Tsuki
Encyclopedia
, is the Japanese
word for "thrust", coming from the verb , meaning "to thrust". It sounds the same as the Japanese word for "moon"/"month" .
(along with men, do
, hidari kote and migi kote). It is a thrust of the point of the shinai
to the throat. In combat with a sword, the opponent would then bleed to death from a severed carotid artery
.
Unlike most other martial arts that use this term, in kendo, tsuki is a comprehensive term for both the movement and the target. The kiai
for this strike, unlike other strikes in kendo, is not the name of the target (the neck, or kubi) but rather the name of the attack (tsuki).
The target area (datotso-bui) for tsuki is the tsuki-bu, a multi-layered set of flaps, attached to the men (helmet) that protects the throat.
Tsuki is most often done with a two handed grip and less often with only the left hand. Tsuki is often disallowed for younger and lower graded players in free practice and in competition (shiai).
While variants of tsuki exist in other martial arts, in kendo it has no variants; the target is always the same.
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. (Note that in a compound word, where tsuki does not come first, its pronunciation and writing changes slightly due to rendaku
; this is transliterated as zuki.)
Some examples of use for basic techniques include:
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.
In the aiki-jō
practiced in some systems of aikido
(most notably the Iwama style
aikido of Morihiro Saito
), tsuki is used literally as part of the name of numerous thrusting techniques with the short staff (jō
).
In karate and its variants, gyaku-zuki is the term used for reverse punch. A traditional reverse punch is a straight punch executed from a front stance, with the punching hand on the opposite side to the leading leg (e.g., left leg forward, punch with the right fist). Alternatively, gyaku-zuki can be used as the term for any punch thrown with the hand on the same side as the rear leg. Gyaku-zuki, Shotokan karate's strongest punch, develops power through movement of the hips. The hips twist as the returning (non-punching) hikite arm is pulled back and the punching arm is pushed forward, the fist twisting at point of impact. Tensing of the whole body is synchronised as the punch makes contact and at this time the rear foot is pushed down.
In aikidō
, choku-zuki (as described under karate, above) is a basic attack from which throwing and pinning skills are taught. However, because in most aikidō
schools it is the only punch from which defensive techniques are taught, there is no need to differentiate it from any other punch. Thus, it is shortened and simply called tsuki. However, choku-zuki is still used in aikidō, and refers to a specific technique with the jō
(staff). With the student standing in hidari katate-gamae, the weapon is lifted to the right hand, which slides to the bottom end of the weapon. The student shuffle steps forward (tsugi-ashi) and the right hand pushes the weapon for the strike, allowing it to slide in the left hand, and coming to rest with the left hand gripping the jō one third the distance from the bottom end. More simply, picture striking a billiard ball with a cue stick
, except both hands grip the jō with palms down, and thumbs forward.
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
word for "thrust", coming from the verb , meaning "to thrust". It sounds the same as the Japanese word for "moon"/"month" .
Kendo
Tsuki is one of the five target areas (datotso-bui) in kendoKendo
, meaning "Way of The Sword", is a modern Japanese martial art of sword-fighting based on traditional Japanese swordsmanship, or kenjutsu.Kendo is a physically and mentally challenging activity that combines strong martial arts values with sport-like physical elements.-Practitioners:Practitioners...
(along with men, do
Do (Way)
A Dō is any one of a number of spiritual, martial, or aesthetic disciplines that evolved in Japan and Korea. The term "Dō" is borrowed from the Chinese philosophical concept of Tao , a word meaning 'way', 'path', 'route', or sometimes more loosely, 'doctrine' or 'principle'...
, hidari kote and migi kote). It is a thrust of the point of the shinai
Shinai
is a weapon used for practice and competition in kendo representing a Japanese sword. Shinai are also used in other martial arts, but may be styled differently from kendo shinai, and represented with different characters....
to the throat. In combat with a sword, the opponent would then bleed to death from a severed carotid artery
Carotid artery
Carotid artery can refer to:* Common carotid artery* External carotid artery* Internal carotid artery...
.
Unlike most other martial arts that use this term, in kendo, tsuki is a comprehensive term for both the movement and the target. The kiai
Kiai
is a Japanese term used in martial arts. There are numerous examples of the battle cry in other cultures: kiai is perhaps primarily a development of this. In the representation of Asian martial arts in cinema and in animated cartoons, Modern Kiai are often written by westerners in Romaji as...
for this strike, unlike other strikes in kendo, is not the name of the target (the neck, or kubi) but rather the name of the attack (tsuki).
The target area (datotso-bui) for tsuki is the tsuki-bu, a multi-layered set of flaps, attached to the men (helmet) that protects the throat.
Tsuki is most often done with a two handed grip and less often with only the left hand. Tsuki is often disallowed for younger and lower graded players in free practice and in competition (shiai).
While variants of tsuki exist in other martial arts, in kendo it has no variants; the target is always the same.
Karate, its variants, and other arts
In karateKarate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
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. (Note that in a compound word, where tsuki does not come first, its pronunciation and writing changes slightly due to rendaku
Rendaku
is a phenomenon in Japanese morphophonology that governs the voicing of the initial consonant of the non-initial portion of a compound or prefixed word...
; this is transliterated as zuki.)
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
- Kagi-tsuki (鉤突き), hookHook (boxing)A hook is a punch in boxing. It is performed by turning the core muscles and back, thereby swinging the arm, which is bent at an angle near or at 90 degrees, in a horizontal arc into the opponent...
punch - Mawashi-tsuki (回し突き), roundhouse punch
- Morote-tsuki (双手突き), augmented punch using both hands
- Oi-tsuki (追い突き), punch with the lead arm (when stepping forward - lunge
- Jun-tsuki punch with the lead arm when stationary or moving back/away
- Tate-tsuki (立て突き), vertical fist punch into the middle of the chest (short-range)
- Ura-tsuki (裏突き), upside-down fist punch into solar plexus area (short-range)
- Yama-tsuki (山突き) or Rete-zuki, two-level double punch (combination of ura-zuki and jodanJodan, also known as jōdan-gamae, and frequently shortened simply to jōdan among kendo and ninjutsu Bujinkan practitioners, is a basic kenjutsu posture. Jōdan-no-kamae means upper-level posture .-Kendo:...
oi zuki)
Kumite
SparringSparring
Sparring is a form of training common to many martial arts. Although the precise form varies, it is essentially relatively 'free-form' fighting, with enough rules, customs, or agreements to make injuries unlikely...
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
Full contact karate
Full contact karate is a wide term used to differentiate between competition formats of karate where competitors spar full-contact and allow knockout as winning criterion, and those competitions that use light contact/semi contact point sparring where a knockout is regarded as a foul.The term is...
has several variants. Knockdown karate (such as Kyokushin
Kyokushin
is a style of stand-up, full contact karate, founded in 1964 by Korean-Japanese karate master, who was born under the name Choi Young-Eui . Kyokushinkai is Japanese for "the society of the ultimate truth". Kyokushin is rooted in a philosophy of self-improvement, discipline and hard training...
) uses full power techniques to bring an opponent to the ground. In Kickboxing
Kickboxing
Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....
variants ( for example K-1
K-1
K-1 is a defunct world-wide kickboxing promotion based in Tokyo, Japan founded by Kazuyoshi Ishii, a formerKyokushin karate practitioner. K-1 combines stand up techniques from Muay Thai, Karate, Taekwondo, Savate, San Shou, kickboxing, western-style boxing, and other martial arts...
), 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
World Karate Federation
The World Karate Federation, or WKF, was formed in 1990 from former WUKO members and is the largest international governing body of sport karate with over 130 member countries. It is the only karate organization recognised by the International Olympic Committee and has more than ten million members...
is free or structured with light contact or semi contact and points are awarded by a referee.
Other arts, including throwing
Throw (grappling)
A throw is a martial arts term for a grappling technique that involves off-balancing or lifting an opponent, and tossing them to the ground in Japanese martial arts referred to as nage-waza, 投げ技, "throwing technique"...
and grappling
Grappling
Grappling refers to techniques, maneuvers, and counters applied to an opponent in order to gain a physical advantage, such as improving relative position, escaping, submitting, or injury to the opponent. Grappling is a general term that covers techniques used in many disciplines, styles and martial...
oriented styles such as judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
, jujutsu
Jujutsu
Jujutsu , also known as jujitsu, ju-jitsu, or Japanese jiu-jitsu, is a Japanese martial art and a method of close combat for defeating an armed and armored opponent in which one uses no weapon, or only a short weapon....
, or aikido
Aikido
is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying life energy" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit." Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to...
, also often use this terminology to describe such an attack.
In the aiki-jō
Aiki-jo
Aiki-jō is the name given specifically to the set of martial art techniques practiced with a jō , practiced according to the principles of aikido, taught first by Morihei Ueshiba , then further developed by Morihiro Saito, one of Ueshiba's most prominent students.-Development of aiki-jō:Much of...
practiced in some systems of aikido
Aikido
is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying life energy" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit." Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to...
(most notably the Iwama style
Iwama style
Iwama Style is the style of aikido that was taught at Iwama dojo by the founder of aikido, Morihei Ueshiba, and especially the lineage passed on through Morihiro Saito, a close disciple who was given responsibility over Iwama dojo by Ueshiba....
aikido of Morihiro Saito
Morihiro Saito
Morihiro Saito was a teacher of the Japanese martial art of aikido, with many students around the world. Saito's practice of aikido spanned 56 years, from the age of 18, when he first met aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba, until his death in 2002.-Early life:Morihiro Saito was born in Ibaraki...
), tsuki is used literally as part of the name of numerous thrusting techniques with the short staff (jō
Jo
JO, Jo or jo may refer to:*Jō, a ~4-foot-long wooden staff used in some Japanese martial arts*Cho , , also spelled Jo, a common Korean family name*Jo , a 1971 French comedy...
).
In karate and its variants, gyaku-zuki is the term used for reverse punch. A traditional reverse punch is a straight punch executed from a front stance, with the punching hand on the opposite side to the leading leg (e.g., left leg forward, punch with the right fist). Alternatively, gyaku-zuki can be used as the term for any punch thrown with the hand on the same side as the rear leg. Gyaku-zuki, Shotokan karate's strongest punch, develops power through movement of the hips. The hips twist as the returning (non-punching) hikite arm is pulled back and the punching arm is pushed forward, the fist twisting at point of impact. Tensing of the whole body is synchronised as the punch makes contact and at this time the rear foot is pushed down.
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.In aikidō
Aikido
is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying life energy" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit." Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to...
, choku-zuki (as described under karate, above) is a basic attack from which throwing and pinning skills are taught. However, because in most aikidō
Aikido
is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying life energy" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit." Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to...
schools it is the only punch from which defensive techniques are taught, there is no need to differentiate it from any other punch. Thus, it is shortened and simply called tsuki. However, choku-zuki is still used in aikidō, and refers to a specific technique with the jō
Jo (weapon)
A is an approximately 1.276 m long wooden staff, used in some Japanese martial arts. The martial art of wielding the jō is called jōjutsu or jōdō. Also, aiki-jō is a set of techniques in aikido which uses the jō to illustrate aikido's principles with a weapon. The jō staff is shorter than the bō...
(staff). With the student standing in hidari katate-gamae, the weapon is lifted to the right hand, which slides to the bottom end of the weapon. The student shuffle steps forward (tsugi-ashi) and the right hand pushes the weapon for the strike, allowing it to slide in the left hand, and coming to rest with the left hand gripping the jō one third the distance from the bottom end. More simply, picture striking a billiard ball with a cue stick
Cue stick
A cue stick , is an item of sporting equipment essential to the games of pool, snooker and carom billiards. It is used to strike a ball, usually the...
, except both hands grip the jō with palms down, and thumbs forward.