Four Finger Poke – Martial Arts Technique

This page provides details for the four finger poke. This self-defense technique is a variation of the traditional two finger poke (scissor poke or Three Stooges poke). While the four finger poke looks like a Vulcan salute, it is a stronger reinforced finger poke than the two finger version (as the forefinger is reinforcing the middle finger and the pinky is reinforcing the ring finger). For other martial arts punches & strikes, please visit Black Belt Wiki’s main Punches & Strikes section.

The four finger poke is most often used by martial artists in order to target an attacker’s eyes. Nevertheless, eye strikes are illegal in almost all martial arts sparring competitions. These attacks on vital areas are taught by martial arts schools in order to be used only in life or death situations as they can severely injure an opponent. In order to reduce the potential for accidents, many martial arts schools practice eye strikes against the eyes of BOB (Body Opponent Bags) training dummies versus “live” students. Or they practice against students who are wearing large plastic face shields in order to protect the student’s eyes and face.

Martial arts punches & strikes and all other martial arts techniques should only be practiced under the supervision of a trained martial arts instructor.