| a) | proper alignments: |
| i) | dimensions: |
| 1) | height - neck level |
| 2) | depth - elbow bent (not hyper-extended) |
| 3) | width - center of body |
| ii) | body alignments: |
| 1) | hand: |
| A) | rotated to be diagonal outward |
| B) | rotated to be diagonal downward |
| C) | finger pointed diagonally forward |
| 2) | wrist kept straight (not bent up / down and / or side-to-side) |
| 3) | elbow anchored (well below hand height) |
| 4) | shoulders - relaxed |
| 5) | upper body / hips - Neutral Bow rotation |
| 6) | legs / feet - Neutral Bow rotation |
| iii) | Point of Contact - side of hand |
| iv) | stance - Neutral Bow |
| b) | proper formation - weapon (hand): |
| i) | hand - kept flat (not cupped) |
| ii) | thumb: |
| 1) | pressed tightly against rest of hand (Compact Unit) |
| 2) | bent at top knuckle |
| 3) | not tucked forward onto palm |
| iii) | fingers: |
| 1) | extended and relatively flat (muscle tension bend allowable on impact) |
| 2) | kept together (Compact Unit) |
| c) | execution: |
| i) | Method of Execution - Hammering |
| ii) | execute directly to target (prevent cocking) |
| iii) | improper execution: |
| 1) | incorrect speeds / methods: |
| A) | executed too slow (transforms into push with side of hand) |
| B) | executed too fast (stance settle unable to keep up with strike) |
| C) | executed too tense (unable to achieve proper 'snap' of strike) (strike looks 'pushed' out) |
| D) | strike not tensed at Point of Contact (improper timing / never tensed) |
| 2) | incorrect alignments / angles: |
| A) | elbow not properly anchored (always kept well below hand) |
Form Specific
| a) | Common execution errors: |
| i) | cocking the hand back toward the shoulder area just prior to executing the strike in an attempt to gain extra Path of Travel and/or rotation for the strike |
Comments
| a) | Common formation errors: |
| i) | allowing the thumb to be separated from the fingers |
Example of a proper hand-sword (left)
Example of proper hand-sword formation
Example of improper hand-sword formation
thumb not tucked, thumb over tucked, fingers spread
Examples of improper hand-sword execution
improper height - high / low, depth - close / far,
elbow out, rotation - over / under