If you've ever watched someone do a round of EFT tapping, you probably noticed they start somewhere a little unexpected: the side of the hand, the part you'd use to deliver a karate chop. It's easy to rush past. But it's the point every round begins on, and what happens there sets up everything that comes after. Here's exactly where it is, why we start there, and how to use it the way I teach it.
What is the karate chop point?
The karate chop point is on the outer edge of your hand: the fleshy, slightly padded strip between the base of your pinky finger and your wrist. It's the same part of your hand you'd use to chop a block of wood, which is exactly where the name comes from. You'll also hear it called the side of hand point. Both names point to the same spot.
In traditional Chinese medicine terms, this spot sits on the Small Intestine meridian, at a location sometimes labeled SI-3 in acupressure and acupuncture references. You don't need to remember that to tap it correctly; it just means the point has a history outside of EFT, in a different healing tradition, before Gary Craig built it into the tapping sequence. It's also the only point in the whole round we use specifically for the setup statement, rather than a shorter reminder phrase.
Why EFT starts at the karate chop point
Every round of tapping opens with what's called the setup statement, said three times while you continuously tap the karate chop point. It follows a simple pattern:
"Even though I have this [problem], I deeply and completely accept myself."
You fill in the blank with whatever's actually going on: "this anxiety about the meeting," "this knot in my stomach," "this thing my sister said." Name the problem plainly. The second half is where the real work happens.
That second half exists because of something practitioners call psychological reversal. In plain terms, it just means part of you can resist feeling better, even when you want to, without you noticing it happening. Maybe some part of you learned that staying anxious keeps you prepared, or that letting go of the anger feels like letting the other person off the hook. That resistance isn't a character flaw, just an old habit your mind picked up somewhere along the way. Saying "I deeply and completely accept myself" while naming the problem tells that resistant part of you it's safe to change, without pretending the problem isn't real first. We start at the karate chop point because it's the spot where you do that acceptance work, before moving into the rest of the round.
How to tap the karate chop point
If you'd rather see it than read it, Jessica walks through every point, starting with the karate chop point, in about three minutes:
Here's exactly how I do it:
- Pick a hand. Most people tap the karate chop point of their non-dominant hand with the fingertips of their dominant hand, but either way works.
- Use several fingers, not one. I usually use all four fingertips, lined up along the outer edge of my hand, so I cover the area instead of hunting for one exact spot.
- Tap firmly, not gently. Firm enough to feel it clearly, the way you'd tap someone's shoulder to get their attention. It should never hurt.
- Say your setup statement while you tap. Keep tapping continuously through the full sentence, out loud if you can: "Even though I have this [problem], I deeply and completely accept myself."
- Repeat two more times, then move on. Same statement, same spot, three times through. Then continue to the rest of the points: eyebrow, side of the eye, under the eye, under the nose, chin, collarbone, under the arm, top of the head.
The whole thing takes about 15 to 20 seconds. It's a small piece of a much bigger sequence, but skipping it changes how the round feels for a lot of people.
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Say you're nervous about a hard conversation you have to have tomorrow. Rate the nervousness, 0 to 10. Let's say it's a 7. Then, tapping the karate chop point firmly and continuously, say out loud, three times:
"Even though I'm dreading this conversation tomorrow and I don't know how it's going to go, I deeply and completely accept myself."
Take a breath. Notice if anything shifted, even slightly: a loosened jaw, a slower breath. It doesn't have to drop to zero here; this is the setup, not the whole round. From here you'd move into the rest of the points, using a short reminder phrase like "this dreaded conversation" at each one. But those three repetitions at the karate chop point, on their own, tend to take a little of the charge off before you even reach the eyebrow point.
One app user described using this point on its own, in the middle of a busy day, without going through the rest of the sequence: "If I'm with other people I can do a few minutes of breathing just using the karate chop point unobtrusively, pressing rather than tapping. Really helpful." That's Susan, describing her Tap and Breathe session.
Common mistakes with the karate chop point
- Tapping the wrong spot. The karate chop point is the fleshy outer edge, not the top or back of the hand. Tapping near your knuckles means you've drifted.
- Rushing the statement. Saying "even though I have this thing, I accept myself" as fast as possible, without thinking about the words, tends to blunt the effect. Slow down enough to mean it.
- Skipping it entirely. It's tempting to jump straight to the face and body points, especially once tapping becomes a habit. But the setup statement is doing real work, not just filling time.
- Using it alone and expecting the results of a full round. Tapping just the karate chop point, like Susan does above, is a real, useful quick tool in the moment. Just know it's a lighter touch than tapping all nine points, not a replacement for it.
- Not naming the actual problem. "Even though I have this stress" works, but "even though I'm dreading tomorrow's 2pm call with my landlord" works better. The more specific you are, the more the statement has to hold onto.
Karate chop or collarbone: does it matter which one you start with?
You may have heard tapping described starting at the collarbone point instead of the karate chop point. Both are correct. The collarbone point is a real, separate spot: an inch down and an inch out from the center dip where your two collarbones meet, on either side of your chest, not directly under your chin. Some teachers and older EFT material use it as the setup point instead, and it works the same way.
This mix-up shows up in real questions we get. One app user, part way through her first tapping session, wrote in: "Are there other spots besides the ones noted here? I felt a strong pull towards a spot on my chest just below the collarbone spot." That's Judy, from her Intro to Tapping and The App session. It's a fair thing to wonder, and the plain answer is that you're not doing it wrong. The collarbone point also shows up later, as one of the eight main round points, not just as an alternate setup spot. So depending on how you were taught, you might tap near your collarbone twice in one round: once instead of the karate chop point for the setup, and once again in its usual place in the sequence. Neither approach is more correct. Pick the one that's easiest for you to find and stick with it.
Where the karate chop point fits in the full sequence
The karate chop point is the first stop, not the whole trip. After your three setup statements there, a full round moves through the other eight EFT tapping points: eyebrow, side of the eye, under the eye, under the nose, chin, collarbone, under the arm, and top of the head. If you want the background on how these points connect to the body's meridians, or you're curious about optional add-ons like the Gamut point, both are worth a look once the basics feel familiar. Wondering how often to actually sit down and tap? This guide covers that. And our Tapping 101 page is the best place to start if any of this is brand new.
What our data shows
The karate chop point isn't tracked as its own session inside The Tapping Solution App; it's the opening move of every round, not a separate meditation. But the numbers on getting started with tapping overall are strong. Across the 7 sessions in our Getting Started category (239,422 completions), users' self-rated distress drops from an average of 6.1 to 3.5, a 42% drop, in a single sitting. Our own Intro to Tapping and The App session, which walks you through the karate chop point along with the rest of the sequence, has been completed 41,742 times, with ratings dropping from 5.6 to 4.2. And in a peer-reviewed study of 270,461 Tapping Solution App users, a single guided session lowered self-rated anxiety by 44% and stress by 45% (Church & Stapleton, 2020, JMIR mHealth and uHealth).
- Instantly reduce anxiety and stress
- Fall asleep faster and sleep better
- Boost productivity, stay motivated
- Relieve chronic or occasional pain
- Release anger, find peace
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the karate chop point the same as the side of hand point?
Yes. Karate chop point and side of hand point are two names for the exact same spot: the fleshy outer edge of your hand, between the base of your pinky finger and your wrist. You'll see both names used, sometimes even on the same page.
Do I have to say the setup statement out loud?
It works better out loud, but it isn't required. Speaking the words engages more of your brain and keeps you from drifting, which is why we teach it that way. If you're in public or somewhere private isn't an option, saying it quietly or even just thinking it clearly while you tap still works.
Which hand should I tap the karate chop point on?
Either hand works. Most people tap the karate chop point on their non-dominant hand using the fingertips of their dominant hand, but there's no rule here. Use whatever feels natural.
Can I use the collarbone point instead of the karate chop point?
Yes. Some people start their setup statement at the collarbone point instead of the karate chop point, and both are taught as valid starting spots. The collarbone point is an inch down and an inch out from the center dip where your collarbones meet, not directly under your chin. Pick whichever is easier to reach and stick with it.
How many times do I tap the karate chop point?
Say your full setup statement three times while continuously tapping the karate chop point, at a pace that feels natural, roughly one tap per word. There's no exact count of taps that matters more than getting through all three repetitions.
Does tapping the karate chop point hurt?
No, it shouldn't. Tap firmly enough to feel it, about the pressure you'd use to get someone's attention with a tap on the shoulder, but it should never hurt or leave a mark. If it does, you're tapping too hard.
Try it for yourself
The karate chop point is small, easy to overlook, and worth every one of the 15 seconds it takes. Next time you sit down to tap, or need a quick reset in a hard moment, start there, say the words like you mean them, and notice what shifts before you even reach the rest of the round.
Download The Tapping Solution App today for hundreds of guided Tapping meditations that walk you through every point, including the karate chop point, from start to finish.
Until next time... Keep Tapping!
Nick Ortner
