Haito-uchi 背刀打ち
Ridge-hand strike
The technique, and its job.
A strike with the thumb edge of the open hand, swung in a wide arc from outside to inside. It reaches around a guard to targets a straight technique cannot find.
Application. Reaching around a guard to the neck or temple, usually as a counter or the second technique of a combination.
Mechanics
What each part of the body does, in the order it does it.
- Starting position
- Arm extended out to the side, hand open, thumb bent and tucked underneath.
- Hips
- Rotate strongly; the arc is long and needs driving.
- Trajectory
- A wide horizontal arc from outside to inside.
- Target
- Side of the neck, temple, ribs.
- Contact surface
- The thumb-side edge of the hand, with the thumb folded under and out of the way.
- Kime
- At impact, the hand tightening only then.
What survives when the name is forgotten.
- The wide arc is the point — it curves around the guard.
- The thumb must be tucked. An extended thumb takes the impact and breaks.
Common errors, and how to fix them.
Naming a fault teaches nobody. Each one below carries why it happens and what corrects it.
Why it happens. Not attending to the hand shape.
The fix. Fold the thumb tightly under the palm and check it every repetition.
Why it happens. It is a long path and the preparation is visible.
The fix. Use it as a counter or behind a feint, not as a lead attack.
Drills
- Pad work with the pad held at the side of the head, so the arc must genuinely travel around.
Where it appears.
Kihon is the vocabulary, kata is the literature, kumite is the conversation. Every link below was written down deliberately; none of it was inferred from a name matching.
- Heian Godan Peaceful mind, fifth level
- Unsu Cloud hands
- Gankaku Crane on a rock
- Combination attack Combination technique
- Shuto-uchi Knife-hand strike
- Uraken-uchi Back-fist strike
- Tetsui-uchi Hammer-fist strike
- Empi-uchi Elbow strike
- Teisho-uchi Palm-heel strike
The Japanese, explained.
- Haito-uchi 背刀打ち
- Ridge-hand strike. A strike with the thumb edge of the open hand, swung in a wide arc that curves around a guard.
- Haito 背刀
- Ridge hand. The thumb-side edge of the open hand, with the thumb folded underneath and out of the way.
Video
No recording in the register is tagged to Haito-uchi. MMAKF has not filmed this technique, and the discovery pass did not find an external recording specific enough to attribute to it without guessing.
Nothing is shown here rather than a search link dressed up as a demonstration. What has been found, checked and registered is listed in full on the source register.
The video source register →