Basics ... making a good fist

A good fist must be tight and well formed.

Open your hand and straighten your fingers ... keep them tightly together.

Fold your fingers down to the top of your open hand.

Now fold your fingers tightly into your palm.

Now close your thumb under the closed fist.

Never close your fist around your thumb.  If you punch someone with a fist shaped as below,
you'll break your thumb.

This is how a correctly formed fist looks from the side.

Remember that when you punch in Karate, your energy and power is delivered via the first two knuckles only.  When we do press-ups on our knuckles, we only balance on those four knuckles.

Villayat 'Wolf' Sunkmanitu

Images by Will Huggins