And, frankly, if you're really aggressively going under the chin, you can only barely manage a poke in the eye (at best), as you're pushing the eyes away from your own reach.
oftheherd1
Senior Master
I can see how that would seem to be so. However, it really is an easy thing to accomplish with training and practice, however counterintuitive it might seem. The GIF at the URL below is not the best example, but you can see the strike/push under the chin and subsequent rake of the eyes.
hapkido chin strike eye rake - Bing images
We usually try to us it with more control such as slipping one arm around the back of the waist, but it will work as shown by closing with your opponent.
The issue with this (from what I can tell from the gif) is that you have to move off the chin to get the rake/strike. It works for a strike, but if you are doing it with a push with the intent to throw them, I can't imagine performing the rake during the throw.
It's not about training and practice. My fingers don't reach. If yours do, they're longer than mine. If my palm is slightly under the chin (the necessary position for pushing up and back) on my own face, my fingers barely touch the eyes (if their head is the same size as mine), so there's no chance of really doing more than poking lightly. And with the force pushing the head back, I can't add any leverage to the tips of the fingers as I move the head away. Perhaps if I was restraining the back of the neck I'd be able to compress and get a bit more in there.
Of course, all that changes if defender has longer fingers or attacker has a shorter face.
Okay, looking at the image here, I see the disagreement. We wouldn't abandon the chin to go for the eyes - we keep control of the spine in that situation. I see that image as showing a transition from one strike (chin) to another (eyes), which is not simultaneous. I had read the prior descriptions as this being a simultaneous chin-and-eye technique.
oftheherd1
Senior Master
As I said, the GIF isn't really a good way to see the technique. I can see your concern as I could gpseymour's concern. This is easier to demonstrate while teaching than to try to describe I guess.
Think of it as pushing up under the front of the chin, also backward if you need to, but the lift of the chin tends to do that anyway. As the head rotates backward, if your fingers are too short, rotate your hand up and over the chin until your fingers can contact the eyes, then rake. If your palm rotates over the chin somewhat, no problem as you will still be pushing against the face/mouth, preventing the opponent from moving too much forward. Your movement and his resistance to having his neck broken should lead your fingers right into his eyes. There is no advantage to throwing the person if you rake the eyes. If he can't see, he will be no threat to you.
Red Sun
Green Belt
We can see the shoulder driving forward while the arm is mostly rigid
Grasp Of Death, as well, and then, of course, Thrusting Salute.From American Kenpo its a technique called Triggered Salute
Ironbear24
Senior Master
The moral of the story is American kenpo is cool.
Tired_Yeti
Green Belt
STOMP THE GROIN!
BREAK THE NECK!
CRUSH THE TESTICLES!
RE-STOMP THE GROIN!
I'm Tire_Yeti and I approved this message.
"Re-stomp the groin"
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Tired_Yeti
Green Belt
That is to say, it is the ending least likely to land you in jail.
So we'll label it the "happy ending". Sounds like something one of my ex's did to me. Happy ending, then...stomp the groin.
"Re-stomp the groin"
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And long fingers.
Tired_Yeti
Green Belt
Elton John doesn't have long fingers and pokes the ivories all the time (ivories...not to be confused with poking them in the ovaries which is much more difficult). [emoji851]
"Re-stomp the groin"
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Much more difficult and not something Elton is particularly renowned for!
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