Black Medicine Anthology

by N. Mashiro

  Knuckles: The distal ends of the second and third, or the second through fifth metacarpal bones. (The first metacarpal bone is in the thumb, the second is at the base of the forefinger, etc.) These are the knuckles we instinctively use when striking with a clenched fist. There are two ways to form the first, depending on whether you prefer the boxing approach or the karate approach. In boxing the fist is formed with all four knuckles aligned to hit the target at the same time. The karate version concentrates force into the knuckles of the fore and middle fingers by folding the ring and little fingers farther back into the fist. The fist is used to punch at the opponent's face, throat, abdomen, groin, kidneys and other soft parts of the body. Trained karateists can deliver extremely powerful punches even against hard parts of the body, fracturing the skull, sternum and ribs with equal facility. Do not make the common mistake of punching the opponent in the jaw, however, unless you really know what you are doing. It is much too easy to break bones in your fist when you strike such a strong, angular bone as the mandible.

  Back of Fist: A very common karate blow involves a backhand strike using the knuckle fore and middle finger. This attack is usually directed at the temple of the face in a very fast snapping motion.

  Bottom of Fist: The medial side of the fifth metacarpal, together with fleshy tissues appertaining. The little-finger side of a clenched fist can be used like a hammer to deliver extremely powerful blows, especially against the opponent's head, collarbone, forearms, legs and groin. Japanese karate teachers call this the tettsui, or iron hammer. When used to block an incoming punch, the iron hammer blow can literally break the other man's arm.

  Palm of Hand: When the hand is open the flat palm is the natural weapon preferred for such non-injurious attacks as slapping and spanking. It produces less innocuous results, however, when directed at the nose, groin, or when clapped over the outer opening of the ear canal.

  Folded Palm: Touch your little finger to your thumb, and notice the fold which appears in the palm from the heel of the hand up to the base of the forefinger. This is the basis for one of the "sticky hands" techniques in which the opponent's punch is not only blocked, but actually caught and held in mid-strike. The block is accomplished with the palm loosely folded. As the opponent's left fist comes in toward your head, you block with your right hand, allowing his forearm to enter the semi-circle of your palm and fingers. The narrow "V" of the folded palm slides freely down his forearm, but locks tight when it encounters his wrist. This capture is usually seen in conjunction with a judo throw or footsweep. (See Figure 9.)

  Heel of Palm: When the wrist is bent back the heel of the hand becomes a most formidable impact weapon. The palm heel can be used for punching attacks to the jaw, nose, solar plexus, ribs and groin. The advantage of using the palm heel is that it is less subject to injury than the knuckles, and there is no danger of spraining the wrist. Also, a person must be properly trained to punch correctly with his fists, but palm heel attacks can be learned almost instantly.

  Back of Hand: When the hand is open, the bony back of the hand can be used for especially painful slapping, and in karate it is also used for deflecting incoming punches.

  Edge of Hand: The "chop," one of the most famous karate or judo blows, is delivered with the little-finger edge of the palm. The hand is held open with the thumb folded down tightly, almost as if you were trying to touch the thumb tip to the center of the palm. (Many military manuals show this position incorrectly with the thumb extended away from the hand.) The striking surface is the medial side of the fifth metacarpal, and the associated fleshy tissue. The "knife-hand" attack usually does not involve the little finger or the first inch of palm at the little finger's base, but is focused on the fleshier two-thirds of the palm's edge. This attack is especially favored among martial artists because it concentrates the force of the blow into an area of only two or three square inches. The "chop" is most effective against the temple, nose, throat, neck, collarbone, several points on the forearm, and the inside of the thigh.

  Fig. 9: The folded palm position of the hand looks weak and loose, but in practice it is an excellent way to ensnare the opponent's arm in mid-strike. The V-shaped cavity formed by the hand slips easily along the opponent's forearm, but locks tightly when it reaches his wrist.

  Ridge Hand: This is an "edge of the hand" technique which uses the second metacarpal bone instead of the fifth. With the hand held open and the thumb tucked down deeply into the palm, the edge of the hand at the base of the index finger can be used to strike at the temple, side of neck, floating ribs and groin. This technique is frequently seen in professional "karate" tournaments where it is delivered with a flailing motion. The attacker swings his shoulder past the target, allowing his arm to follow like awhip. Although striking with the inside edge of the hand would seem to be a very weak and limited technique, once mastered it is very powerful and can be employed frequently in karate matches.

  Lower Edge of Hand: A modified form of the "knife hand" attack consists of bending the whole hand slightly back at the wrist and then slightly down (in the direction of the littlefinger). This special blow is designed to break the collarbone, and uses only the edge of the heel of the hand for striking.

  Back of Wrist: The distal ends of the radius and ulna on their posterior (dorsal) surface. Bend your hand and wrist as if trying to touch your fingertips to the inside of your wrist. In this position the back of the wrist presents a hard surface which is used for several blocks and strikes, especially to the face. This striking point converts a simple backhand slap into a punishing blow.

  Whole Hand: While discussing the many small parts of the hand which can be used as weapons, it is important to remember that the functions of the whole hand can be weaponlike, too. The simple act of grasping is used very frequently in combat, to hold and pull an opponent's wrist, clothing or hair. Some of the more heavily built karateists can break a person's forearm by grasping it around the wrist and squeezing! Grasping the opponent's sleeve during a block is very common, and controlling his head by grasping his ears or hair is an extremely effective technique. All depend on the use of the whole hand in its role as a grasping instrument.

  Chest: The chest is not normally used as a striking surface, but in exceptional circumstances it can be quite effective. One thinks of a bully using his chest to push his victim around, but the chest can also be used as an anvil into which you can pull the opponent's face. The sternum seems very hard and unforgiving when your nose hits it at high speed. Also, the size of a man's chest is an effective psychological dominance asset. Large men who "puff up" their chests when annoyed are rarely attacked.

  Abdomen: In karate, the abdomen is considered to be the center of all power. This concept is usually taught as a semimystical belief, but there is a sound anatomical basis for it as well. All attacks delivered with the arms and hands become much more powerful when firmly driven from a solid base. If the abdomen is not tense and inflexible at the moment of impact, much of the power of the attack is absorbed in rotating the upper trunk relative to the feet and hips (a recoil motion). The abdomen is not necessarily a source of physical power, but unless it is held rigid at the moment of impact it does act as a sink, draining power away from the blow. Mastery of the ability to "focus" an attack for maximum power involves considerable abdominal coordination, and is the single most valuable technique an unarmed fighter can possess.

  Hips: Taken here to mean the lateral projections of the femurs, not the iliac crest. The extreme upper part of the side of the thigh, opposite the hip joint. The hip is a striking point in judo and jui-jitsu. It is used like a battering ram during the initial motion of many throws to break the opponent's balance and posture. The force of this blow can be appreciated by the fact that it is possible to break several boards with this hip impact alone. The effect when the blow catches the opponent squarely in the groin is very dramatic. Most people will dive right into the throw rather than try to resist the full power of this attack.

  T
here is another meaning of "using the hips" which is more typical of karate. This meaning implies locking the hips rigidly at the moment of impact of a hand or foot blow. The reasons are similar to those discussed for locking the abdomen at the same time (see above).

  Buttocks: The buttocks are among the strongest and most heavily padded parts of the body. This is the reason they are preferred for the ritualized striking of naughty children, since there is very little possibility of injury other than bruising. The buttocks, however, can actually be employed as a lethal weapon under the right circumstances. When held around the waist from behind, a person can bend down, grasp the attacker's ankle, jerk it up and spill him on his back. At that point if you violently drop your whole weight on his chest (buttocks first) you can squash him like a bug. A crushed rib cage is an extremely serious injury. Who would have thought that the lowly bottom could be so deadly?

  Groin: One of the more colorful episodes of my karate training occurred when an instructor became confused one day and finished an explanation with this remarkable statement: "Then you finish him off by slamming your groin into his knee!" Poor advice. In judo, however, the pubis bone (the hard bone you can feel just above the genitals) is commonly used as a fulcrum for various elbow locks. If you have thrown your opponent on his back you can lock his elbow by holding the back of his wrist next to your navel and levering back against his elbow. The back of the elbow is thrust forward by the pubis bone, locking the arm and producing considerable pain (for him, not you!).

  Front of Thigh: The front of the thigh within eight inches of the knee can be used for a groin attack during very close infighting. The blow resembles that of a knee-strike into the opponent's groin, but is used when you are too close to effectively use your knee.

  Knee: The knee is almost as versatile as the elbow when it comes to striking powerful blows in a variety of directions. The most obvious attack is the classic knee in the groin, which is usually a straight-in type of blow. The knee can also be used for a rising blow, as when you grasp the opponent's hair with your hands and pull his head down into your rising knee. Karateists quickly learn to deliver roundhouse knee attacks, in which the knee is cocked out to the side of the body and swept in a horizontal arc into the side of the opponent's body. In this case the targets selected are usually the abdomen or rib cage. In the case of an opponent who has been thrown to the ground, dropping on his body with one or both knees can be extremely damaging. Lastly, the knee is frequently used to ward off or deflect incoming kicks. Note that in this application the knee is fully flexed and held high in front of the groin as a shield. (See Figure 10.)

  Shin: The front of the lower leg is sometimes used for kicks to the groin, rib cage, or side when the distance to the target is too great for a knee attack but too short for a proper kick. The attack against the genitals is especially effective, since the shin is very hard and the target offers no possibility of injury to the leg.

  Calf: The back of the lower leg is used in some of the simpler judo throws in which you throw the opponent by stepping to his side and sweeping his legs out from under him from behind using the back of your leg. The back of the thigh is also used in this way.

  Fig. 10: The classic knee attack to the groin. Notice the ineffective block (top left). When the opponent folds after the groin attack, a follow-up attack to the face is easy to apply (top right). The knee can also be used in a roundhouse manner. Here the opponent is trapped between the incoming knee, and fence (below left). Finally, the knee can be used to strike a blow directly downward. Drop on the opponent, driving your knee deep into his chest or abdomen (below right).

  Top of Foot: The tarsus and metatarsal bones on the dorsal surface of the foot. With the foot fully extended (as if standing on your toes) the bony upper surface between the ankle and the toes can be used to attack the groin, floating ribs, head and face. This is especially easy in terms of the groin, because like the thigh and shin the top of the foot does not require exact placement in order to damage the genitals. Attacks to the ribs and head usually involve roundhouse kicks. These kicks begin with the foot and leg cocked horizontally to the side, from which the foot is whipped in a horizontal or ascending arc to the target. More rarely a flying kick is used. This is similar to the roundhouse kick in general, and the biggest difference being that you lightly spring four or five feet up into the air first.

  Ball of Foot: With the ankle and toes fully extended (as if trying to touch your toes to the front of your shin) the ball of the foot becomes properly positioned for use as a natural weapon. Actually the position of the ankle varies from one kick to another, but the toes are always bent up as far as possible to avoid breaking them between the ball of the foot and the target. Kicks using the ball of the foot can strike upward into the kneecap, groin, solar plexus, armpit, throat or chin. If the knee is raised high during the kick the attack may come almost straight in, striking the abdomen or groin. When used with a roundhouse kick the ball of the foot can inflict very severe damage to the skull and rib cage. This is one of the most powerful and most frequently used of all karate weapons.

  Toes: The toes are not usually involved in kicks because they are too easily sprained, dislocated and broken. They can be used in a kick to the genitals where reaching the target is more important than delivering a really powerful blow. A kick which hooks around the opponent's thigh and jars the testicles from behind is an example of this kind of attack. Of course the "toe" of a shoe is a perfectly respectable striking device. (See Figure 11.)

  Bottom of Foot: The entire ventral surface of the foot, normally in contact with the ground while standing. The bottom of the foot is used in some simple backward kicks (think of a donkey) and in stamping attacks against the opponent's toes. When you are squared off against another karateist you can frequently nullify his tactics by stepping on his leading foot and pinning ittotheground. When he involuntarily glances down at his foot you can exploit his inattention with a hand attack to the head.

  Fig. 11: The toes are rarely used as striking points because of their fragility. Against the genitals, however, the toes perform very effectively.

  Sole of Foot: By "sole" is meant that part of the bottom of the foot which corresponds anatomically to the palm of the hand. In a crescent kick you swing your foot in a high rising arc which passes up one side of the opponent's body, across his face, and back down to the ground on the other side. The blow is like slapping the face with the sole of your foot. Crescent kicks are also used against the opponent's hands (to deflect weapons) and against his chest. The sole of the foot is commonly used in footsweep attacks, too, in which you "slap" the opponent's feet out from under him using the sole of your foot.

  Outer Edge of Foot: Stand with your foot flat on the floor. Turn your ankle sideways to roll the foot over onto its outer edge. This sharp edge of the foot is used in karate thrust kicks against the opponent's instep, shin, knee, thigh, groin, abdomen, ribs, throat and skull (see Black Medicine Vol I. for details). The narrowness of this part of the foot concentrates the power of the attack into such a small space that all the force can be concentrated on one rib, for instance. With the entire mass of the powerful leg muscles behind it, such a kick produces astonishing penetration and internal damage.

  Upper Edge of Foot: The "upper" edge of the foot is a narrow band of tissue roughly overlying the fifth metatarsal bone. It is on top, running along the outer edge from the base of the little toe to the heel. When the edge of the foot is used in rising kicks against the chin, groin, armpit, elbows and hands the striking area is not quite the same as in the case of a thrust kick. (Forthe true karateist, the kick envisioned here is the side snap kick, or yoko geri keage).

  Inner Edge of Foot: The inner side of the foot, running from the big toe back to the ankle, is not as effective in kicks as the outer edge, but it's natural curvature helps the foot cling to the opponent's shin during an attack on the lower leg and foot. You swing your foot in to attack his shin, contacting with the inner edge of your f
oot and bruising the nerves in his shin. Then you drive your foot downward along the length of the shin bone until the bottom of your foot crushes his instep. A very effective attack, especially when wearing shoes.

  Bottom of Heel: Persons who are especially limber can deliver a kick in which the blow is delivered with the bottom of the heel alone. This is accomplished by driving the foot straight in to the opponent's chest with the ankle bent as far back toward the shin as possible. At the point of impact the opponent is struck by a solid column of bone extending from the pelvis to the heel. It feels very much like running at full speed into the end of a battering ram.

  Side of Heel: Ina reverse crescent kick the outer edge of the heel can be used to rake across the opponent's face. The kick involves bringing your right foot in a rising arc up the rightside of the opponent's body, rapping him across the face with your heel, and then completing the circle to your original position.

  Back of Heel: The back of the heel is used in the back snap kick against an opponent who is behind you. If the attacker has grabbed you from behind and pinned your arms, the back of the heel can be used with great effect against his shins, knee caps, and even his groin. There is one specialty kick in which you swing your leg as if to strike the opponent's side with the back of your knee. Instead, at the last second you bend your knee and strike him in the kidney from behind with the back of your heel! (See Figure 12.)