The Karate Fist

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It would seem that an exorbitant amount of time, thought and effort are being placed on the fist in karate. It is understandable because karate means empty hand and the inference and reference is meant to point to karate as an empty-handed form of protection and defense. There is a problem with this, karate if done right, is about using our bodies when no other form or venue of protection and defense are available to us. The heavy focus on the fist is more a distraction than benefit. 

The fist, without certain concepts, traits and conditions is NOT a very good weapon. It is also used in social violence because in most cases there is no intent to do "grave harm" or "cause death." Using a fist leaves a wide space between a socially driven educational effort and the asocial need to cause damage or death. We humans don't really want to gravely harm or kill others except in rare cases and in those cases it requires a certain psychological conditioning, for soldiers and sailors and airman and Marines, in order for those folks to cause grave harm and death - all required in war.

In truth, thinking in terms of the definition of karate being "empty hand" we can step away from the fist and focus on the empty hand in the opened position for the open hand is far more effective and useful than making a fist. Also, to make a fist and apply it without all the damage that would cause, to your fist, requires a great deal of training and practice along with almost all "luck." Luck because in the adrenal stress-conditions of violence along with all those psychological and physical effects another aspect is that ability to hold the fist in chaotic changing conditions is going to be almost impossible. There is a reason professional boxers tape their hands then put on gloves because it is less about the damage to your opponent and more about damage to your fists. 

In truth, giving the fist its due along with all the other fundamental principles is ok at the novice level but when you are in the zone to learn and apply principled based methodologies that involve the entire body working in unison with structure, alignment, and movement, etc., is when you truly attain a level of skill to apply the body in its entirety toward protection and defense assuming all other methodologies, like avoidance and/or escape-n-evasion, are applied efficiently to get the job done. 

So, as to the question of which is more powerful as to applying our fists? Well, you have to consider the power and force necessary to get the job done and that is about principles applied efficiently and effectively while the body mass is moving because force and power don't some from using the fist but from moving our bodies effectively and efficiently against a moving target, our adversary, to which both of you are attempting to use force and power against one another. In truth, under these conditions the fist is fundamentally a minor part of the whole that is self-protection for self-defense. 

As to that minor application of the fist whether vertical or horizontal or any of those gradients of angle between? It depends on the situation in the moment during the heat of violence because it depends on things like the target, positioning of combatants and a slew of other factors that dictates say, "in this situation the vertical is superior or in this situation the horizontal is superior, etc." 

If only it were that simple!

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