The 8 Strikes and the 4-Dimensional Fighter

There are eight strikes in combat; everything else is a variation

5 min readJan 9, 2025

Be it the hand, the foot, the elbow, the knee, or any other anatomical body part one can conjure up, there are only eight ways to hit a person in the martial arts.

When watching a kung fu movie, especially one full of leaping tornado kicks, chops to the throat, and craned-beak cobra strikes, one may question the validity of being limited to only eight ways.

There seem to be more. Way more.

How is it possible there are only eight strikes?

Striking is not Anatomy, it is 4-Dimensional Geometry

What governs the type of strike is not shape, contour, angle, or anatomical representation, but its dimensionality.

The universe in which we live is a 4-dimensional object.

Since combat occurs within the universe, it, too, is 4-dimensional.

Therefore, the four dimensions of combat in order of strategic priority are:

1. Time

2. Depth

3. Width

4. Height

Of these four dimensions, time and depth are the most strategic.

The strategic construct of time and depth is known as the time-distance theater.

To yield holistic striking capacity in the martial arts, one must apply force in all dimensions to become a 4-dimensional fighter.

If you would like to get articles like this sent directly to your email, click HERE to subscribe. It’s completely free.

The Eight Ways

The eight ways of striking are grouped by dimension.

Each of the dimensions possesses two ways of striking within it.

The two ways within each dimension create a dualistic construct.

Therefore, the following logic applies.

4 dimensions x 2 ways per dimension = 8 ways of striking

The following list are the eight ways of striking:

Strike 1 — High (the dimension of height)
Strike 2 — Low (the dimension of height)
Strike 3 — Straight (the dimension of width)
Strike 4 — Curved (the dimension of width)
Strike 5 — Lead Side (the dimension of depth)
Strike 6 — Rear Side (the dimension of depth)
Strike 7 — Witik (the dimension of time)
Strike 8 — Labtik (the dimension of time)

The Height Dimension

The height dimension provides a vertical plane to apply force.

It contains the dualistic construct of high and low.

For example, in boxing, if we want to execute a jab, we can hit an opponent in the face.

High.

Or we can hit the person in the body.

Low.

The Width Dimension

The width dimension provides a lateral plane from which to apply force.

It contains the dualistic construct of straight and curved.

Straight is a direct line to the target, and curved is a circular line.

In boxing, this would be a jab versus a roundhouse punch. A jab is straight-linear, and the roundhouse punch is curved-circular.

The straight and curved relationship resides primarily on the width dimension because a curved punch is wider than a linear straight punch.

A linear straight punch is thinner.

These height and width dichotomies do not just apply to hands and punches. They could be used for the foot.

For example, a front kick is straight-linear, and a roundhouse kick is curved circular.

Height and width are fundamental and together create a 2-dimensional surface area for targeting.

The Depth Dimension

Depth contains the dualistic construct of lead versus rear.

It provides an accordial plane from which to apply force.

Depth is interesting, as this dimension does not focus on the tool’s trajectory, such as height and width, but on the tool’s origin.

A punch, for example, can be fired from either the lead hand or the rear hand.

Get Scott Gehring’s stories in your inbox

Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.

Remember me for faster sign in

Since the lead hand is closer to the opponent than the rear hand, the distance from the tool to the target is less, making it faster.

However, the rear hand has more distance, giving it a longer runway, thus allowing more momentum to build, to produce more power.

What is better: speed or power? The answer: it depends on the vector.

Whereas height and width create two-dimensional frames between actors in a fight, the depth dimension connects the frames through distance.

Here is a video of the late great Joe Lewis discussing the six strikes we have reviewed so far:

Joe Lewis reviewing the six kicks of space

In this video, Lewis outlines six kicks.

However, notice he neglects the dimension of time.

Time must not be ignored to become a 4-dimensional fighter.

The Time Dimension

Time is the supreme dimension of them all.

It governs birth, growth, collapse, and death and is the ultimate currency of life.

As it relates to the eight strikes, time provides us with our fourth dimension.

It gives us the dualistic construct of witik versus labtik.

Witik and labtik come from the Filipino Martial Arts and are prominent in weapon fighting.

Witik means to retract or to break the strike.

Labtik means to follow through or complete the strike.

Each type produces a fundamentally different rhythm in its application.

Rhythm is correlated to time.

Here is an excellent video discussing the basics of witik versus labtik.

Witik & Labtik Strikes in Filipino Martial Arts

Fighting in all Four Dimensions

What does it mean to be a 4-dimensional fighter?

As it relates to striking, 4-dimensional combat means tool simplicity but variational sophistication.

In other words, take one tool and maximize its full multidimensional capability.

A single punch can be multi-dimensionalized in 8 ways:

You can fire the punch high (jab, cross, uppercut, backfist, overhead)
You can fire the punch low (jab, cross, uppercut, backfist, overhead)
You can fire the punch in a straight line (jab, cross)
You can fire the punch in a curve (hook, uppercut, backfist, overhead)
You can fire the punch from the lead hand (jab, hook, uppercut, backfist, overhead)
You can fire the punch from the rear hand (cross, hook, uppercut, backfist, overhead)
You can labtik the punch (jab, cross, hook, uppercut, backfist, overhead)
You can witik the punch (jab, cross, hook, uppercut, backfist, overhead)

As you can see, using a single tool, a punch, at least eight basic variations can be spawned, each with a fractal of techniques.

What if we added more than punching? Tools such as elbows, knees, and feet?

Adding this extra anatomy now gives us four tools. Therefore, the following formula applies.

4 tools x 8 ways = 32 variations

After a while, one realizes you don’t need that many tools to be effective.

Tool minimization is the heart of what 4-dimensional combat is about.

This realization is where Bruce Lee gets the notion from his famous quote:

“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”

Bruce realized that even if you know the kick is coming, the man who has practiced a single kick four-dimensionally is virtually unstoppable.

About the Author

Scott Gehring is a modern-day enlightenment warrior who delights in adventure, free-spiritedness, creativity, tinkering, travel, and an insatiable love for constructive conflict.

An acclaimed expert in multiple martial arts styles, Scott, for over 35 years, has passionately pursued understanding, performance, health, discipline, truth, morality, and the purity of combat.