Fist vs. Empty Hands

Symbolically speaking, in karate, regardless of its meaning, empty hand, almost all use the fist to represent it. When China Hand was changed to Empty Hand, no one truly knows whether it’s symbol would be either a fist or empty hand.

I believe wholeheartedly that the use of empty hand was meant to symbolize the use of the natural weapons of our bodies because at the civil level there would be no weapons other then our empty hands. To mean any and all strategies, tactics and techniques we could apply because no weapons, to enhance ourselves in violence, are or would be available.

I know when Americans began taking karate that our view of physical prowess being tied heavily to the fist and fighting and boxing would naturally gravitate to karate. There are, after all, basic concepts that cover boxing and karate. This also led to boxing with kicking in the early years for full contact competition. In those years you rarely perceived actual karate applications applied.

In my mind, symbolically speaking, karate being defined, generally speaking, as “empty hands” it should have empty hands as all or part of its symbol.  

(Karate [空手]: Empty Hand])

One other concept conveyed by even the karate masters of old, the open hands are able to do more damage to an attacker then a closed fist. Add in that a closed fist is very vulnerable to injury and a focus on it, in general, leads to hindering the mind to limited applicable actions for safety, security and defenses. To be effective, the hand must strike, grasp, twist or tear, etc., if clenched, it limits one’s tools to a mere, injury prone, fist. 

Like many things, resorting to empty hands must be a last resort so using the empty open hand along with elbows, knees and feet, etc., expands the useful tools in your self-defense tool box.

Another thought, a fist is preferred because, for most, it represents power and powerful while open hands tend to represent submission … this is something to mull over when next you … enter the dojo 😇.