also, posting to the uechi ryu forums led to some interesting conversations...not all related, (
here's the thread if you want to check it as a visitor). A summary of some interesting points (I've used initials to identify posters and summarized some points, please go to thread if you wish more information):
OP: asked about history as well as whether ability to grab is one reason for more open fist techniques.
FC-The only place fists appear is in Kanshiwa, back in 77-78 when I learned it we used shokens. After striking with the shoken we quickly opened our fist so we could block and grab. [...]To me it is what you want it to be. Do you use a hammer to bang in or pull out a nail. Your tool your choice.
MA-If you look closer at Sanchin ,you will see/ feel closed fists ,along with shokens etc,etc, basicaly Sanchin contains changing hands .Fist formulations are within that structure ,other kata simply utilise component aspects of sanchin in different tactical useage " lack of fists then becomes the uechi trademark " but you could quite easy create other tactical usage that Sanchin offers incorperating [fists ] if you can create things from your on going study as you progress
MH-What is a fist? Shoken, hiraken, and seiken are all fists. It's the same fist, used differently, for backfist and hammerfist strikes. Did you mean to zero in on seiken-tsuki? The only seiken-tsuki in Uechi is the modern-day kanshiwa, and as has been previously pointed out, it is also practiced with shoken-tsuki instead of seiken-tsuki. [...]Regardless of whether one thinks of seiken-tsuki as a real Uechi technique or just a borrowed one, the emphasis compared to other styles of karate could not be more different. In Shorin-Ryu we used seiken-tsuki as the ikken hissatsu technique of choice, directed at any one of a dozen or so vulnerable targets, and since not all of them were quite so soft, we relied on our conditioning and our skill to protect our hands from injury. Uechi, IMO, does not labor under this ikken hissatsu idea, and when it appears, seiken-tsuki is just another way of striking a soft target with something hard.
JH-One should examine the differences to understand the use of the tools....
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Some differences:
Range--Fists are longer than palms
Spear hand is longer than fists
Spears can split incoming force
Fists can protect the fingers--palms can expose the fingers
Fists are sharp--have points, palms are blunt
Fists are rooted in the primal brain
Fists create tension and stiffness in parts of the arms and mind
Palms are more loose, relaxed and not as tense in the mind and body as are fists
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Fists represent a small percentage of the tool-set in many Chinese arts..
It should be noted that "fists" or open handed tools may be used to both give and receive energy, e.g. offense and defense, best executed simultaneously..
VC-
This is a good read on punches
There are some other discussions on techniques, etc. But these are the main points to the OP