Leopard Blow
Encyclopedia
The "Leopard Blow," "leopard punch," or "leopard fist" is a common term for a specific type of striking blow, associated primarily with the Leopard Kung Fu
substyle of the Five Animals in Chinese martial arts
, though it is also used in styles such as Krav Maga
, Choy Li Fut and Karate
(in which case, it is known as "Hiraken Tsuki" or "Ryotoken Tsuki"). The maneuver involves folding the first two joints of the fingers inward and striking with the fore-knuckles. It is used most often to strike at soft, vulnerable targets, such as the ribs, throat, inner arms and temples.
This strike is also a useful tool in Women's self-defense as fingernails do not usually get in the way when forming the fist. It also amplifies the damage done to an opponent by focusing the force of a punch over a much smaller surface area. Aside from striking with the metacarpals, the palm heel and the side of the hand may also be used against an opponent.
The strike is most prominently used in Leopard Kung Fu
, but can also be found in certain styles of Karate, such as Kyokushin
, Shotokan
and Uechi-ryū (though they are rarely used), Kempo
and in rare cases, Wing Chun
. It is also sometimes used as the primary weapon of Choy Li Fut practitioners.
Throat, Ribs, Solar Plexus, Sides of the stomach, Kidneys, Groin, Bladder, Back muscles, Inner arms, Jangular veins, Sides of the face, Eyes, Cheekbones, Bridge of the nose, Upper lip, Jaw, Temples.
Note: The forehead should be avoided due to its thickness. Also, when facing a particularly muscular opponent, the pectorals are not recommended as targets.
, a comic book
supervillain
published by DC Comics
.
The Strike is also sometimes known as Ginger fist, Knuckle-Edge punch and Half fist, amongst many others.
Leopard Kung Fu
Leopard Kung fu is style of Kung fu and is one of the Five Animal styles.It was supposedly created by Jue Yuan with help from Bai Yufeng and Li Sou. The emphasis of leopard is speed and angular attack. The leopard does not overwhelm or rely on strength, as does the tiger, but instead relies on...
substyle of the Five Animals in Chinese martial arts
Chinese martial arts
Chinese martial arts, also referred to by the Mandarin Chinese term wushu and popularly as kung fu , are a number of fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common traits, identified as "families" , "sects" or...
, though it is also used in styles such as Krav Maga
Krav Maga
Krav Maga is a noncompetitive eclectic self-defense system developed in Europe that involves striking techniques, wrestling and grappling. Krav Maga is known for its focus on real-world situations and extremely efficient, brutal counter-attacks...
, Choy Li Fut and Karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
(in which case, it is known as "Hiraken Tsuki" or "Ryotoken Tsuki"). The maneuver involves folding the first two joints of the fingers inward and striking with the fore-knuckles. It is used most often to strike at soft, vulnerable targets, such as the ribs, throat, inner arms and temples.
Forming the fist
As mentioned before, the fist is formed by folding the first two joints of the fingers. There are two variations of the maneuver; the first involves folding only the first four fingers of the hand. The second involves compressing the fist further by folding in the thumb as well to the side of the hand. The advantage of using the first is that it has a slightly longer reach and can be formed faster. The second variation's advantage is that it is more firm, reducing the risk of injury to a user's hand.Usage
The nature of this strike allows for greater penetration against weak spots on an opponent's body, but presents a very real risk of self-injury should a user be careless while using it. The strike is, therefore, best used at close range, where it is easier to reach soft targets and where there doesn't need to be too much force behind the blow to deal significant damage. It is also recommended that users strike from angles when attacking with this fist, as this decreases the impact to one's hand whilst still maintaining the impact delivered to an opponent.This strike is also a useful tool in Women's self-defense as fingernails do not usually get in the way when forming the fist. It also amplifies the damage done to an opponent by focusing the force of a punch over a much smaller surface area. Aside from striking with the metacarpals, the palm heel and the side of the hand may also be used against an opponent.
The strike is most prominently used in Leopard Kung Fu
Leopard Kung Fu
Leopard Kung fu is style of Kung fu and is one of the Five Animal styles.It was supposedly created by Jue Yuan with help from Bai Yufeng and Li Sou. The emphasis of leopard is speed and angular attack. The leopard does not overwhelm or rely on strength, as does the tiger, but instead relies on...
, but can also be found in certain styles of Karate, such as Kyokushin
Kyokushin
is a style of stand-up, full contact karate, founded in 1964 by Korean-Japanese karate master, who was born under the name Choi Young-Eui . Kyokushinkai is Japanese for "the society of the ultimate truth". Kyokushin is rooted in a philosophy of self-improvement, discipline and hard training...
, Shotokan
Shotokan
is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi and his son Gigo Funakoshi . Gichin was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing karate through a series of public demonstrations, and by promoting the development of university karate clubs, including...
and Uechi-ryū (though they are rarely used), Kempo
KEMPO
KEPCO may refer to:* Korea Electric Power Corporation, a South Korean power provider* Kansai Electric Power Company, a Japanese power provider...
and in rare cases, Wing Chun
Wing Chun
Wing Chun , also romanised as Ving Tsun or Wing Tsun, ; ; is a concept-based Chinese martial art and form of self-defense utilizing both striking and grappling while specializing in close-range combat.The alternative characters 永春 "eternal spring" are also...
. It is also sometimes used as the primary weapon of Choy Li Fut practitioners.
List of Targets
The points of which this strike is best used against are as follows:Throat, Ribs, Solar Plexus, Sides of the stomach, Kidneys, Groin, Bladder, Back muscles, Inner arms, Jangular veins, Sides of the face, Eyes, Cheekbones, Bridge of the nose, Upper lip, Jaw, Temples.
Note: The forehead should be avoided due to its thickness. Also, when facing a particularly muscular opponent, the pectorals are not recommended as targets.
Additional Notes
The Leopard Blow is also the name of a special maneuver used by Lady ShivaLady Shiva
Lady Shiva is a fictional comic book character co-created by Dennis O'Neil and Ric Estrada, and published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter as an antagonist of Richard Dragon...
, a comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
.
The Strike is also sometimes known as Ginger fist, Knuckle-Edge punch and Half fist, amongst many others.
