Possible Clues:

• "Empty hand" fighting skill, literally
• Hands-on defense?
• It's got chops
• King introducing a charge for unarmed combat
• Japanese art of unarmed combat
• Martial art demonstrated by artist taken hold of by shrew?
• With the girl around the artist may get the chop
• One might get the chop from the girl around the Acedemician
• Sort of chop a farmer finally fed to shrew
• A taker (anag)