| a) | proper alignments: |
| i) | dimensions: |
| 1) | height - rib level |
| 2) | depth - body in side horse with elbow at ribs and fingers pointing directly forward, vertically |
| 3) | width - in-line with body |
| ii) | body alignments: |
| 1) | hand: |
| A) | rotated to be vertical |
| B) | fingers pointed directly forward |
| 2) | wrist kept straight (not bent up / down and / or side-to-side) |
| 3) | shoulders - relaxed |
| 4) | upper body / hips - side Horse rotation |
| 5) | legs / feet - side Horse rotation |
| iii) | Point of Contact - tip of fingers of hand |
| iv) | stance - side Horse |
| 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) | slightly spread |
| c) | execution: |
| i) | Method of Execution - Thrusting |
| ii) | execute directly to target (prevent arching line of travel) |
| iii) | improper execution |
| 1) | incorrect speeds / methods: |
| A) | executed too slow (transforms into push with fingers) |
| B) | executed too fast (stance rotation 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) | incorrect elbow bend: |
| I) | over bent (strike not horizontal) |
| II) | too-extended (strike not backed by ribs) |
Form Specific
| a) | Common execution errors: |
| i) | over extend the elbow, not allowing ribs to back strike |
| ii) | over bend the elbow, so strike is not executed horizontally |
Comments
| a) | Common formation errors: |
| i) | allowing the thumb to be separated from the fingers |
Example of a proper vertical four-finger poke (right)
Example of proper vertical four-finger poke formation
Example of improper vertical four-finger poke formation
thumb not tucked, thumb over tucked, fingers spread
Examples of improper vertical four-finger poke execution
improper height - high / low, depth - too deep,
improper width - narrow / wide, wrist bent to side, over rotated