Elbow
Strike with the point of the elbow
肘打ち · 肘擊
- Type
- Elbow and knee strikes, Other strikes
- Martial arts
- Kickboxing, Judo
- Meaning
- Elbow blow
- Classified as
- strike
- Listed in
- Hiji-ate-waza: elbow techniques (judo techniques)
An elbow strike (commonly referred to as simply an elbow) is a strike with the point of the elbow, the part of the forearm nearest to the elbow, or the part of the upper arm nearest to the elbow. Elbows can be thrown sideways similarly to a hook, upwards similarly to an uppercut, downwards with the point of the elbow, diagonally or in direct movement and in several other ways, like during a jump. Elbow strikes are native to traditional Southeast Asian martial arts, traditional Southern Chinese martial arts and traditional Okinawan martial arts.
Elbowing is a disallowed practice in most combat sports. However, Southeast Asian boxing (Pradal Serey, Muay Thai, Muay Lao, Lethwei) and most mixed martial arts (MMA) organizations do allow elbowing, or allow elbowing in a specific manner. The mixed martial arts organizations disallowing it usually do so because elbowing the head increases the risk of lacerations in a fight.
Other Kickboxing elbow and knee strikes
Japanese terms for elbow and knee strikes
| Term | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 肘当て | hijiate | (detachable) elbow rest; arm rest |
| 肘打ち | hijiuchi | elbow strike (karate) |
| 猿臂打ち | enpiuchi | elbow strike (karate) |
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q2627932 (CC0); text quoted from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.