Punching

Re-reading Alpha Dawn, I've been reminded of how underemphasized that bare-handed brawling is. That punching someone deals so little damage, that it would take forever to seriously injure much less kill an opponent. Even with Martial Arts training, a character is just better off purchasing a nightstick to deal more damage, have a better chance of hitting, and still be able to knockout an opponent - all pretty affordably.<br /><br />I've thought about house-ruling punching to make it even a little bit useful. Maybe let it do 1d5 damage, plus the Punching Score value. Has anyone else considered the same, or a different modification to punching? Or, conversely, feel that punching damage is fine just as it is?