PHOENIX EYE - Using a pair of pliers to hit a nail Today as I was practicing a bit of bunkai with a friend and student of mine, we got to talking about techniques in Karate that just don’t make sense as traditionally taught. One such technique is the Keiko ken, translated as the Phoenix Eye fist strike (See Figure 1). Now I understand the idea behind using a smaller surface area (one knuckle) to deliver more damage ... In Theory at least. Yet when the fight starts and fists are flying, is there really enough time for you to roll up your index finger and with pin point precision strike your opponent in his neck to hit the desired nerve that makes him you puppet and allows you to make him dance like a monkey? In my opinion there might only be two places where this scenario would be effective. One is in a kung fu movie and the other is in the dojo where the sensei demonstrates against a docile student. There is just no practical way you will effectively use this technique in a classical punching distance no holds barred fight for your life situation. Sure many high ranking sensei’s might argue with me and say that it is a technique used for many years by masters who’s feet i dare not even kiss ... Especially while those feet might actually be traveling at an alarming rate towards my face. To them I say “Osu Sensei “ ... Right, now that they have left the building ... Let me continue my tirade against stupid techniques taught in safe environments. The Keiko Ken in my opinion was not intended to be a strike with one knuckle. I think it was misunderstood and interpreted wrongly as a one knuckle striking tool. For example ... If you needed to hit a nail into a piece of wood, would you really use a pair of pliers? Sure it might work, but it isn’t really using the pliers for the purpose it was designed for. So from this misinterpretation followed many hours of excruciating makiwarra training where this one knuckle was repeatedly bashed until the callous on it made it into a fierce tool for striking soft areas. (I leave you to find the logic in that sentence.) So while it might hurt someone quite badly if you hit him with one knuckle under the right circumstances (standing still with his hands behind his back), it probably won’t win you the fight. So what do I think this technique was actually used for? Well, 2 ideas spring to mind. Figure 2 shows the second variation of supporting the index finger knuckle with the thumb. From this I believe the One Knuckle punch was rather used during grappling situations as either a way of pinching (Fig 3) or alternatively pressing into nerve endings (Fig 4) to cause enough discomfort to create the opportunity to gain the advantage. So while I might be wrong with my arrogant belief that I am right and everyone else is wrong (if you knew me you would spot the tongue in cheek) ... I honestly don’t see myself ever attempting to use this technique from a punching distance. I would much rather use ... wait for it ... a punch, but if the guy was bear hugging the air out of my delicate lungs I would for sure dig my knuckle into his eye, neck, sinus cavity, or temple to make him pull away in pain, or alternatively pinch the tender skin on the inside of his arm or leg, under his armpit, or around his larynx. To me karate techniques should be simple and its tools should be used for the right purposes. Use a hammer for bashing and pliers for pinching. Thank you for reading. May your kiai’s be loud and your punches strong.
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 21:15:10 +0000
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