Ridgehand

( 손날등 sonnal-deung )

Difficulty Level: Advanced Surface: Offensive and Defensive

By tucking the thumb into the palm, a striking surface called the ridgehand ( 손날등 sonnal-deung ), or reverse knife-hand is formed, extending a few inches along the inside of the hand below the first knuckle of the index finger. If done improperly, the practitioner may well break their hand, wrist or fingers.

Use of the Ridgehand ( 손날등 sonnal-deung ) is not featured prominently in the World Taekwondo (WT) Taegeuk 태극 Poomse or Palgwe 팔괘 Poomse. Also the Ridgehand ( 손날등 sonnal-deung ) is not used in World Taekwondo (WT) sparring due to the dangers of breaking ones' fingers. The practitioner may well break their hand, wrist or fingers if they use this block or strike during competition.

Some techniques that utilize the Ridgehand ( 손날등 sonnal-deung );

Training Methods

How well one improves with training depends on several factors, such as the frequency it is engaged in, and the type of feedback that is available for improvement. If a student does not train often enough, reinforcement fades, and he or she is likely to forget what was learned.

When learning the impact surface, it is helpful to use mirrors to observe your technique and fix your mistakes immediately. Initially, a student may need focused feedback from a certified Master Instructor ( 사범님 sabeomnim ); however, as they progress, they must develop the ability to self-assess the impact surface.

Highlight Knife Hand ( 손날 sonnal ) Posture

By tucking the thumb into the palm, a surface called the knife hand or hand blade ( 손날 sonnal ) is formed. The surface extends with the muscle at the side of the hand located between the base of the small finger and the wrist ( 팔목 palmok ). The hand blade is used as both an offensive and defensive technique which can be executed as a high, low, middle, side, inward, outward, rising or circular. Use of this technique as both a strike and block is featured prominently in many of the World Taekwondo (WT) Taegeuk Poomse.

* Please see a certified Master Instructor ( 사범님 sabeomnim ) for training. Proper guidance and instructions are needed to ensure safe training.

Impact Surface Area

Surface Area Injuries

Collisions with the ground, objects, and other taekwondo practitioners are common, and unexpected dynamic forces on limbs and joints can cause injury. Taekwondo injuries can also occur in techniques if done improperly or from overuse of a particular body part. Taking a break from training or reducing the volume and the intensity of the training will allow the body to recover. For more information on Injuries »

( Click image for additional information)

Ridgehand ( 손날등 sonnal-deung )

Did you know?

Taekwondo Olympic Demonstration Sport

Taekwondo made its first appearance at the Summer Olympic Games as a demonstration sport at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. The opening ceremony featured a mass demonstration of taekwondo with hundreds of adults and children performing moves in unison. Taekwondo was again a demonstration sport at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. For more information View Taekwondo Olympic Demonstration Sport »

Year	Date	Flag	City	Host Country
1992	July 25 - August 9		Barcelona	Spain
1988	September 17 - Oct 2		Seoul	South Korea

RESOURCES
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Taekwondo at the Summer Olympics" which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

Quiz

Question. What is the korean terminology for Elbow Target Strike?

The Elbow Target Strike is a technique that requires you to strike an imaginary target made by extending the other arm. The elbow hits the Palm ( 손바닥 sonbadak ) of the other arm and the height is around the solar plexus. In self-defense ( 호신술 hosinsool ) applications, the practitioner would reach out and grab the opponents neck ( 목 mok ).

Question. What is the name of Taegeuk #6 in Korean?

Taegeuk 태극 (in World Taekwondo (WT)) refers to a set of poomse 품새 used to create a foundation for the teaching of taekwondo. A poomse or form is a detailed pattern of defense-and-attack motions and techniques used in traditional martial arts. Each taegeuk form symbolizes a specific state thought to be indicative of the belt the student currently holds, and is represented in World Taekwondo (WT) by trigrams similar to those found in the four corners of the South Korean flag.

Question. What is the name of Taegeuk #8 in Korean?

The trigram associated with this poomse represents the Earth. Also, there is a representation of North and Mother. The associated trigram of this poomse is Yin. Yin, here, represents the end of the beginning, the evil part of all that is good. This being the last of the poomse Taegeuk, it represents the end of the circle and the cyclic nature of the Earth.

Impact Surface Area

Various surfaces of the hand and feet may be engaged as the striking or blocking surface depending on which area of the opponents body is being targeted. This leads to a large array of hand and feet positions. The human body's shape is determined by a strong skeleton made of bone and cartilage, surrounded by fat, muscle, connective tissue, organs, and other structures. For more information View Impact Surface Area »