the thrusting arm punches. Practitioners are advised to pay as much attention to the pullback action as to the extension of the main punch. Different karate styles will have slightly different pullback chambering positions, varying from as low as on top of the hip, to as high as the armpit. A straight punch executed from a front stance (zenkutsu-dachi) is called gyaku-tsuki (逆突き, reverse punch) if the advanced leg and fist are on opposite sides, or oi-tsuki (追い突き, forward punch or lunge punch) if the leg and fist are on the same side. Tsuki Power Generation The mechanism of power generation in thrusting techniques varies with karate style. Various karate styles and, in particular, Okinawan karate, emphasize the use of the entire body to generate the power that is delivered through the punch. This can include sequencing the activation of muscles, from lower body to upper body, to create a "wave" of power. In those styles, the body is typically well aligned and relaxed throughout the strike. On the other hand, Japanese karate styles, such as Shotokan, emphasize the movement of the hips as the main mean for generating power: The hips twist as the withdrawing (non-punching) hikite arm is pulled back while the punching arm is pushed forward, and the karateka is taught to tense the whole body and to push down his or her rear leg as the punch makes contact. Other Examples of Tsuki Techniques Other examples of basic tsuki techniques in karate include the following: Age-tsuki (上げ突き), rising punch Kagi-tsuki (鉤突き), hook punch Mawashi-tsuki (回し突き), roundhouse punch Morote-tsuki (双手突き), augmented punch using both hands Jun-tsuki (順突き), punch with the lead arm when stationary or moving back/away Tate-tsuki (立て突き), vertical fist punch into the middle of the chest (short-range) Ura-tsuki (裏突き), upside-down fist punch into solar plexus area (short-range) Yama-tsuki (山突き) or Rete-zuki, two-level double punch (combination of ura-zuki and jodan oi zuki) Tsuki in Aikido and Aiki-jo In aikidō, choku-zuki (straight punch, as described above) is a basic thrusting attack from which throwing and pinning skills are taught. However, because in most aikidō schools the straight punch is the predominant punch from which defensive techniques are taught, there is little need to differentiate it from any other punch. Thus, it is shortened and simply called tsuki. In the aiki-jō practiced in some systems of aikido and utilizing a four-foot wooden staff (jō), tsuki is used literally