Karate Essence ‘Reality Check’ Kagi-Zuki/Hook-Punch
- TD McKinnon
- Mar 26
- 12 min read
Karate Essence
‘Reality Check’
by T.D. McKinnon Shihan
Editing by Zoё Lake
Kagi-Zuki/Hook-Punch
This month’s, March ‘Reality Check’, technique is the Hook-Punch/Kagi-Zuki.
When I began researching this month’s ‘Reality Check’, I was already aware that different arts’ – implementing different emphases (some slight, some considerable) on the action itself – produced, technically, a different Hook-Punch. In other words, as per usual in the ‘Reality Check’, each art or style has its own unique variation on a theme.
Table of Contents
A Self-Defence or a Fighting Technique?
The Shaolin Hook-Punch/Qian-Bai
The Shito Ryu Kagi-Zuki/Hook-Punch
American Kenpo Hook-Punch
The Muay Thai Hook-Punch
Boxing Hook-Punch
Jeet Kune Do Hook-Punch/O'ou Chuie
Wing Chun Hooking-Punch/Au-Chong-Kuen
Shotokan Kagi-Zuki
Torakan Eye View
Conclusion
A Self-Defence or Fighting Technique?
It is common sense that the original purpose of Kata was for a martial arts student to be able to repetitiously practice their self-defence techniques without the need of a training partner; a bit like Boxers shadow boxing. The Hook-Punch or Kagi-Zuki is found in many Kata in almost every martial arts style. That being said, this technique is definitely a useful self-defence tool, extremely valuable at close quarters and medium range.
In Kata, the Hook-Punch is generally a midsection/chudan blow. What is not so obvious, until you understand the Bunkai, is that the targeted areas are highly sensitive zones: the solar plexus or xiphoid process, heart, floating ribs, liver, kidneys, and the spine.
There are of course Hook-Punches to the head, and these can mainly be found in the arts that have a full contact sport combat component, where heavily padded gloves are worn. Heavy padding or not, a Hook-Punch to the head has a high degree of knockout potential. Although the Hook-Punch or Kagi-Zuki is used in some martial combat sport, it is a more than useful self-defence weapon.
Shaolin Hook-Punch/Qian-Bai
The Qian-Bai or Hook-Punch, in Shaolin Kung Fu, utilises a circular range of motion to strike at right angles to your front, and can be executed by either the lead or rear hand. Directed at the temple, jaw or throat, properly executed, it is widely regarded as, potentially, a knockout punch!
Performing the Qian-Bai correctly requires considerable practice. The misconception is that this technique requires a great deal of upper body strength to perform it well. However, any Shaolin Kung Fu Sifu will tell you, as in most martial arts styles, it is essentially the correct technique that delivers an effective strike. An effective Shaolin Qian-Bai or Hook-Punch is essentially a full body movement that utilises a large portion of the body’s muscle groups, and is definitely a useful self-defence weapon.
Kobudō Federation Shito Ryu Kagi-Zuki/Hook-Punch
In Shito Ryu Karate, the Kagi-Zuki looks very much like the Shito Ryu Furi-Zuki (Circular/swinging, roundhouse, punch). The difference is in the proximity of the target. Kagi-Zuki, with approximately a 90˚ bend at the elbow, is for a very close target; Furi Zuki, with approximately a 120˚ bend at the elbow, is for striking an adversary who is a little further away. The techniques are almost identical apart from the distancing.
Interestingly, in most cases, Kagi-Zuki is the technique used in Kata, and not Furi-Zuki, for the obvious reason that most real Kata Bunkai is for self-defence, and self-defence is mostly at very close range. Most Shito Ryu stylists fight their competition Karate as a non-contact sport, both within their organisations and in inter style tournaments with the World Karate Federation (WKF), where Hook-punches (considered dangerous) of any description are not allowed. However, they are practiced extensively in their wide range of Kata; and in their self-defence training the Kagi-Zuki/Hook Punch is a prominent feature.
American Kenpo Karate Hook-Punch
The Kenpo Hook-Punch is described as a short range punch in a ‘fight’ situation; used while closer to your opponent than when delivering the other four types of punches (Straight Left-Jab, Straight Right-Cross, Back-Fist, and Hammer-Fist). The Hook-Punch is designed to go around the guard and catch the attacker from the side, hitting with the front of the fist.
Beginning from the guard position, instead of going straight to the target, draw a circle with your fist, around your opponent’s guard to the target, bending the arm at the elbow during the trajectory of the punch. Keep the elbow, forearm and fist in a straight line all the way from the starting position to the target.
This technique is definitely regarded as a fighting technique and, because Kenpo is a ‘no nonsense’, practical art it is reflected in their basic technique training and in their Kata. The American Kenpo Hook-Punch is a close to midrange punch that appears in all of the above.
As far as self-defence is concerned, there are Hook-Punches in their Kata and so that would assume a self-defence stance; however, their conflict attitude seems to be ‘that of fighting your way out of an adverse situation’, rather than ‘dealing with an attacker, or attackers’, in the quickest way possible.
If you are new to my Blog, that last paragraph might seem a little counterintuitive; however, I have explained before that, I believe there is a difference between fighting and self-defence. This of course does not disavow the Kenpo Hook-Punch from being useful as part of their self-defence.
Muay Thai Hook-Punch
For a leading hand Hook-Punch to the head, pivot on the ball of the leading foot, creating power by rotating the hips; and the hand, elbow and shoulder should attempt to be on the same level, parallel with the floor, as the fist connects with the target. At the same time, the opposite shoulder is shrugged, and the opposite hand is raised to cover and protect the head, with the chin tucked below the shoulder and hand.
With the rear Hook-Punch, you pivot on the ball of the rear foot, while rotating the hips to create power. Following the same format as the lead Hook-Punch, with the hand, elbow and shoulder of the striking hand; the opposite hand follows the same format as does the protecting shoulder and hand on the opposite side.
Remembering that, for the most part, Muay Thai is a combat sport and its version of the Hook-Punch is definitely a fighting technique. In Muay Thai and Boxing you are fighting with heavily gloved hands, against heavily gloved hands; however, there are subtle differences between the two. In Muay Thai, the Hook-Punch is primarily a midrange technique, because the really close-range stuff is the responsibility of the ‘clinch’ and the devastatingly deceptive Muay Thai ‘Elbow strikes’.
However, none of the above negates the Muay Thai Hook Punch as a self-defence weapon.
The Boxing Hook-Punch
When perfectly delivered, the Hooks – both leading and rear hand strikes – are two of the most efficient knockout punches in boxing. That being said, they can be the most difficult punches to perfectly deliver.
There is no shortcut to perfection, and as the old proverb says: ‘Practice makes perfect’. Although, a more correct maxim would be: ‘Repetitious, proper, practice makes perfect’. That proper practice would take into consideration the whole execution: stance, balance and pivots through foot, hip and upper body, and culminating in accurate targeting. Repetition of the execution can help you avoid common mistakes and build the foundation necessary for:
1/ Perfect lead and rear hooks, time and again.
3/ This is One of the most famous left hooks of all time.
Although obviously designed for the gentlemanly art of Boxing, and therefore a fighting technique, the Boxing Hook-Punches definitely work as a self-defence weapon.
Jeet Kune Do Hook-Punch/O'ou Chuie
We all know of course that Jeet Kune Do is Bruce Lee’s legacy? Bruce Lee’s first martial art was Wing Chun, which he learnt at the legendary Ip Man Wing Chun School. We know also that Bruce Lee trained in many styles of martial art, and from the best practitioners available in those arts.
There are no Kata in Jeet Kune Do. Characterising itself as a fighting style without forms; JKD relies on a philosophy espousing simplicity and mental attentiveness. Being a ‘fighting style’ without forms, I would venture that JKD is not really, purely, a ‘self-defence’. However, the JKD Hook-Punch can definitely be a self-defence weapon.
Western Boxing was one of the fighting arts that Bruce Lee studied seriously, with the iconic Muhammad Ali as his inspiration. It is also quite clear that the JKD Hook-Punch has Western Boxing as its influence.
Wing Chun Hooking-Punch/Au-Chong-Kuen
Here we have, from Bruce Lee’s original martial art, a Hook-Punch. The ‘Wing Chun Hook-Punch’ looks to me more like the Kagi-Zuki, the traditional Karate version of the Hook-Punch.
This was hardly surprising to me; I was aware of the Wing Chun Taolu (Kata) called Biu Jee, and how much that form looks very much like the Tekki Shodan Kata. In the Biu Jee Form there is a Hooking-Punch/Au-Chong-Kuen that definitely looks like Kagi-Zuki, the Wing Chun Hooking-Punch/Au-Chong-Kuen, and which definitely falls under the ‘self-defence’ label.
Shotokan Kagi-Zuki/Hook-Punch
In Shotokan Karate, Kagi-Zuki appears regularly within Shotokan Kata; and as I have stated many times throughout my articles… Kata, in its essence, is self-defence. Not the Kata you see performed in tournaments; or what I really should say is, ‘not the way you see it performed in tournaments!’
Real self-defence is, more often than not, conducted at short to very short range, and Kagi-Zuki is a way of driving a lot of power into a punch when you don’t have a great deal of time or manoeuvring space.
The Shotokan Kagi-Zuki is very similar to the Shito-Ryu Kagi-Zuki, and it is practiced along similar lines. Also, like Shito-Ryu, Shotokan has a similar technique for a slightly longer range punch, which they call Mawashi-Zuki.
Shotokan’s competition Kumite is also not full contact and the Kagi-Zuki or Hook-Punch is not in evidence in their Kumite for a number of reasons. Certainly, the fact that in Kumite, where two opposing karateka maintain a distance that is far outside the range of a Hook-Punch, the point is moot.
1. The Shotokan Kagi-Zuki is definitely a self-defence technique:
Torakan Eye View
I first learned the Hook-Punch as a boxer. Beginning at just five years of age, boxing was my first fighting art. I trained in boxing, off and on, for about fifteen years. Most boxers deliver the Hook-Punch, at least with their leading hand. That’s why, when fighting an orthodox fighter (left hand lead), your right glove always covers the right side of your jaw. One Left-Hook can change the direction of a fight.
Because of a boxer’s constant movement and the fact that, by the time the hand starts moving, the driving mechanism of the punch (torque from the floor, through the hips) is well and truly at full throttle, the left Hook-Punch especially is hard to see coming. A good boxer can hook with either hand, of course, but the leading hand’s starting position is always so much closer to its target and the hand itself doesn’t have to travel far.
The next art that I learned to execute this kind of strike was as a Shotokan karateka and, to be perfectly honest, I didn’t realise that I was doing a Hook-Punch until I understood the Bunkai. The technique was called a Kagi Zuki and it was performed during the practice of Kata. The Bunkai in Kata is the real explanation of what the techniques in your Kata are supposed to be doing in a ‘self-defence’ situation.
The third art in which I learned to execute a Hook-Punch was Muay Thai. For very practical reasons, each art has its own version of the Hook-Punch. The similarities of the boxing and the Muay Thai Hook-Punch are quite clear, as are the deviations, and for perfectly logical reasons.
In an adverse situation, where you are forced to defend yourself; if you are fully conversant with all the versions of the Hook-Punch, and of course have trained enough in those versions, you won’t have to worry about or even think about which version to use. Your Mushin, in that instant, will produce the most appropriate action. At the Torakan Dojo, particularly, it’s most of all about self-defence.
The following video clips demonstrate a rear hand Kagi-Zuki while simultaneously blocking a punch to the face (Sen No Sen). In four of the five clips, this is followed by a lead hand (left in this case) Hook-Punch; while in number 2 it’s Mawashi-Empi. In number 5 it is finished with Ashi-Barai, Fumikomi.
Conclusion
In conclusion – in my technical experience (more than 60 years of constant training in the martial arts, 70 years since my first lesson), and in my practical experience (30 years in high-risk security); also, through my diligent research – I can state confidently and categorically that the Hook-Punch is an extremely useful ‘self-defence’ tool.
I’d like to add that any martial artist who does not have the Hook-Punch or Kagi-Zuki in their tool bag is sadly disappointing their Mushin and leaving themselves short of an ideal ‘self-defence’ weapon.
I do know some traditional Karateka who – stating the old argument that a Hook-Punch to the head is mainly to get around the obstacle of a couple of gloved hands – do not properly appreciate the value in this technique. I believe, the Hook-Punch being so closely associated with boxing, that perhaps there is a little bias attached to it by some Karate purists.
As always, of course, it is a matter of choice; however, my background makes me a pragmatist. For me… if it works, it works for me!
Thank You
A big thank you to our demonstrators from the Torakan Dojo; without whose assistance of course the ‘Reality Check’ Blog would be sadly lacking. Assisting me this month were Alan, Tyler, Rahul and Kelly.
Thank You to the Readers
As always, thank you for following the Karate Essence 'Reality Check' Blog post.
Thank you also for continuing to support my latest book, ‘A Budōka Odyssey’. The reviews continue to be excellent!
Top reviews from the United Kingdom
Carl Slee
5.0 out of 5 stars
‘A Fascinating Book’
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 October 2024
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From early childhood to the present day, Shihan McKinnon shares his adventures as, Truant, Soldier, Nightclub bouncer and Bodyguard as well as Business man but always as a fighter. And in this book he shares with us the ‘gifts’ and ‘Lessons’ that come from such a ‘life worth lived’.
A rare book, in that I found myself re-reading pages, chapters or passages over and over to further understand how such insights related to my own life. And this is the ‘gift’ of this book, I think that each person, whatever gender, age or interest will find something at some point within it, that is very personal and that will reverberate for them, long after reading.
Thank you Shihan
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 July 2024
I have to say that I found this book to be compulsive reading. For someone who was born and raised in the West of Scotland I was immediately drawn to T.D. McKinnon’s Scottish roots. He writes in such a concise and realistic manner. As someone with no knowledge of karate and martial arts, I have nevertheless found the main themes of the book easy to follow and this has made me review experiences drawn from my own life. The concept of ‘gifts and lessons’ applies to all life, not just karate. I would recommend this book to anyone, particularly those who are deeply involved in a sport of any kind, and who is striving to be the best person they can be. Read, learn and enjoy.
Thank you for this book, T.D. McKinnon.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Reviewed in Australia on 28 May 2024
Written by a man who has lived the life of a modern warrior. His ability to recognise the lessons and gifts in any situation and the having the humility to seek out those who can help you better yourself are important traits we should all endeavour to achieve not just in our own martial arts’ odyssey but in life.
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Minimal shopper
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‘A Fine Man Shares a Life of Budō’
Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2024
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At over 500 pages there is a lot of content in this autobiographical journey. A quick overview is as follows:
Author Shihan TD McKinnon has had ALOT of fights in his life; starting under the age of 6! He tells the narrative of his life through all those fights and what he learned about himself and life along the way. I appreciate that he doesn’t make self-defense fighting seem glamorous and one sided. He talks about injuries, dangers, and making alternate choices to physical violence as a reality.
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