Karate Strikes
The further you progress with your karate, the more obscure some of the strikes that you learn become. the ancient Okinawans believed that every single part of the body could be used as a weapon, so while the majority of common strikes are indeed types of punches and open hand, many different striking areas of the body are also used, these can range from fingers to the arm itself, the back of the hand, the elbow and even the head can be used as a strike. Many of these advanced strikes do require regular body conditioning and practise to enable the karate-ka to perform the advanced strikes effectively and without getting injured.
Nukite | Spear Hand
The Spear Hand strike of Nukite uses all four of the fingers on the hand closed together to form a pointed spear shape. The spear hand is then used as a thrusting strike towards soft fleshy vulnerable areas of an attacker body such as the neck, stomach, between the ribs or into the face of an opponent. It is important to keep the fingers tightly together and to have a slight bend across all four fingers to prevent the fingers from bending backwards on impact of the strike. Find out more about this karate strike by watching the demonstration of Nukite.
Teisho | Palm Heel
The Palm Heel strike or Teisho, is an open handed technique used for striking in karate. the Palm Heel is basically the end of the arm where it joins into the hand on the palm side. If you imaging for one second that your arm and hand is the same as your leg and foot, the heel of the palm is exposed when bending open the palm. This area known as the Teisho is a very powerful striking bone used for powerful push through striking. Full details and instructional video about the Teisho.
Tetsui | Hammer Fist
Tetsui is the Hammer Fist blow or strike. The hammer fist refers to the soft fleshy underside of the fist closet to the little pinkie finger. In application, the fist is kept tight and clenched and the blow or strike is delivered with a blow similar to that of a striking hammer, hence the name Hammer Fist. Tetsui Hammerfist is a powerful blow that offers minimal risk of injury during impact when compared to more conventional methods of punching. Full details and instructional video of the Tetsui.