One of the first things we teach is to protect yourself. What exactly does this mean? The average person may not understand why there is a “chin” stat in Boxing, MMA, etc. Why is protecting the chin so important? Let’s look at the science behind it. Visualize a fighter connecting with the chin of their opponent at the right angle and velocity. The quick and sudden jerk of the head causes your brain to move, and the response could mean lights out. 
Hitting the chin is the most likely to cause the biggest jerk of the head, hence the chin being the knockout area. It is important to protect your chin while blocking a strike and when striking. The non-striking hand is to protect your chin while striking. Your shoulders play a significant role too on your striking side. Our most recent basic adult class focused on protecting the chin area. Continue reading my posts and subscribe to get live updates on our classes and new drills we are introducing. I encourage everyone to find a local Martial Arts school and start a journey rather it is for fitness, self-defense, or for combat reasons. 
The chin-button is definitely real. I got laid out on the floor at a tournament once because I had not yet learned this lesson the hard way. It is easy to drop your hands when tired/winded, but it remains quite important to keep them up. My opponent was not trying to remove my head that day, but I moved right into the path of his beautiful spinning backfist and woke up a little wiser a few seconds later! #MyFault #LessonLearned!