Hiraken Tsuki
平拳突き
Literally: flat-fist punch
Also known as: Hiraken, Hiraken uchi, Hira ken tsuki, 平拳
A strike with a flat fist, one of the main striking forms of Uechi-ryu; at close range it targets the temple, neck, nose bridge, or ribs.
Quick Facts
About
Hiraken tsuki (平拳突き), literally flat-fist strike, uses a special hand shape that Uechi-ryu trains in two positions. In the flat position a gap remains between the thumb knuckle and the fingertips; in the closed position the fingertips tuck in just behind the thumb knuckle. The Uechi-ryu teacher Ethan Miller described five ways to strike with this hand: with the edge on the thumb side, the knife edge, the front surface, the middle knuckle, and the so-called 'cutter', where the knuckle ridges are drawn across soft tissue. The strike suits close range and half-clinch, targets the temple, neck, nose bridge, or floating ribs, and also frees the user from a rear bear hug. The 'cutter' is especially dangerous for the neck and needs knowledge and regular training. In Uechi-ryu, hiraken is trained with the one-knuckle strike shoken and the thumb-knuckle strike boshiken. The Kyokushin organization KWF lists hira ken tsuki as item 45 on its list of hand strikes and teaches it at 3rd kyu.