Before we study the different hand techniques employed in attacking an opponent, let me first introduce some important terminologies.
Attacks
If you are already comfortable and confident in doing the stands, positions, and correct breathing in karate, then it is time for you to try the various hand techniques used for attacks. They are as follows:
Chudan stands for the area from the belt up to the throat. The jodan area covers the neck ans the head. The gedan area is everything below the belt.
There are areas above the head, or which are far below the belt are; however, in most schools, they are usually ignored and are considered to be a part of either jodan or gedan.
Migi and hidari means ''right'' and ''left'', correspondingly.
Seiken Chudan Tsuki
This is a very important technique. Thus, we are going to explain some vital theoretical points using it as an example.
First of all, various schools have different ideas about this technique, such as how your body should move to help the punch to be fast and strong. In the Kyokushin, we end up with the shoulders turned 45 degrees, so that the twist of the body increases the speed of the hand.
But this only works if the two motions are performed in synch. If you, for example, move your shoulders ahead of your hand, then your opponent will get the message. He likely to say this to himself, ''His shoulders are moving; looks like he is getting ready to punch. I better do something.'' As much as you can, avoid communicating your intentions to your opponent.
Be careful when performing this technique because if you turn your shoulders more than 45 degrees, you will incur the following: a) injure your back sooner or later; b) spend too much energy; c) loose your speed; d) make your back vulnerable to counter-attack. Also, if the hips are turning, it would look more like a slap, thrown on impulse to provide additional speed.
Furthermore, keep in mind that if you use this technique while on a very limited space, there will be no room for the hips and the shoulders to perform the ''classics'', Fortunately, this technique is adjustable.
First of all, the fist must be properly closed. The hand should be almost relaxed, until at the last moment, when it is touching the target. Then it should be completely tense, with all your focus on the target. Or if you are performing a ''breaking '' punch, your focus must be behind the target. Thus, you often hear the saying that if you are hitting the chest, you should aim for the backbone.
The outer side of the palm and the wrist must be on a straight line. Imagine the line that goes through the seiken (knuckles of the pointing and the middle fingers), the wrist, and the elbow. This is the line you should create, not zigzag one. Otherwise, you will injure your wrist, using all the power of your hand, hips, plus the body weight.
The fist begins its motion from the place almost under the armpit, at the height of the nipple. This is different from many traditional schools, as they start from the hip level.
The fist rotates. At the beginning, it is with the palm up. At the, it is with the palm down. It. should screw itself into the target. It will help your elbow to unbend, plus the energy of the punch will increase.
However, the elbow should not unbend completely. It must be only slightly bent, to prevent injury. Imagine, if your elbow is straight and your opponent suddenly blocks it or hit, if your elbow is bent, it will not be that easy to damage it, and your opponent will think twice before hitting it.
Your elbows must point down. If they point sideways, your punch will be less powerful and your armpits will be open for an attack.
Meanwhile, your other hand is performing a ''reverse''. That is, it is doing exactly the same move but in the opposite direction. At the end, it will be near the armpit, ready to lunch another punch. In the middle of the trajectory, both hands should face each other, palms facing inwards. This is often used to check the beginners for mistakes.
The fist should move on a straight line. It does not matter if your body is turning; your hands are moving and your hips are moving as well. If your hand is moving by the ''freehand trajectory'', you are doing something wrong. The line between your fist, when still in the armpit, and the target, is the trajectory to follow.
Attacks
If you are already comfortable and confident in doing the stands, positions, and correct breathing in karate, then it is time for you to try the various hand techniques used for attacks. They are as follows:
Chudan stands for the area from the belt up to the throat. The jodan area covers the neck ans the head. The gedan area is everything below the belt.
There are areas above the head, or which are far below the belt are; however, in most schools, they are usually ignored and are considered to be a part of either jodan or gedan.
Migi and hidari means ''right'' and ''left'', correspondingly.
Seiken Chudan Tsuki
This is a very important technique. Thus, we are going to explain some vital theoretical points using it as an example.
First of all, various schools have different ideas about this technique, such as how your body should move to help the punch to be fast and strong. In the Kyokushin, we end up with the shoulders turned 45 degrees, so that the twist of the body increases the speed of the hand.
But this only works if the two motions are performed in synch. If you, for example, move your shoulders ahead of your hand, then your opponent will get the message. He likely to say this to himself, ''His shoulders are moving; looks like he is getting ready to punch. I better do something.'' As much as you can, avoid communicating your intentions to your opponent.
Be careful when performing this technique because if you turn your shoulders more than 45 degrees, you will incur the following: a) injure your back sooner or later; b) spend too much energy; c) loose your speed; d) make your back vulnerable to counter-attack. Also, if the hips are turning, it would look more like a slap, thrown on impulse to provide additional speed.
Furthermore, keep in mind that if you use this technique while on a very limited space, there will be no room for the hips and the shoulders to perform the ''classics'', Fortunately, this technique is adjustable.
First of all, the fist must be properly closed. The hand should be almost relaxed, until at the last moment, when it is touching the target. Then it should be completely tense, with all your focus on the target. Or if you are performing a ''breaking '' punch, your focus must be behind the target. Thus, you often hear the saying that if you are hitting the chest, you should aim for the backbone.
The outer side of the palm and the wrist must be on a straight line. Imagine the line that goes through the seiken (knuckles of the pointing and the middle fingers), the wrist, and the elbow. This is the line you should create, not zigzag one. Otherwise, you will injure your wrist, using all the power of your hand, hips, plus the body weight.
The fist begins its motion from the place almost under the armpit, at the height of the nipple. This is different from many traditional schools, as they start from the hip level.
The fist rotates. At the beginning, it is with the palm up. At the, it is with the palm down. It. should screw itself into the target. It will help your elbow to unbend, plus the energy of the punch will increase.
However, the elbow should not unbend completely. It must be only slightly bent, to prevent injury. Imagine, if your elbow is straight and your opponent suddenly blocks it or hit, if your elbow is bent, it will not be that easy to damage it, and your opponent will think twice before hitting it.
Your elbows must point down. If they point sideways, your punch will be less powerful and your armpits will be open for an attack.
Meanwhile, your other hand is performing a ''reverse''. That is, it is doing exactly the same move but in the opposite direction. At the end, it will be near the armpit, ready to lunch another punch. In the middle of the trajectory, both hands should face each other, palms facing inwards. This is often used to check the beginners for mistakes.
The fist should move on a straight line. It does not matter if your body is turning; your hands are moving and your hips are moving as well. If your hand is moving by the ''freehand trajectory'', you are doing something wrong. The line between your fist, when still in the armpit, and the target, is the trajectory to follow.
Karate: Hand Techniques Part 1
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