My daughters know the difference quite well.
They were "disciplined" as often as they needed.
They were corporeally punished very little.
One is 23 with a young family of her own now.
The other is 20 and living on her own.
I'm proud of both.
Corporal punishment is a legitimate form of discipline when it is not used too often and when it is used with restraint. Obviously, it is not appropriate for teens. To rule it out completely, as many of today's child-rearing experts have, is wrong. When a parent is faced with a defiant preschooler who refuses to stop misbehaving, a spank or hair pull will quickly end the bad behavior. It sure beats trying to "reason" with the child or putting the child in a time-out.