If I had a Hammer

 

 

A long time ago on the original Cyber Dojo I mentioned I was  doing personal research on the use of karate’s hammerfist. That garnered the following responses

  

I'm concentrating on the use of the Isshinryu Hammer-fist, among  others of course.

Thought starting some discussion on this would help my own efforts.

I first began to look at the potential of the hammer-fist when I realized how the original Pinan Shodan began with a Hammer-fist strike to the side (instead of the low block/strike which it mutated into.

The hammer-fist, IMO, is a very underutilized technique with incredible stopping power if used correctly.

 

In the "seito" shito-ryu system, the move in Pinan Nidan (this is the original Itosu numbering) is actually a straight armed clearing move rather than an actual hammer fist strike.

 

Figure the bunkai like this: face to face, someone punches at you (doesn't matter which hand, straight or curved) you pivot and clear the move with a sweeping "hammer strike", grab the forearm and quickly step forward and punch the upper arm pressure points, inside if it was a right punch or the triceps if it was a left, stunning the opponent(you can do the punch to the neck or side of the head if you want to hurt more). Next, grab the opponents neck/head and reverse your direction and throw him to the ground at the feet of your with the "down block" motion.

 

regards,

 

Hank Prohm

 

 

 

Greetings -Victor San, I guess you can add me to the List of those who underutilize the technique in IR,I do use it in select places in IR kata, The beginningOf seiunchin, in naihanchi, and Kusanku come to mind, Of course in Goju-ryu it is used much more, but it isStill not a natural technique for me, I have a tendencyTo open my hands and shuto if left to my own devices.

One feature that I do like about hammerfist is that It brings the side plane of the bone in the forarm Out, this I DO use to strike, naturally. My favorite target would be the neck, so If I were To hammerfist, (or shuto), I target the the neck  Just below the ear and the jaw line with my hand And bring the bone of my forearm across the neck,
Depending on the angle my body is at, the main  Focus of the strike may make it into the hand, But it is just as likely that the forearm bone will make contact with the Neck first, either way it does not matter, it will Rock their world.

This does bring out the IR teaching that a block is  A strike and a strike a block, Take seiunchin for Instance, I was taught to use a blocking motion  With the knuckles on most of the down block motions Done in horse stance (shikodachi , sp), in Goju-ryu
I was taught a different plane of motion and it is Done as a hammer fist strike, practically speaking I practice it as a Blocking motion Knuckles out (IR), But most inside striking opportunities are better Done with the hammer fist (Goju-ryu), because of the  angle that the movement uses, done as a backfist strike (block Motion) the knuckles and arm move away from the body And downward, done as a hammerfist the arm quickly Rotates in front of the body, and moves sideways inline
With your stance into the target, in close quarters There is not always room for the blocking strike, Yet the hammerfist fits nicely, as it moves sideways.

I use a variation of this sideways hammer fist to Strike the groin if I am lined up sideways to my Opponents center, the difference is that I will Open my hand and shuto in a heavy handed motion,And over rotate the arm slightly , Relax the wrist and allow the hand to snap in and up in a finger tip strike (crane beak) , or slap the groin , and seize,

If you grab the groin, Or clothes, pull upward with  The hand and drive the elbow down and inward at the same  Time, you use the exit motion to strike and setup
A backfist strike to the face, ( which could also, Be a hammerfist , if you like to use them) as your Hand makes a 180 degree arch, (from down,slap, to up Strike, with the elbow used as a pivot point that digs Into the opponents body).

Hard to describe, easy to do.
Nice r.t.^..^ Romney

 

Greetings – I have been thinking about the hammerfist strike that  You asked about, it seems I use it more than I realized,

It is used in many different ways in kata, a few examples :

* in a arch over head – Goju-ryu , Saifa,
Unified kata , gekiha and others
* side to side - Naihanchi , Shorin-ryu, Isshin-ryu,
http://www.isshinryu.com/naihanchi2.htm pic 24
(note , I rotate the arm on this move and use a hammerfist motion)

 

 

 

* downward in a arch to the side – Goju-ryu , seiunchin Isshin-ryu – naihanchi
Same as above pic 20 and
http://www.isshinryu.com/naihanchi1.htm pic 14

 

 

 

middle strike - Isshin-ryu , kusanku
http://www.isshinryu.com/kusanku6.htm pic 71-72

 

 

 

high strike - Isshin-ryu , Chinto , seiunchin
http://www.isshinryu.com/seiuchin4.htm pic 46

 

 

http://www.isshinryu.com/chinto4.htm pic 31

 

 

 

It is also used in a blocking or deflecting motion ,  As in seiunchin, naihanchi etc
http://www.isshinryu.com/seiuchin5.htm not shown between pic 61-62

   

 

 

quite interesting
nice r.t.^..^ Romney

 

Greetings – Victor some target points for your hammerfist

As done stepping forward in seiuchin or quick  piviot to the outside in naihanchi
Or in Chinto ,

grabbing the head and striking Stomach 7, 8 side of the head
Small Intestine 18 side of neck
19 in front of ear
Gallbladder 2 front of ear
3 temple
4 near temple
Triple-heater 17-18 behind ear

smashing down as done in saifa
opponent grabs from side or back
stomach 12 clavical
Bladder 2 just over the eye
If you move behind your opponent
Bladder 10 behind the skull

* down block as done in Naihanchi and seiuchin
- opponent kicks
Spleen 6-7 above the ankle on the inside of the leg
Kidney 7-8 -9 inside of calf
Gallbladder 35-39 outside of leg on calf
- opponent knees (naihanchi)
spleen 10 above the inside of the knee

* done smashing to the middle as found in IR kusanku
from deflective block into strikes
- small intestine 16-17 side and front of the ribs
- Kindney 21 near solar plexus
- bladder 49-50 back of ribs
- gallbladder 24 inside and under nipple

Opponent punches or grabs
Block control and strike as done in chinto and seiunchin,
- turn opponents elbow outward with a twisting
motion and strike back of elbow other hand,
Small intestine 8 back of elbow
Triple heater 10 backside of elbow
- from interior block turn opponents elbow inward
with a twisting motion and strike to inside of
elbow
Heart 3 inside of the elbow


Just some Ideas of where I was taught to strike.
Nice ^..^ r.t.Romney

Hello,

Target specifics are wonderful and need to be fully understood. Base actions were what I have developed my hammerfist knowledge on. As I said simply, it is like using an ice pick as a weapon. I see the actions possible as:

 

(Please use the R arm for illustrations)...

1. Across inward, as to the temple or ribs in an inside block palm up action.
2. 45 inward down, as to the neck in a 45 inward angle.
3. straight down, as to the collar bone.
4. straight out, elbow down as to the face or eyes.
5. 45 outward down, as to the neck in a 45 angle downward.
6. across outward, as to the temple or ribs in an outside block palm down action.
7. upward 45 angle, as to the armpit.
8. down 45 outward angle, as to the xyphoid process with fist lower than elbow.
9. upward with straight down arm, as to the groin or under the chin .
10.outward with straight down arm, as to groin and femoral artery.
      I look at these as an action following the pattern of a clock in reverse action for the       R arm. Starting from 3 oclock  running around to 6 oclock. It was part of my basis in the yin yang circle for a foundation. Very simple to learn the actions this way.

 

      Progression of what one sees in the sphere of knowledge for this technique:

1. Base knowledge for striking the body in 10 base ways.
2. Base way to strike these extremities (ie arm of leg).
3. Base way to attack the body in a double striking method ( first extremity, then body).
4. Base way to work around an extremity to strike the body only.
      THis number 4 involves the curving movements of the yin yang symbol.

      That's it. Hammer fist knowledge from the yin yang symbol.

                                                                  Ron