Was it abuse or just disiplin?

When i was younger, well i say younger it was probabbly up until i was about 13/14, my dad used to hit me .He'd yank down my trousers and hit me on my thigh continuosly , i gues until he got out his anger. after a few minutes a bright red imprint of a hand would show up. and im not talking about a red mark, you really clearly see his hand. And it would bruise. He's smacked me round the face with a rolled up newspaper before.he's always shouting in my face. he's came in before in a rage and hit all my wardrobe doors and smahed the light swith in with his elbow. but he only acts like this when my mum isnt in or around. Mum wears the trousers in the relation ship but he's jsut such a coward towards her but as soon as she's gone i get all this. Iv not been hit for a while though its just the hitting of stuff around and near me. I just wanted to know wether it was abuse or am i just being silly about being scared of him. When i think back of what he has done violently , it makes me feel sick and want to cry. so i was just wondering ?