Knifehand strike

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Knifehand strike
Japanese name
Kanji:	手刀打ち
Hiragana:	しゅとううち
Transliterations - Revised Hepburn: shutō-uchi - Kunrei-shiki: syutô-uti
Korean name
Hangul:	?
Transliterations - Revised Romanization: sohnal ?

A knifehand strike is a strike using the part of the hand opposite the thumb (from the little finger to the wrist), familiar to many people as a karate chop, (in Japanese, shutō-uchi). This refers to strikes performed with the side of the knuckle of the small finger. Suitable targets for the knife hand strike include the mastoid muscles of the neck, the jugular, the throat, the collar bones, the 3rd vertebra (key stone of the spinal column), the upper arm, the wrist (knife hand block), the elbow (outside knife hand block), and the knee cap (leg throw). In many Japanese and Chinese martial arts systems, the knifehand is used to block as well as to strike. In Taekwon Do a knifehand strike(sonkal taerigi) is executed by striking with the muscle at the side of the hand located between the base of the small finger and the wrist(abductor digiti minimumi). It is used as both an offensive and defensive technique and can be executed as a high, low, middle, side, inward, outward, risin or circular strike. The reverse knifehand strike(sonkal dung taeri) is also utilised in Taekwon Do. This is executed by reaching your thumb across towards your baby finger and striking with the side of the first knuckle of the index finger. To use this attack to its full potential the practitioner must first condition their hand as this strike can often be painful for unexperienced students when striking a hard object eg: breaking board, makiwara etc.

The ridge-hand technique of Tang Soo Do (Soo Bak Do)is cosmetically similar to the reverse knifehand but involves drawing the thumb back against the palm, creating a compressed mass of the muscle that makes up the web between thumb and forefinger. Two striking surfaces are then available, this compressed web and the large muscle at the base of the thumb. The point of impact can be selected 'in-flight' as the technique is executed based on available targets and desired outcome.

Japanese martial arts

Tegatana (手刀 : てがたな^?, Japanese for hand-sword) is a term from Japanese martial arts like aikido and karate referring to a hand position that resembles that of the blade of a sword. This can be in a high, middle or low position but is usually extended outwards at about eye level (towards the carotid artery & nerve - a key strike point).

During practice, uke and tori will often stand opposite each other with their respective te-gatana touching each other. From this position, considered by some the ideal combative distance for two unarmed opponents, many balance-breaking, striking and throwing techniques can be applied.

Fictional Depictions

The popularity of martial arts in mid to late 20th century gave rise to an exaggerated version of a knifehand strike widely used in American and British cinema, television, and animated cartoons. In common depictions, a character will deliver a single, precise-looking but relatively weak strike to the side of an opponent's neck, which instantly renders them unconscious but otherwise unharmed (in some versions, the blow is instantly fatal). This is frequently done from behind to an unaware adversary, often an enemy guard. The move became a staple of the spy genre through the 60s and 70s.

As audiences became more aware of how implausible this move seemed, it gradually migrated to the realm of comedy. In these depictions, it is either used unexpectedly and found to work in absurd situations, or a character attempts to imitate what they saw in film, only to find it has no effect. In the Austin Powers (film series), the main character, Austin Powers, would pronounce "Judo Chop!" before performing the strike.

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