Kagi Zuki
鉤突き
Literally: hook punch
Also known as: Kagi tsuki, Seiken kagi tsuki, 鍵突き, Hook punch
A hooking punch delivered in an arc from the side at very close range; the power comes from the hips and the elbow is bent to roughly a right angle.
Quick Facts
Katas containing this technique
About
Kagi zuki (鉤突き), literally hooking punch, differs from the straight seiken tsuki and shita zuki, per the Japan Karatedo Federation (JKF), by tracing an arc and striking from the side. The elbow bends to roughly a right angle, and power comes from hip rotation and the whole body, not arm strength. It is used at very close range, targeting the solar plexus, the xiphoid process, the heart, floating ribs, liver, kidneys or spine, and in full-contact styles also the head. Shito-ryu distinguishes it from furi zuki, a wider hook with the elbow at about 120 degrees against a slightly more distant opponent. In the kata Jion, kagi zuki follows the manji uke block and a shift into kiba dachi. Kyokushin's KWF writes the name with 鍵 instead of 鉤, lists seiken kagi tsuki as item seven of its hand-strike list, and teaches it from 9th kyu.