Soto and Uchi
By Dan Blackmore
24 April 2014
While there are broader implications of the terms soto (“outside”) and uchi (“inside”), let’s discuss them in the context of chudan uke (“middle-body blocks”) in martial arts. Setting up by the ear, and swinging the arm across the body to perform the chudan uke means that the block travelled from outside to inside; thus an “outside-to-inside” block. Setting under the opposite arm or across the body, and swinging the arm outwards means that the block travelled from inside to outside – “inside-to-outside” block. In some organizations, the convention is to name the block according to where the block ends, so the outside-to-inside block is called “uchi uke,” and the inside-to-outside block is “soto uke.” In Shotokan, this convention is reversed: the outside-to-inside block is soto uke, and inside-to-outside is uchi uke. Each block is named from where the “set” takes place. This is the convention that the rest of this discussion will follow.
In my experience, a beginner in Shotokan is taught four basic blocks: jodan age-uke, for blocking the head, soto uke and uchi uke for blocking the torso, and gedan barai to block groin attacks. So, looking at this list, we note that we are given two basic tools to deal with middle-body attacks, while our heads and groins only get one block apiece. This implies that while jodan age-uke and gedan barai can each work as catch-all blocks for a beginner to defend from upper- and lower-targeted attacks, neither soto uke nor uchi uke could be used as an “all-in-one” tactic to deal with ANY middle body attack. Application of soto uke and uchi uke must each have its strengths and weaknesses as a tactic, and as karateka, we must train these chudan blocks together to discover the ideal contexts in which to use each block.
Let us investigate a middle-body punch from an opponent and restrict ourselves to consider only soto uke and uchi uke. First, imagine an opponent’s punch coming from your right-hand side. To simplify things, we will imagine blocking with your right arm. If blocking soto uke, your forearm can strike the back of your opponent’s elbow joint and direct the punch across your body. Not only are you successful in blocking the attack but the soto uke also effectively acts as an attack to your opponent’s elbow and as a means to partially tie him up with his own arm. This approach limits your opponent’s options for follow-up attacks and potentially brings him off-balance. You end up in a prime position for counter attack/follow-through. If you instead block uchi uke, you stopped the punch, but your opponent’s elbow joint is not struck, he is not closed-off or off-balance, and he is able to continue attack without hindrance. After the block, you are not in an advantageous position, but stay at more of an even-keel with your opponent. You must work harder and be quicker to defeat your opponent.
Now, imagine a punch approaching from your left-hand side, and you’re still blocking with your right arm. If you use soto uke, you block the punch, but make contact with your opponent’s wrist or forearm. This time no stress to the elbow is dealt, and your opponent is neither off-balance nor any less able to continue with a combination of attacks. Also, your opponent’s punching arm is able to bend around your block to grab or land a glancing strike. Once again, you’re now facing head-to-head with your opponent with no positional advantage – strike fast and first with your counter! If you use uchi uke instead, you are once again able strike the back of the elbow joint, partially tie-up and off-balance your opponent by controlling his punching arm, and have an advantage for your follow-up techniques.
What have we found? While both soto uke and uchi uke are equally effective in stopping an initial punch, we must remove ourselves from thinking about only one incoming attack at a time. It is the opponent that you must deal with, not just the attack itself. Both soto uke and uchi uke each work better over the other in its own context, and for an incoming punch, an effective tactic could be to use the appropriate block to remain on the outside of an opponent where possible. In a tournament bout or real encounter, there is no time to think about your options; you act how you have trained. Remain aware of the different tactics/options and their implications as you train with spirit and focus!
