Koto Ryu Ken

Ten Ways of Fist Strikes (Ken no Atemi Juho)

For all of these it is assumed the defender is in Left Number-One Stance (Hidari Ichimonji no Kamae) and is striking with the right hand or right side of the body.

Demon-Horn Fist (Kikaku Ken)

The Kikaku Ken is a head-butt using the top ridge of the forehead, the sides of the head, or the back of the head. To practice this, the defender can step forward with either foot, drop his body weight, and strike with the top ridge of the forehead, making sure to keep the head, neck, and spine in line.

Waking-up Elbow Strike (Shuki Ken/ Enpi Ken)

The Shuki Ken is any strike done with the elbows. As the defender steps forward with his right foot, he bends his right fist all the way in to his chest, raises his right elbow parallel with the ground, and strikes with the front of the elbow and forearm.

Immovable Fist (Fudo Ken/ Kongo Ken) and Honorable-King Fist (Nio Ken)

The Fudo Ken refers to the the top two knuckles of the fist and not necessarily a specific strike or striking motion. The most common strikes done with a fudo ken are a Higher-Level Stab (Jodan Tsuki) and the basic punch (Nagaru). The Honorable-King Fist (Nio Ken) is performed by striking with the bottom two knuckles of the fist. The nio ken is often done with more of an uppercut like motion. One unique aspect of Koto Ryu is that the Fudo Ken and Nio Ken are done with the thumb on top of the fist instead of having the thumb curled over the top of the fore-knuckles as is the usual. The thumb strikes along with the knuckles to add more pain to the strike.

Punch (Nagaru): Without stepping forward, the defender punches with his right or left fist (Fudo Ken). This can be done with either a jabbing or hooking motion. The hand can be either sideways like a Jodan Tsuki or palm down like a western style punch. The key difference between a punch (Nagaru) and a higher-level thrust (Jodan Tsuki) is the rhythm. Jodan Tsuki has a beat between attacks and follows the same rhythm as stabbing with a spear or long weapon. Nagaru has no resting beat and is a quick snapping attack.

Double Immovable Fist (Ryote Fudo Ken): The defender uses both of his fists to simultaneously strike into the opponent, often with an uppercut motion. Both palms are usually facing in when striking as opposed to facing down.

Hammer Fist (Tsui Ken): the hammer fist or tsui ken has the hand held in a regular fist the same as fudo ken or nio ken.

Sword-Hand Fist (Shuto Ken)/ Waking Up and Rolling Fist (Kiten Ken)

Shuto Ken involves striking with the outer edge of the palm. During the strike the hand is held with the fingers together and the hand in an obtuse angle. In other words, the hand should resemble a wide 'V' shape with the bend of the thumb resting on top of the middle knuckle of the index finger.

Outer Sword-Hand Strike (Omote Shuto Ken): As the defender begins to step forward with his right foot, he raises his right hand palm down in a loose fist in front of his forehead. As the defender's right leg swings forward next to the left leg, the defender turns his palm towards the opponent and circles his hand around as though he were wiping sweat off of his brow with the back of his hand. As the defender sets his foot down, he extends his arm, snaps open his hand into a 'V', and strikes into the opponent's neck with the hand palm up.

Double Outer Sword-Hand Strike (Ryote Omote Shuto Ken): A double outer sword-hand (Ryoute Omote Shuto Ken) is done by swinging both fists palm up on either side of the target. Before impact, the defender opens his hands simultaneously striking with a sword-hand on either side of the opponent's neck.

Inner Sword-Hand Strike (Ura Shuto Ken): As the defender begins to step forward with his right foot, he raises his right hand palm down in a loose fist in front of his forehead. When the defender's foot lands, he drops his weight forward slightly, extends the arm, snaps open the hand into a 'V', and strikes into the opponent's neck with hand palm down.

Double Inner Sword-Hand Strike (Ryote Ura Shuto Ken): A double inner sword-hand (Ryoute Ura Shuto Ken) is done by crossing the arms making an 'X' with the forearms and then uncrossing the arms, simultaneously striking with a sword-hand on either side of the opponent's neck.

Downward Sword-Hand Strike (Shita Shuto Ken): This is normally used for striking down into targets like the forearm (Nagare).

Fingertip Strikes (Shitan Ken)

Finger-Needle Fist (Shishin Ken): This includes using any individual finger to strike or apply pressure.

Two-Fingertip Strike (Ryoshitan Ken): The defender steps forward with his right foot and strikes with the index and middle finger, by either holding them together or keeping the separate to hook into the target.

Three-Fingertip Strike (Sanshitan Ken): This is the most commonly used of the shitan ken and includes many variations. The defender steps forward with his right foot and strikes with the fingertips of his index, middle, and ring finger. The fingers are most often held tightly together with the thumb holding down the pinkie. However, the fingers can also be held apart and used with more of a raking motion which is useful for striking into the tracheal notch and the pain points on either side of it (Ittou Nittou Santou). This is called a Gokyaku Ken, also known as a Hosen Ken. Another variation involves tucking the pinkie down in the center of the palm, placing the thumb against the front of the middle finger, and squeezing the index and ring fingers against the middle finger. This version is sometimes used in Chi no Kata. When striking, the hand can be held palm down, palm to the side, or palm up like in Chi no Kata. The strike itself can be a quick jab, a raking motion, or a pendulum motion with the arm nearly straight.

Four-Fingertip Strike (Shishitan Ken/ Yonshitan Ken): The defender steps forward with his right foot and strikes in or down with the right four fingrs. The fingers can be held out straight like a spear or bent like a hook. The hand can be palm down or with the palm to the side. Another way to use this is as a swiping motion across the opponent's eyes.

Five-Fingertip Strike (Goshitan Ken): The defender steps forward with his right foot and strikes with all five fingertips. This is done by holding all five finger tips together.

Five-Finger Strike (Goshin Ken) A five-finger strike (Goshin Ken) is done by striking with the five fingertips in a similar manner to Shako Ken. However, unlike the shako ken the palm does not strike into the target. Another version is to hold the fingertips somewhat close together but not touching. When striking into the face the thumb will strike into the base of the septum (Jinchu), the index finger will strike into the right eye, and the ring finger will strike into the left eye. Strikes like this are not meant to be powerful, but no force is needed to make them highly effective.

Claw Fist (Shako Ken)/ Half Fist (Shihan Ken)

Shako Ken: The shako ken is usually a cross between a finger strike and palm strike and often employs a clawing or downward motion. The hand is held so that the fingers curl down slightly like claws. When the defender strikes with his palm into the target, the fingers also hit.

Kosshijutsu Shako Ken: The defender strikes into a soft target with a claw strike (Shako Ken). After his fingers make contact, they curl back into the palm, dragging and pulling flesh into an agonizing grip. Meanwhile, the thumb pushes and digs into the surrounding area. This attack works extremely well against the flesh covering the ribs and against the soft parts of the inner thigh.

Thumb Fist (Boshi Ken)/ Finger-Sword Fist (Shito Ken)

The Boshi Ken is a thumb strike done by using the fore-knuckle of the index finger to support the thumb. The defender steps forward with his right foot and drives the boshi ken into the target usually in the same manner as a Lower-Level Stab (Gedan Tsuki). The thumb and fore-knuckle strike into the target causing a deep, penetrating pain.

Double Thumb Fist (Ryote Boshi Ken): The defender simultaneously strikes with both hands held in a thumb fist (Boshi Ken) usually with a slight upward motion into the target.

Jumping-Finger Fist (Shiyaku Ken)

The Shiyaku Ken is using the fore-knuckle of the middle finger to strike, apply pressure, and dig into targets. To do this, the defender raises the middle of the fore-knuckle up higher than the other fingers and uses the other fingers to support this knuckle by squeezing the fingers tightly against the side of the middle finger. The shiyaku ken is often used with a raking or swiping motion.

Fore-Knuckle Fist (Shikan Ken)

A Shikan Ken is done by striking with the extended fore-knuckles of all four fingers. (The fore-knuckles are the knuckles in the middle of the fingers). The defender steps forward with his right foot and strikes with shikan ken in the same manner as a Lower-Level Stab (Gedan Tsuki) with the palm facing to the side. With the shikan ken, the palm can be facing to the side or facing down depending on the target. Areas like the solar plexus, sternum, and the soft spot of the neck directly behind the jaw bone can be hit with the palm facing to the side. Areas like the throat and ribs can be hit with the palm facing down. The defender can also use a sanshin motion to swing the shikan ken up into the target. This works well with a palm down shikan ken to the throat.

Double Fore-Knuckle Fist (Ryote Shikan Ken): The defender simultaneously strikes with both his hands held in a fore-knuckle fist (Shikan Ken) by using either the sharp ridge of fore-knuckles or the edge of the hand.

Thumb-Knuckle Fist (Koppo Ken)

The Koppo Ken is a strike done by using the middle knuckle of the thumb. The hand is formed into a fist and the thumb rests on top with the tip of the thumb resting on top of the bend of the index finger. The koppo ken can done with a jabbing or hooking motion to strike into the target. Often it is used simply as a way to dig in and apply pain to targets like the temple. The koppo ken is also commonly done as a ryote koppo ken, which means striking simultaneously with both hands held in koppo ken.

Ryote Koppo Ken: The defender simultaneously strikes with both hands held in a thumb-knuckle fist, usually with the palm down.

Eight-Leaves Fist (Happa Ken)

The Happa Ken is a really simple palm strike with the hands held open and sometimes cupped slightly. The strike is either done by striking in with the palm or by slapping the target.

Double Palm Fist (Ryote Happa Ken): A common variant is the double palm fist (Ryote Happa Ken). The defender uses this to slap both the opponent's ears simultaneously. Striking the ears is not always about boxing them, but sometimes about putting something in them. When a Double Palm Fist (Ryote Happa Ken) is used to strike the ears, it is known as Heisho Uchi. The defender can also use a double palm fist to shove the opponent or strike into his body.

Body Fist (Tai Ken)

The tai ken is the most variable strike as it involves using the torso, hips, or shoulders to strike or apply pressure into parts of the opponent's body. There is no set method for this and the tai ken is most often used because the attack naturally occurs within the defender's movements.

 

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