Tsuki

Tsuki (突き?), is the Japanese word for "thrust", coming from the verb tsuku (突く?), meaning "to thrust". It sounds the same as the Japanese word for "moon"/"month" tsuki (月?).

[edit]Karate

In karate and its variants, tsuki is used generally as a part of a compound word for any one of various punches, and virtually never stands alone to describe a discrete technique.

Some examples of use for basic techniques include:

Age tsuki (上げ突き), rising punch

Choku tsuki (直突き), straight punch

Gyaku tsuki (逆突き), punch with the rear arm

[edit]Kumite

Sparring in Karate is called kumite (組手:くみて). It literally means "meeting of hands." Kumite is practiced both as a sport and as self-defense training where punching and other techniques are develop and executed.

Levels of physical contact during sparring vary considerably. Full contact karate has several variants. Knockdown karate (such as Kyokushin) uses full power techniques to bring an opponent to the ground. In Kickboxing variants ( for example K-1), the preferred win is by knockout. Sparring in armour (bogu kumite) allows full power techniques with some safety. Sport kumite in many international competition under the World Karate Federation is free or structured with light contact or semi contact and points are awarded by a referee.

Other arts, including throwing and grappling oriented styles such as judo, jujutsu or aikido, also often use this terminology to describe such an attack.

[edit]Choku zuki

In karate and its variants, choku zuki is the term used for "straight punch". The chamber, or preparatory position, of choku-zuki is with the striking hand retracted to the hip or ribs, in a fist, with the palm facing up. The punch travels in a linear path directly toward the target, with the elbow behind the fist, tracing the fist's path. The hand remains palm up until the last two inches of the punch, when it rotates to face down. Ideally, the beginning of the fist's rotation coincides with the initial contact with the target. The elbow remains on the bottom of the arm. Permitting it to rotate to the side or upward exposes it to injury from either self-inflicted hyperextension, or from a stiff block by the opponent. Contact is made with knuckles of the fore-fist. A straight punch executed from a front stance (zenkutsu dachi) is called gyaku zuki (reverse punch) if the advanced leg and fist are on opposite sides, or oi-zuki (lunge punch) if the leg and fist are on the same side.

[edit]Notes and references

1.^ Japanese-English Dictionary of Kendo, All Japan Kendo Federation, Tokyo, Japan. February 1, 2000.