Shuto uke in kokutsu dachi or knife hand block in back stance, is probably one of the most awkward karate techniques, in shotokan karate. Many shotokan karate dojo do not practice this technique until the karateka has been attending karate lessons for several months. Even if you are still attending karate lessons for beginners, the sooner you understand the basic fundamentals of this karate move, the faster you will progress.
In this article we will cover the arm movements associated with shuto uke.
The blocking arm positions for the three shotokan karate basic mid level blocks (soto uke, uchi uke, shuto uke), are almost the identical.
1. The blocking arms elbow is approximately a fist, to a fist and a half distance from the body.
2. There should be a 90 degree bend at the blocking arms elbow.
3. The finger tips of the blocking hand are approximately shoulder height, shoulders down and relaxed.
4. The blocking hand should be at a slight angle, so do not have the palm facing completely down, or the edge of the hand (shuto), facing down. The shuto is somewhere in between. A good gauge is having the back of the bent thumb, on the blocking shuto, facing directly at you, at completion of the block.
5. The hikite (pulling arm), is placed on the stomach, so that the edge of the hand is on the belly button, finger tips approximately level with the forward side of the body. Fingers and wrist straight, whilst keeping the thumb bent and tight. Feel like you are pulling the tip of the thumb, to the the base of the thumb, on the inside of the hand. The whole length of the hikite arm, from elbo to finger tips, should be parallel with the floor.
So now we have the arm positions for shuto uke. Keep practicing the finished arm positions for shuto uke. Feel the muscles working when you kime or tighten the muscles. Practice this on both sides.
In part two of shuto uke, we will cover stepping forward knife hand block in back stance. Always take things slowly at first, especially if you are trying to learn karate at home. Understand every little detail and try and get your karate sensei to check it out, before you speed up.
