The Upright Fist

The upright or standing fist (tate-ken of karate-do) is a tight fist flexed inward and upward so that the main surface of the fist contacts the target with the two knuckles of the little finger and the fourth finger (Fig. 5). Valuable in upward hooking, side hooking, and thrust punches this hand formation may be used with great effect against both midsection and groin (shown in Training Exercise 15).