Uraken, the backfist

Uraken is the name of the backfist strike. The illustration shows the impact area of the fist when Uraken is delivered, the proximal side of the first knuckles of the index and middle fingers.

Seiuchin Kata and Naihanchi Kata both include this strike. Here the fist is chambered at the side of tori's head with the elbow pointing toward the target/uki. The wrist is cocked and firm, ready for impact (uki may be moving so you want the weapon to be prepared at all point along its trajectory). The trajectory is straight forward toward the bridge of uki's nose. The return is scraping downward and back to tori, palm remains horizontal throughout.

Memory Tool?

Now that it is time to continue my training (physical body has recovered 80%) I am going to focus Qigong/Yiquan and the study of history next. To that end, I will study after lunch and then take a nap. Scientific evidence follows, experience will tell. :)

To Learn Better, Sleep On It, a Scientific American podcast, notes follow.

Naps help move new info from short-term memory storage in the hippocampus to long-term storage in the cortex.

...two groups of adults who went through rigorous memory exercises. Then one group took a 90-minute snooze. In follow up tests, the nappers performed even better than their first tries. The nonnappers got worse.

Fighting Tips

The best fighters give a little more then they receive.

• Surprise is speed
• Speed is power
• Thinking is slow
• Slow is weak

Serpent strike is done as an escape from a bear hug, forearm trapped against the attackers chest palm under their chin. Snap the wrist after the strike.

From Mask Market, chapter 15, by Andrew Vachss.