Uchi Shuto Uchi - Inside Knife-hand Strike

Overview

For some strange reason, we use a mixture of English and Japanese to refer to this strike (inside shuto) and its partner, soto shuto (outside shuto). I suspect that this started out of laziness or uncertainty and has become a convention. Perhaps it's because it sounds weird to use the word "uchi" to mean two different things in a three-word sentence. Anyway, for the record, "uchi" means both "inside" and "strike", whilst "shuto" means "knife [hand]".

It's very easy to confuse the mechanics of this technique and the shuto uke, which is a block. They look virtually identical to the untrained eye, yet they serve completely opposite functions.

Like the soto shuto, target areas for uchi shuto are the temples, the jaw and the neck. It's a great technique to use after an uchi uke, or at any time when an opponent's guard is down.

Technique

This is a really straight-forward technique, and in class I always describe it as a backhand slap with a twist at the end. Start with your left arm extended at shoulder-height. Your hand should be open, slightly cupped, and tensed, with the palm facing downwards. Your other arm should be retracted, with the hand open and you palm facing upwards.

Move your right hand from your side, up to the left side of your head, with your fingertips next to your ear. Ensure that your right elbow is raised horizontally, just in front of your chin. With the back of your right hand facing forwards, swing your right forearm towards your target, keeping your wrist straight, and your hand tensed as you do do so. At the last moment, just before you strike, rotate your wrist 120 degrees so that you strike using the fleshy padded bottom edge of your hand. At the moment of impact, your hand should be tensed, and slightly cupped.

As you attack, retract your other hand back to your side, with your palm up.

Note - a lot of beginners curl or excessively cup their attacking hand and bend their wrists, straightening only at the moment of impact. This results in a flicking action, rather than a proper chop, and greatly weakens the technique.