In the app: Lead teep
Open in FightFlowHead down, center open.
You
Clinch up and pull their head down.
They
Their head comes down and their body folds forward.
Finish
Rear knee into the middle.
With their head pulled down, the center line comes straight onto your knee.
In the app: Clinch entry, rear knee
Open in FightFlowTrain it in FightFlow
Every exchange above opens straight into FightFlow's Combo Builder, and FightFlow calls it out loud during your rounds in the same voice. 10 free training minutes a day.
“The solar plexus is a nerve just under the skin, and a punch hits it directly.”
The real solar plexus is a network of nerves deep in the upper abdomen, behind the stomach and in front of the spine. The spot fighters aim for is several layers above it. Whether a blow affects the nerves at all is unknown: no study has tested it.[5,6]
“A body shot cannot stop the heart.”
Commotio cordis needs a blow over the heart, and body shots aimed at the solar plexus often land on the lower breastbone, which sits over part of the heart. No case has been reported from a blow that landed only below the breastbone. If someone collapses after a body or chest shot and does not respond, do not assume they are just winded: call for help and check their breathing.[7,8]
Being winded usually passes, but getting your breath back does not mean nothing is damaged. If someone collapses after a body or chest shot and does not respond and is not breathing normally, treat it as cardiac arrest: call your local emergency number (999 UK, 112 EU, 911 US), start CPR and get a defibrillator. Occasional gasps are not normal breathing. Get emergency help too for belly pain that keeps going or gets worse, a belly that hurts to touch or feels hard, or vomiting blood, even hours later, and do not drive yourself.[1,7,8,9,10,11,12]
This page is general information, not medical advice. If you think you are hurt, see a doctor. Where your gym or governing body has stricter rules, follow them.
The medical and rules statements on this page come only from medical references, peer-reviewed studies and official rule books, each checked against the source text. Fight technique is our own. Last checked October 12, 2026.