Shomen Hagiki

[Mills75]

Sorry if I misspelled hagiki but this technique ( the finger jab) is it always done like when someone is trying to grab at you and you thrust their hands downward and then follow up with the hands striking the eyes or are there different applications other than this one for the finger jab?

[Bill Glasheen]

You're spelling is as good as any.

Shomen hajiki means literally front snapping. It is NOT shomen nuki, or front poking. So there is a lot of lattitude as to what this technique could be.

First, I do not teach a poke. I instead teach folks to flick their fingers in someone's eyes, like snapping a wet towel. This way if you miss, you won't break your fingers. It doesn't take much to get the job done, and you don't stand there admiring your work. The next job is to thrash until they trash, or run.

If you want to do serious damage to the eyes, there is a way to use your boshikens in a manner similar to shucking an oyster. It's not pretty, and it is not for the faint of heart.



But to your question... The answer is yes. There is a broader way to think about the technique.

First, the technique is its own block. I teach a bunkai where we do this, and we "defang" the result by just about smacking the person in the face with the backs of your hands.

More importantly, you do not need to use your fingers. ANYTHING in your hand will do: dirt, sand, your keys, a cup of Starbuck's coffee, a T-shirt or jacket, etc. The goal is to distract, and the mindset is surprise. This is especially helpful if you ever need to do the impossible task of taking someone out who has a knife. The initial distance that flicking an object affords you is what you need to get it all started.

- Bill

[Mills75]

Thanks Bill and it was my bad writing again that misrepresented what I was trying to say I said jab or poke and we also don't use a poke and my teacher does not teach that so sorry i said that wrong we do as you do and use the correct way to say it as a slap with the back of the hands like a wet towel as you put it so eloquently so i'm glad we practice it the same in our school as you teach it..I need some work on how I wirte lol but yes this is what we do so it was very nice to see and the boshiken way does as you said not sound as if it is for the faint of heart sounds like quite alot of damage could be done that way.

Jeff

[Bill Glasheen]

The shomen hajiki is your 80/20 solution. It is amazingly versatile, and doesn't require permanent damage to the eyes. From the longterm point of view, it is just a distraction. Because of this, it is eminently useful.

The boshiken technique I speak of is another level of violence altogether. Close to 100% of people will be able physically to do the technique with just a little bit of instruction. However literally 90% of people (plus or minus a few percent) will have psychological barriers to doing this without some operant conditioning work. It is so very important for folks to understand this. While proceeding with a false sense of confidence, 90% of folks will literally sacrifice their lives at the moment of truth rather than "do what is necessary" to survive.

This is a trap we face in our style. It's important for folks to understand this. I highly recommend reading Grossman's On Killing to understand more on the subject. He also articluates the exercise needed to overcome the psychological barrier to the very techniqe I speak of - if someone wants to go there.

- Bill

[MikeK]

Excellent point Bill and a good subject on it's own.

[jorvik]

Bill,
C'mmon you've let the cat out of the bag a little.........how do you rip their eye out ...( P.S. I promise that I won't be psychologically damaged by this disclosure .........)

[Bill Glasheen]

1) Wrap both hands around side of head (you have to find the right fit...) and position tips of thumbs at the tear ducts.

2) Dig in with the thumbs.

3) Follow tip of thumb around back of eye cavity, and then towards you.

When you are finished, you magically have the perfect boshiken position. Only thing is, you have something in your hand...

Grossman's book tells how to practice. I can tell you how to do it, but you won't have the cahones to do it unless you practice it as he says. It is a truly frightening, ugly, and personal thing to do to someone at an intimate range. For the most part, your own brain will stop you from doing it unless programmed otherwise.

- Bill

[RACastanet]

Here is what GunteachTom recommends:

Put a grapefruit on a sunny windowsill a few days until it is mushy. On a warm sunny day take it off the sill and plunge your thumb into it. That is how it feels.

He speaks from experience. Escorting a violent prisoner on a plane as a US Marshall, he had to subdue the felon when he went for Gunteach's handgun. It effectively stopped the attack but did permanently blind the prisoner in one eye.

I'll get some overripe grapefruit and bring it to the gym one of these Saturdays.

Rich

[jorvik]

Thanks Guys ..hope I never have to use it

[Bill Glasheen]

That will teach you the physical part.

What Grossman recommends is taping oranges onto the face of a real person. Better yet...paint some real eyes onto the oranges. Then have the person scream bloody murder when you commence the thumb work. If it gives you nightmares, then your uke has done his/her job.

By all means, read Grossman's work about violence at an intimate range.

- Bill

[f.Channell]

I teach shomen hajiki also as a ground technique.
It is very applicable to someone on your chest, looking down on you.
Also deeply scratching the eye surface is more than distracting.
I went to the ER one time after scratching my eyes and was going nuts waiting for the doctor.
I was basically blinded and felt as if I had a splinter in my eyes.
10 days with an eye patch and some kind of ...caine ointment until it felt better.
A fabulous technique for womens self defense, children and those of us "height challenged" individuals against a big bad guy who gets you on your back.
F.

[MikeK]

Bill, there is one more part that puts the caffiene in, but I won't post it here.

[Mills75]

I had my cornea torn off on new years eve one year trying to protect a friend who was a girl from her boyfriend hitting on her this was years ago before I started martial arts but the pain was more than a bit annoying especially when the least lil bit of light got into the eye I walked around with sunglasses on and my eye doctor gave me some kind of steroid ointment hoping it would reattach itself and thank god it did.The doctor commented I must have had some help from the big guy for it to reattatch like it did.I woke up every morning and had to put warm cotton balls on my eye to unglue it from the puss that sealed it shut at the eyelashes everynight.The guys flannel shirt button on one of his sleeves raked accross and tore it off the eye when he followed through on his punch.Anyhow even this pain was significant so I can't imagine someone literally ripping the eyeball completely out of my head.to be honest I do think this would take some real training to be able to do if you had too as Bill said cause it does must admit kind of make me cringe a little just thinking about the whole thing.My god that would make me want to lose my lunch if I saw that happen.But I guess if your life is in danger then you would have too but my it must take some special training in order to do that.

Jeff

[f.Channell]

Almost forgot.
Shomen Hajiki can also be a choke release.
Or combined with the choke release as the eye strike.
Defense and offense all in one move.
The choke release is more effective than say the one in Kanshu because the arm is in a more powerful position, utilizing the biceps and chest muscles, not the triceps.
F.

[Thumper]

I personally like using warm seedless grapes in the sockets of a plastic Halloween skull. The membrane of the grape is about as resistant as the human eye. The fingers are wrapped behind the jaw bone while the thumbs punctue the grapes. This technique can be applied by all most anyone and requires no great body strenght, as the hands do all the work.