The hammer fist is a strike delivered using the side part of your fist or arm where there is an accumulation of more muscles and less accessible bones. In karate, the hammer fist is referred to as tetsui uke. It is a useful move because it is easy to deliver and has a massive impact.
The hammer fist is also a highly versatile striking method, allowing for an unusually great variety of striking angles and trajectories to be followed. Strikes can be employed downwards, sideways, diagonally, and backwards from the perspective of the striker with relative ease and efficacy.
How to Perform the Hammer Fist
To perform a basic hammerfist strike, start with your feet shoulder-width apart, and your arms relaxed at your sides. Make a fist with your dominant hand, but keep your wrist slightly bent. As you strike, rotate your hips and shoulders, and bring your arm down in a sweeping motion.
The outside hammerfist strike is a brutal, closed-fist variation used in martial arts. Downward hammerfist strikes are used to deliver crushing blows, typically when escaping from a grab from behind. To throw a rear hammerfist strike, pull your arm back sharply, then straighten the arm out and down in a snapping motion. The forearm should not swing freely while the elbow remains fixed.
Legality and Variations
Is it illegal to have a hammer fist?
Such a strike called Hammer Fist Downward Strike, can obliterate an opponent’s nose. The hammer fist can also be used horizontally like a backfist strike using the bottom fist.