Four Stoke Angles
1. Forehand, diagonal
2. Backhand, diagonal
3. Backhand, lateral
4. Backhand, vertical
Three Stroke Types
1. Jab, retracting the stick after contact, usually to the same chamber point and always to the same side of the body
2. Slash, driving the stick through the target, your hand moving to a chamber point on the opposite side of the body
3. Smash, burying or digging the stick into the target
Chamber Points
Chamber points are the positions of the stick hand at one of the three bilateral leverage points or the top of the head, with a stroke that takes the stick hand from the same point on one side of the body to the other being defined as “lateral.” You have lead hand chamber points and rear hand chamber points, left side or right side.
1. Hip
2. Elbow-rib
3. Shoulder
4. Top of head [one point]
Note that holding the stick hand out in front of you is not putting it at a chamber point, but taking it off of one of these natural leverage points and putting it in the target zone.
The chamber point is the position of the hand, not the striking end of the stick. Holding the hand at the same level as the striking end of the stick is always poor form.
Amplification Methods
The basic force of a stick stroke comes from the muscles of the forearm [1, below], further amplified by one or more of methods 2-9:
1. Hand Motion
2. Elbow motion
3. Step [jab, slash or smash]
4. Pivot [slash or smash]
5. Squat [bending the knees to drop ass weight into the slash or smash]
6. Shift [slash or smash]
7. Reverse shift [slash]
8. Lunge [slash or smash]
9. Reverse lunge [slash]
Examples
#1 Jab, [harassing] begins with the hand at the lead hip chamber point, is powered by a step, a hand motion and an elbow motion, returning to the same chamber point.
#1 Slash, [defensive] from a chamber point against the lead rib, utilizes a hand motion, and elbow motion and a pivot, taking the stick down and across the body, typically to the hip.
#1 Smash, [advancing] from a shoulder chamber, utilizes arm, then hand, synchronized with a step, with the hand descending from the “shoulder load” chamber position to one of the hips as the empty hand shoots out for a stiff-arm or close check.
