[縦拳 ]: vertical fist; given a ton of weight as the defacto fist to use in karate 🥋, by the Isshinryu practitioners. A few violence professionals have indicated it’s good for what it is good for with the caveat that along with it must come really good physiokinetic’s.
But, knew there would be a but, it is merely one tool of many in the karate defense toolbox 🧰.
AND, it has limited applications all dependent on fundamental principles especially when applied under the duress of violence.
It’s greatest value is in teaching principles as they are applied to use of hands, fists and the arm, shoulder girdle and upper torso. In short, a solid teaching tool!
Read more:
https://isshindo.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-12-isshin-ryu-features.html?m=1
https://isshindo.blogspot.com/2020/10/vertical-vs-horizontal-fist-in-karate_17.html?m=1
https://isshindo.blogspot.com/2017/04/the-isshinryu-vertical-fist.html?m=1
https://isshindo.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-vertical-punch-or-strike-or-fist.html?m=1
Now, as a sales gimmick under the guise of twelve unique features of Isshinryu, it has done a wonderful job because it is literally practiced around the globe 🌏.
There comes a time tho when one must let go of the individual techniques and latch on to one’s creative flow to manifest in any given moment a process that accomplishes, “man down, NOW!”
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Tate-ken [縦拳 ]
The two characters are used to symbolize the vertical fist which is a trademark of the Isshinryu system. At least at the time Isshinryu was officially named by its founder Shimabuku Tatsuo Sensei. The first character means, "the vertical; height; vertical (relationship); hierarchy." The second character means, "fist."
The vertical fist, in the fifties and before, was not used by Okinawan karate-ka; who tended to keep the twisting punch as the main punching technique. It was Isshinryu and Tatsuo-san who first realized that in jiyu-kumite students failed to use the twisted punch and naturally used a vertical fist when punching and striking opponents. He decided to incorporate that into his new system of Isshinryu.
After the naming, and over time, others adopted the vertical fist for their systems while many maintained a traditional view involving the twist or corkscrew punch.
Isshinryu Application:
When you make a Isshinryu fist you put the thumb on top of the index finger approximately at the first main knuckle and press down to tighten the fist, wrist, and align the wrist to the forearm bones and muscles. There is a bunkai for the thumb on top of the fist.
I use that thumb and its corresponding knuckles as a striking tool with out releasing my fist from its original Isshinryu tate-ken configuration. You can drive the thumb knuckle area adjacent to the thumb fingernail straight into the carotid artery area or the throat or the eye socket. It can be used laterally or mawashi-tsuke style into the jaw line or the temple. It can be driven into the floating ribs as well.
The striking area from the knuckle closest to the wrist to the actual wrist area is used to hook behind the neck area or trap a strike and deflect it toward the outside.
The knuckle area from the first knuckle to the second (closest to the wrist) can be driven into the vital area's of the arms and legs, the floating ribs, and into the temple area. Lets not forget a strike from the Gedan area up into the groin in a vertical fashion.
Shimabuku Tatsuo Sensei, after many years of practice and teaching, decided that the best punch to use was the vertical punch. One of the reasons, as is known by stories told today, was none of the students used the twisting punch in kumite. There is a bit more to it than that.
Sensei taught the mean of punching. The mean being that middle road that is less likely to result in injury to the practitioner and results in a more economical technique. There are a lot of complicated movements in a punch and this provides for more opportunity of a break down in delivery. If not done properly injury results because of the movement with the strain on tendons and muscles if not done properly.
The vertical punch is considered the neutral position of the fist in relation to the elbow, forearm (the two bones; ulna and radius), wrist (...), and finally the fist. When you think of all that has to happen to reach that focal point in a punch, where the two knuckles impact the target, you begin to understand how things can go wrong.
Stiffening the forearm is essential along with other factors that result in an optimum punch. This is only a small part of the overall picture of punching. In order for the punch to work a practitioner must use the torso, or hara, to transmit force along with using the proper stance anchored to the ground which creates a driving force from the ground, up the legs, into the torso combined with the torque of the torso, into the upper body, to the shoulder, and finally down into the arm where that force is transferred from the end of the fist into the opponent. (note here that rooting is just a moment and moving of one’s mass is critical to power and force)
This simplified explanation of the mechanics of a punch gives one an appreciation for the complexity of movement and the degree of force that is moving through each joint. If not timed properly along with proper form, posture, alignment, and rhythm so all are contributing exactly what is needed to strike properly.
If the hara is not utilized along with anchoring then the force can not be transmitted properly causing a bad punch and a bad punch can result in injury to any 'one' or 'any number' of spots along the power path.
This is why Sensei felt that the optimal punching position was a neutral one vs. the pronation of the wrist in a twisting punch. We all know that we use a variety of punches in karate yet we have this one primary punch, vertical fist/punch, that is chambered in a neutral position from start to finish. This is the main stay of the Isshinryu punching system. Remember that in karate-do we stress all techniques be based on an economy of motion for maximum effect ergo the tate-tsuke (ta'tay skee) in Isshinryu.
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