Hand trapping is an aspect of Okinawan karate that has been lost in many dojo. So many, in fact, that it is not uncommon for karateka to comment on videos of Okinawan trapping techniques with things like “looks like Wing Chun”–they simply can’t believe that it is a native aspect of karate! Of course, if you search “hand trapping” on […]
Ryuuken (Dragon Fist), or Nakadaka-Ipponken (Convex Single Point Fist) Most kata use the closed fist more than any other hand formation, but even those kata will typically use at least one other hand formation, at some point. When you change hand formation in kata, the kata is usually telling you that you are striking in a certain way, or to […]
A standard balled fist The balled fist is a fairly standard tool in martial arts and it is a fairly natural method for forming your hand to strike someone. That doesn’t mean it is the only method, or even necessarily the best method. I would like to introduce two other methods–Shuri-ken and tate-ken. The word ken we know to be […]
