Tsuppari: The Rapid Thrust
A volley of open-handed thrusts into the chest, delivered faster than you can count them. It looks like the most aggressive thing in sumo. It is really about keeping the other man at a distance he cannot work from.
突っ張り (tsuppari) is a series of thrusts, thrown with open hands, usually alternating left and right, into the opponent's chest, upper body and face.
It belongs to the pushing side of the sport described in oshi and yotsu — the half of sumo fought at arm's length rather than on the belt.
Why anyone would do this
The obvious answer is that thrusts hurt and push a man backwards. That is true, and it is not the whole point.
The other point is what the thrusts prevent. A wrestler who is being thrust at cannot easily close the distance, and a wrestler who cannot close the distance cannot reach the mawashi. Every hand that comes forward is a hand that is not gripping.
It is not a winning move
This is the part that confuses new viewers, and it is worth being precise about.
Tsuppari is not one of the names on the list of kimarite. It is a way of fighting, not a way of finishing. When a bout of thrusting ends with the opponent going out backwards, the announced result is most often 突き出し (tsukidashi), "thrust out", or 押し出し (oshidashi), "push out" — the one covered in oshidashi and yorikiri.
So you can hear commentary describe a wrestler as a tsuppari man all day and never once hear tsuppari announced as the result.
The trap for new viewers
Thrusting looks like striking, and striking looks like it ought to be against the rules. It is not the same thing. A closed fist is not permitted in sumo, and the thrusts here are open-handed. What you are watching is legal, and it is a recognised way to fight.
Why it does not last long
Throwing the arms forward over and over is expensive. A wrestler doing it is spending energy quickly, and a thrust that misses or is deflected leaves him briefly extended.
That is the gamble. A thrusting attack is usually trying to end the bout early — which fits the general point in why bouts are short. If it does not work, the man on the receiving end has only to stay upright, get inside, and take the grip he wanted in the first place.
Watch what happens the first time a thrust is slipped rather than absorbed. The man who was going backwards suddenly has an arm past the thrusts and a hand on the belt, and the bout can reverse in about half a second. That reversal is one of the most satisfying things in sumo to see coming.
A related word
You may also meet 張り手 (harite) — an open-handed slap.
The difference is the path the hand travels. A tsuppari thrust goes straight out and straight back. A harite swings in from outside, along a curve — if you know boxing, it is closer to a hook than to a jab.
It draws a different reaction from a crowd, too. Whether it is admired or disliked is a matter of taste, and opinions on it differ.
What to watch for
Pick a bout that opens with thrusting, and watch the man being thrust at rather than the man throwing them.
He is not simply blocking. He is absorbing the thrusts and watching for a chance to come back at the man throwing them.
The wider split this move belongs to, and how to tell which one a wrestler prefers.