Reference

The Knife Hand
Movie Prop or The Most Versatile of Hand Techniques?

Master C. Terrigno - 6th Dan
Editor - Tang Soo Do World

The following research paper on a Tang Soo Do technique was submitted to my instructor, Grandmaster Andy Ah Po as part of my 6th Dan examination, conducted in Sacramento, California the week of August 4th, 2014.

Show a knife hand to a non-martial artist and the first thing that will spring to mind is the "karate chop." In the 60's, 70's, and 80's it was a standard technique seen in movies such as James Bond, Billy Jack, and The Karate Kid. Frank Sinatra even used it in a movie whose title I can't quite recall. There was certainly a fascination with it, perhaps because it looked exotic, but the question is, was it just a Hollywood prop or was / is it a technique to be reckoned with?

As we all know, the ancient martial arts developed by virtue of a need, that being the protection from threats in the natural world and also those from human aggressors. Since early man was a keen observer of the world around him, the "design" of many techniques and movements used in various systems were thus inspired by the natural weapons that animals were endowed with as well as the weapons (and tools) manufactured by man. Whether it be a hand, foot, knee or elbow, the various martial arts have a plentiful array of techniques at their disposal to use in both an offensive and defensive manner.

Consequently, as a composite martial art Tang Soo Do benefits greatly not only from the formidable kicking techniques for which the Korean arts are known, but also for the extensive hand techniques influenced by the Japanese and Chinese arts. As outlined in Grandmaster Hwang Kee's text on Tang Soo Do, there are sixteen distinct hand techniques in the Tang Soo Do arsenal. Like tools, some are very specialized having only a few uses while many are adaptable to a wider range of combat applications. It is my opinion that the one technique that stands out as the "multi-tool" in Tang Soo Do's toolbox is the Soo Do, or knife hand, and which is the focus of this paper. As such, I believe it is not only the most versatile hand technique, as I will attempt to show in the succeeding pages, but one that may very well be underutilized.

In conducting my research for this writing, I naturally wanted to provide some reliable historical reference to the Soo Do's emergence as a martial art technique, but unfortunately, unlike the many Hyung or Kata for which there are written records, there was none to be found in terms of time, place and impetus for the knife hand's creation. If we look only to its name, it would seem obvious that it was created to mimic the knife, especially if we take into account the reverse knife hand, which would then lend itself to a two-sided blade. However, my  feeling early on was that it originated in Japan / Okinawa where many arts developed, and if we consider Japan's long history and deep cultural connection with the sword, a strong case can be made for the Soo Do actually being the equivalent of the sword instead. Of course, if that were so, the logical next question would be, why isn't it called a sword hand? As it turns out, I subsequently found a few references to that very term in "Karate-Do, My Way of Life" by Gichin Funakoshi. In it he recounted a story told by a Master Matsumura of a defense he used against a challenger, wherein he stated, "I at once stopped his double kick with my 'sword hand'..." Elsewhere in the book he quotes Master Azato, one of his two original instructors as saying "When you practice karate, think of your hands and legs as swords." But the most compelling evidence was found in the final chapter of his book where he lists the many different types (shapes) of weapons that the hand can make, and there he translates "Shuto" (Soo Do) as "sword hand".

I realize that making a good case for the knife hand being a superior technique with the most versatility cannot rest on opinion alone. Therefore for the purpose of this paper I thought it necessary to compare and contrast the 16 hand techniques described in the late Grandmaster Hwang Kee's book. While not meant to be an exhaustive analysis of each technique, I have come up with a number of characteristics that I felt would be instrumental in highlighting each technique's strengths as they would relate to combat applications. They are as follows:

●   Its use as an offensive and / or defensive weapon - Attack and / or block
●   The type of targets it can be used against - Hard and / or soft
●   The number of specific targets (vital areas) it can be used against
●   The technique's line of movement - Straight and / or circular
●   The target's (opponent's) position relative to the defender - Front, side, or rear (and can the technique be delivered without having to
     turn to face your opponent?)
●   Force generated - High, moderate or low (also considering the breaking of materials such as wood, blocks or bricks)

Using these characteristics as determinants, each is shown in the first chart below for each of the sixteen hand techniques. The letters refer to the explanatory notes that follow it. The second chart refers to the vital points they can be used against, identified by the numbers related to that target, and are included in the chart only if they are "practical" for that hand technique. Although there are other target areas, such as the bridge of the nose, the kidneys, the armpit and the back of the neck, those shown are the most commonly used in day-to-day Tang Soo Do training. For simplicity, I am also limiting points shown to the upper body, even though there are some lower body targets that can be blocked or attacked with certain hand movements.

Note: Although the outer wrist, inner wrist, upper wrist and elbow are not technically "hand" techniques, they are included here since Grandmaster Hwang Kee included them in the hand technique section of his book.

	Hand Technique	Targets (See Graphic)
	Knife Hand (Soo Do)	All
	Fore Fist (Front Punch) (Jung Kwon)	1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 15
	Back Fist (Cap Kwon)	1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 14
	Reverse Knife Hand (Yuk Soo Do)	All
	Palm Heel (Jang Kwon)	2, 4, 6, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14
	Hammer Fist (Kwon Do)	1, 4, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 14
	Elbow (Pal Koop)	1, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10
	One Finger Fist (Il Ji Kwon)	1, 2, 3, 8, 9
	Fore Knuckle Hand (Ban Jul Kwan Soo)	1, 2, 3, 8, 9
	Upper Wrist (Son Mok Deung)	1, 3, 8, 9, 10, 14
	Outer Wrist (Pal Mok)	1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12
	Plier Hand (Jip Kye Son)	8, 12, 13
	Spear Hand (Kwan Soo)	8, 9, 14
	One Finger Spear (Il Ji Kwon Soo)	2
	Two Finger Spear (E Ji Kwon Soo)	2
	Soft Fist (Yoo Kwon)	1, 2, 4, 6

In looking at both charts it is apparent that the first six techniques each have many strengths and can be used in numerous ways on a variety of targets. However, the edge (no pun intended) goes to the Soo Do because, apart from being both a blocking and striking technique, it is able to effectively hit all targets shown, it can be delivered in straight, circular and spinning motions, and can be utilized against an opponent to the front, side, and to the rear without having to turn towards them to do so.

In the power category, there is no doubt the knife hand is capable of delivering substantial force, and is commonly used in breaking demonstrations, the most legendary being Kyokushin's founder, Mas Oyama, breaking off a bull's horn with it. The knife hand owes much of its effectiveness to its narrower striking surface, thereby focusing all of its power to a smaller area, unlike a hammer fist or fore fist which would tend to distribute some of the power over a larger area and possibly dissipate its energy. For this reason, I have in the past used it in a number of demonstrations including breaking a baseball bat and driving a 3" nail flush through two boards. And although the various parts of the hand need to be properly conditioned for fighting or breaking, certain hand techniques such as the fore fist and back fist lend themselves to greater injury against a hard target since the bones of the striking surfaces are less protected. The Soo Do on the other hand, has a built-in cushion, offering greater protection even if not very well conditioned.

Another positive aspect of the knife hand in a combat setting is the fact that because of the number of targets and varied angles which it is able to attack, there are more opportunities to transition from one strike into another without having to re-form the hand for a different technique. This is true even when the initial move is a block. In addition, because the knife hand is already open, moving from a block to a grab is also greatly facilitated. To show my students how you could effectively use only the knife hand in an encounter, I devised two drills, each with four knife hand techniques and consisting of an initial double knife hand block and grab, followed by two strikes, another grab and a finishing strike. The difference between the two drills was the initial block - one began with a block to the outside of the punching arm and the other to the inside. The targets were all the same in both drills and the only other technique used was a knee attack to the solar plexus to get into position for the final strike.

What was noteworthy about these exercises (from my students point of view) was that they felt very comfortable with the techniques and therefore the drills flowed easily for them. This was an important observation on their part since it confirmed that the movements were coming from a natural rather than tensed state, and energy was moving more freely due to the hands being open. As I explained to them, although we practice one-steps and sparring with hands initially closed, moving from a relaxed state where the hands are normally open affords a greater opportunity to be less tense at the outset. Furthermore, with hands open at your side or even with arms crossed (not inter-locked), it presents a non-threatening and non-telegraphing posture but from which they can still initiate explosive movement and power. As an example, try this experiment: With your right arm relaxed at your side, hold the bicep of that arm with your left hand. Now tense the right hand to make a knife hand. While your right forearm will tense, the tension does not radiate up past your elbow to any large degree. Now do the same, this time making a tight fist. What you will notice is that the tension now goes well up into the bicep and even into the shoulder. The conclusion should be obvious when considering how this tension would affect speed of movement.

Given all the strengths outlined, why then is the knife hand technique not utilized to a greater degree? One reason could be that in the area of sparring, both in competition and in a class setting, hand protectors are generally used and open hand techniques are typically not allowed. Students then become conditioned to predominately using closed fist techniques. Secondly, aside from its more common use as a block, it may be that many schools simply do not incorporate the Soo Do into their one-step and fighting combinations to a large degree.
Whatever the case, the knife hand is worthy of greater attention and experimentation in practice to really understand its versatility and effectiveness.

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