How to Strike with a Back Fist Attack in Shorin Ryu Karate

Shorin Ryu is one of the two major modern forms of Okinawan Karate invented in the early 1800s by Sokon Matsumura. He was the personal bodyguard to no less than three kings of Okinawa. His fighting style was developed by fusing styles of Wushu he’d learned when he traveled in China as a young man with the traditional Karate of his homeland. Since it was developed it has had several branches of Karate offshoot from it as subsequent martial arts masters developed their own techniques that they felt were an improvement. In any case, Shorin Ryu Karate is characterized by narrow legged stances to allow for greater mobility, direct rather than circular movements, and a focus of attack and defense in time with the rhythm of one’s breath. A basic attack beginners in Shorin Ryu Karate find easy to master and useful in a fight is the Back Fist strike.

Step 1:
Begin by assuming a Back Stance while facing your opponent. This is done simply by placing your off foot a foot forward off your main foot. In most cases this would mean placing your left foot forward. Instead of widening our legs, keep them well under you, no more than 8 inches apart at the ankle. While this tends to make the balance of a student of Shorin Ryu Karate a little more wobbly than usual, it grants him/her the opportunity to move out of the way of an attack or launch an offensive attack much faster. Keep your weight on your back right foot, bending slightly at the knees to consciously avoid locking them. Keep your upper forearms hanging down at your sides. Your lower right forearm should be crossed over your lower chest, the ball of your fist over the solar plexus. The lower left forearm should be extended in front of the body and held at a diagonal to cross over the chest.

Step 2:
Focus on your breathing. When you have committed to the attack, take a deep breath. Exhale and step a step forward into your opponent’s range with your leading foot, following up quickly with your rear foot in order to keep the same distance between your legs and maintain your stance. Your opponent may have his fists raised to defend. As you step forward, open your right hand and push his right arm sharply out of the way, directly to your left in a cross body driving motion, opening the way for your leading left fist.

Step 3:
Inhale as you extend your left fist, lashing out with a back handed swing entirely from the elbow. It should seem a bit like a door opening with your elbow being the hinge. As your fist extends, the back of it should strike your opponent across the left side of his face. The exact point of impact is dependent on your intentions. You could hit the ear, the neck, the nose, the temple. They would all be good targets to cause pain, incapacitation, or injury to an opponent. The impact should be the back of the top two knuckles; the knuckles for the index and middle finger.

Step 4:

Exhale and retract your arm to its previous position. Step back to your original position, back stepping with the rear foot and then following up with the front foot in a reversal of the manner in which you advanced.

How to Execute a Fan Through Back Attack in Tai Chi Chuan

Step 1:
Begin facing your opponent within range of each other’s fists. This attack is a defensive counter against a direct punch so have your opponent square up to you as if he were boxing. Prepare for your counter by keeping your hands up in front of you in mimicry of your opponent’s stance. Rather than facing your opponent head on, turn your body slightly to the right so that you will face him at an angle off your left shoulder.

Step 2:
Wait for your opponent to throw a punch. As he does you must quickly pull your arms out to the sides, like a fan snapping open. This is where this technique gets its name. Lash out and forward with your left hand as your opponent begins to punch. Your hand should strike flat against your attacker’s upper right torso, just inside of his outstretched arm. Doing this will push this side of your attacker’s body back to prevent his punch from landing. It should fall short. Simultaneously extend your right arm, cocked at the elbow, back to your right.

Step 3:
Turn to the left to face your opponent directly and step forward past him on his right side. Use the turn and step to build momentum so that when you begin to step past your opponent you drive the flat of your elbow into your attacker’s chest. If done correctly it should carry him backward and out of range of further attack. This technique is very effective at responding to providing a quick response to a very aggressive attacker and allows you to open up enough space for further combat. It robs your attacker of his momentum and his advantage at attacking suddenly or without warning.

How to Do the Side Step Counter in Soo Bahk Do

Soo Bahk Do is a form of martial arts developed by Master Hwang Kee in 1945. He combined fighting styles from his native Korea with Chinese Kung-Fu as well Confucian and Tao philosophies. The principals behind this Soo Bahk Do emphasize the importance of spiritual growth and the use of force only as form of discipline or in the defense of oneself or others. Soo Bahk Do is broken down into a series of forms or postures which provide the artist with a series of possible attacks or defenses to choose from. One simply moves from form to form, reliant on reacting to an opponent’s stance and movement to attack. Though this technique is taught with the stern mindset that it is only be used to protect, it also ascribes to the philosophy that in order to effectively defend oneself or others it is sometimes necessary to take the initiative and actively remove a potential threat. For this reason the majority of the attacks in Soo Bahk Do are made up of powerful long range kicks, accompanied with close quarters locks and holds. Footwork is considered essential as the majority of the defensive moves rely on moving around an opponent's attacks rather than directly blocking them. Should getting around an opponent's strike not be an option, the hands are kept free for this very reason. This guide will provide instructions on how to sidestep before performing a counter attack.

Preparing For A Counter-attack
Step 1:
Begin by facing your opponent in the basic fighter's stance. Right leg forward, left leg back, and hands ready at just below chest height. Your opponent should be mirroring this stance.

Step 2:
To attack, your opponent must take a step forward with his left foot before kicking or punching. When he begins to do this, take a long step with your right leg forward and to your right. Your left leg should not move from its starting point. Because of this you will be putting all your weight on your right leg in what looks like an exercise to loosen the hamstrings.

Step 3:
When you sidestep make sure you are still angled toward your opponent's body. You are now in the perfect position to drive a counterpunch into the side of your opponent's ribs.

Step 4:
Pull your right fist back underarm so your wrist is pointing upward.

Step 5:
Drive your clenched fist in a powerful, close-range underarm punch into your opponent's midsection. If in competition this will win you a point in the match. If you're in an actual combat situation this punch should knock your opponent off to the side.

Tips & Warnings
This move is counter-intuitive when under attack. Our natural reaction is to pull backward, but in order to place yourself in a good position for a counterattack you must move forward in range of your opponent. This move is most effective when used against an opponent who must step inward with their left leg to attack. If you and your opponent are both right side dominant you will both face off your right legs forward. To attack directly your opponent must step forward with his left foot. If you sidestep to your right then you are facing your opponent's side and have the opportunity to strike at any of his vital points.
A full force punch into the side has the capacity to crack or break your opponent's ribs. Be careful not to do this to a friend.

How to Do a Bo Staff Palm Spin

Though the majority of karate, literally meaning "empty fist", is a martial art that does not use weapons, it would be foolish for a combat system devised to overthrow an oppressive occupying army to completely disregard them. It was originally devised by the Okinawan people to fight back against a conquering army from the northern islands of Japan several hundred years ago. One common weapon readily available was the Bo Staff. These staffs are simple lengths of polished wood roughly the height of the combatant and can be deadly in the hands of a practiced user. Current day martial artists will use them for single person demonstrations, showing their prowess with the Bo through sweeping strikes and spinning parries. Though arduous and very complex, the individual movements that make up the Karate Bo Kata are fairly simple and can be performed within a day or two and mastered with a little more dedicated practice. This guide will explain how to perform one of these moves; the palm spin.


Things You’ll Need:
Bo Staff
Practice Space

Performing A Bo Staff Palm Spin
Step 1:
Begin standing upright, knees slightly bent. Grip your Bo at the very middle, hold it out in front of you vertically.

Step 2:
Raise your arm and Bo up and to the side. Your elbow should be pointing out to the side and the Bo should be comfortable over your head. At the same time as you raise the Bo, twist your wrist inward.

Step 3:
When your arm is completely up flatten your hand into a single solid surface like a waiter carrying a tray. The momentum of you twisting your wrist should spin the staff on the flat of your palm. Your thumb should still be separated from your fingers, this way all you have to do to end the spin is raise your thumb to stop the Bo and then grip it comfortably.

Step 4:
Lower the Bo back into the finishing position. The Bo should be held at least a foot out in front of the body, horizontal at chest height. Don't lock the elbow. Ideally in a combat situation you would want to be able to lash out with either end of the Bo or body check an opponent with the Staff's entire length, so make not to hold the Bo too far out.

Tips & Warnings
If you're serious about learning how to use a Bo, you might want to consider purchasing one of your own. They are readily available online and can be tailored in length and thickness to your individual specifications. For practice smaller Bos made from softer wood may be preferable, while for demonstrations chrome Bos are very flashy. If you do no wish to invest in a Bo Staff you can just as easily use a length of bamboo or a wooden dowel. Ideally you would want one perfectly balanced and at least five feet long. In case you're wondering what the use of this move in a combat situation is; it allows you to keep others guessing and at a distance if you were faced with multiple opponents. Also it looks cool.
A Bo is very long and you will need a great deal of room to safely lift and spin one. If you've no dojo or exercise area you can use, take it outside.