Kyokushin Uganda

Kampala Dojo-Uganda

Essential Karate

Fundamental of Karate

The Hand and Arm as Weapons

3. Shuto (hand sword)

In the hand sword (or lnife hand) the hand is open. The thumb is bent and held tightly against the edge of the hand. The four fingers are tensed, naturally curved and slightly apart. The outer edge of the hand is primarily used for striking.

A. Shuto - ganmen - uchi (hand sword face chop) Hold the striking hand with the palm facing in, on a level with the ear. Then bring the hand swiftly down across the face, ear, or neck of an opponent. At the moment of contact, the elbow should be slightly bent.	1	2	3
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B. Shuto - sakotsu - uchi - oroshi (hand sword cllarbone chop) Hold the striking hand as in A (Shuto - sakotsu - uchi - oroshi) and swiftly bring the hand forward and down in an arc - like motion in order to hit the opponent's collabone. Note that the other hand is also held in the Shuto position in preparation for the next blow. The collabone is rather weak and a blow to it will caouse difficulty in breathing and restriction of arm movement.
C. Shuto - sakotsu - uchikomi (hand sword collarbone strike) Hold the hand at shoulder height and thrust forward to strike the opponent's collarbone. This differs from the previous technique in that there is more follow - through after the strike.
D. Shuto - uchi - uchi (hand sword cross - body chop) Hold the striking hand across your chest at the level of the opposite ear. Then bring the hand diagonally forward across your body in a stright line. The major targets are an opponent's face, neck, throat, and arms.