Open Hand Strike

A downward or diagonal striking motion using the edge of the hand, similar to a knife hand but delivered with a heavier, more committed chopping trajectory.

The Fundamental Open Hand Strike family covers striking techniques delivered with an open hand rather than a closed fist — including palm strikes, knife-hand strikes (shuto/chop), ridge-hand strikes, and hammer-edge strikes that appear across karate, kung fu, Krav Maga, and other martial arts. [1] Open-hand strikes offer several advantages over closed-fist punches: they significantly reduce the risk of hand injuries (broken metacarpals, boxer's fractures), they can effectively target soft tissue areas (throat, eyes, ears), and the palm heel provides a broad, hard striking surface backed by the wrist and forearm bones. [1,2] In self-defence systems like Krav Maga, palm strikes are preferred over punches because they are effective without wrapping or gloves and can be delivered by untrained individuals with less risk of self-injury. [2,3] The knife-hand strike (shuto uchi/karate chop) became one of the most iconic martial arts techniques in popular culture. [3]

A strike delivered with the bottom of the closed fist (the ulnar side), swinging the fist in a downward or horizontal arc like a hammer.

A strike delivered with the edge of the open hand, using the area between the base of the little finger and the wrist to chop into the target.

The Krav Maga Strike family covers striking techniques from the Israeli self-defence system designed specifically for real-world combat situations — emphasising maximum damage through gross motor movements that work under extreme stress with zero sporting restrictions. [1] Krav Maga strikes prioritise palm-heel strikes, hammer fists, eye gouges, throat strikes, groin kicks, and other techniques that target the body's most vulnerable areas — techniques that are illegal in every combat sport but essential for self-defence. [1,2] The system was developed by Imi Lichtenfeld for the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) and is designed to work for soldiers and civilians without extensive martial arts training, using natural body movements that function under the adrenaline dump and fine-motor-skill degradation of a real attack. [2,3] Krav Maga striking philosophy is fundamentally different from sport striking: the goal is to neutralise the threat as quickly as possible through aggressive, pre-emptive attacks to vulnerable targets. [3]

The Kung Fu Strike family within the Open Hand Strike group covers open-handed striking techniques from Chinese martial arts systems — the most diverse collection of open-hand formations and striking methods in any martial arts tradition. [1] Chinese martial arts developed an extraordinarily varied array of open-hand formations, each designed for specific targets and applications: tiger claw (hu zhua, raking and gripping), crane beak (he zui, pecking strikes to pressure points), iron palm (tie zhang, devastating palm strikes developed through years of conditioning), and the famous dim mak ('death touch') pressure-point strikes. [1,2] These techniques reflect the Chinese martial arts philosophy of specialised weapons for specialised targets — rather than a single fist for all situations, Chinese martial artists trained multiple hand formations for maximum effectiveness against different anatomical targets. [2,3] While many traditional claims about these techniques remain scientifically unverified, the underlying principle of targeting vulnerable anatomical points with appropriate striking surfaces is biomechanically sound. [3]

Strikes delivered with an open hand, grouping the traditional striking surfaces of Okinawan and Japanese karate — the spear hand (nukite), palm heel (shotei / teisho), bent wrist (kakuto), arc hand (koken / keito), bear hand (kumade), and eagle hand (washide). [1] Each surface concentrates impact on a different rigid structure of the open hand, allowing the practitioner to reach soft-tissue targets a closed fist cannot strike effectively — the throat, eyes, and small pressure points — while reducing the metacarpal fracture risk associated with closed-fist striking. [1,2]

A strike delivered with the heel or base of the open palm, driving the hand forward in a thrusting motion to impact the face, chin, or body without risking hand fractures.

A strike delivered with the inner edge of the hand (thumb side), swinging the hand inward in a horizontal arc to target the temple, jaw, or neck.

A thrusting strike using the extended fingertips held rigidly together, targeting soft tissue areas such as the throat, eyes, or solar plexus.