Chicken-head strike

Chicken-head strikes contact targets with the fingertips.

Washiken uchi (literally: “eagle-fist strike”) is referred to as a chicken-head strike within Goshin-Jutsu. Chicken-head strikes are an oddly-specific atemi, used to crush an opponent’s eyes; thus, chicken-head strikes are forbidden to use in kumite. Chicken-head strikes can be thrown from a variety of strange angles to the inside, outside, and straight-forward. Since it doesn’t take much strength to crush an eye, this is one of the few techniques than can be reliably called upon if your balance has been compromised.

To perform a chicken-head strike, bunch your fingers together, like a stereotypical Italian-American. Then, pretend your hand is a bird's beak, and peck at your opponent’s eyes with your fingertips. Please note that this technique crushes eyes like they were grapes; it does not pluck them out of people's heads, like in Kill Bill.

[Chicken heads fast and slow, from the front and side, inside, outside, and forward ]

This technique is reserved for advanced students mostly because up-and-coming karateka should worry about more important things. Eye strikes are intrinsically difficult because they are small targets on a moving opponent, and are protected by several reflexes. However, a clever fighter can exploit these reflexes to manipulate their opponent into exposing other openings.

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