My Dad hit me... once, I think, growing up? (I have an intellectual feeling it was twice, but I only specifically remember once; ironically it's probably my earliest coherent memory.) It was when I was extremely young, and he was still New At Parenting, and it wasn't particularly hard. In retrospect, I think he scared himself more than anything.

The hitting was allegedly because I was "being a smartass." Being hit did absolutely nothing to cure that tendency. :P

(My parents mostly did the whole We're Not Mad We're Just Disappointed routine in every other situation which, honestly, still haunts me to this day. Way more effective than any yelling or violence...)