# Boxing Legend Reacts & Analyzes BRUCE LEE's Punch



## Terrible Tim Witherspoon (Dec 21, 2021)




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## JowGaWolf (Dec 21, 2021)

Watching this video now.  I like hearing form people outside of Traditional Martial Arts.    There's 2 things to the punch.  The real side and the Trick.

*So the punch is real*, *The trick is the stance.* The person getting hit is the worse possible stance to absorb this punch.. I take that back. Standing on one leg is the worst stance. Standing like these guys come in a close second stance. lol. Because the stance is bad they are easy to knock over. The knock over effect wouldn't be so exaggerated or may not even happen if they were in a fighting stance or a traditional martial arts Bow Stance. The sliding of the chair is caused by the energy of him stumbling backwards. The punch just knocked him off balance. A lot of fighting systems understand the importance of balance and will try to exploit that because you will be at the most weakest when your balance is weak.

*The other trick is the type of pad being used*. The type of pad that is being used transfers a lot of energy into a wider area which creates a big push effect.. There are certain pads I won't hold up to my chest like that because I like breathing and I like that my heart beats normal lol.

Everything else is good punching technique and power generation.   Boxers get bent over all the time with from short punches to the body.   I hate to say this but sometimes Martial Arts demos have a lot of tricks in them, which is why people don't get those same results when they fight. When it comes to martial arts you have to watch both the person doing the technique and the one that is getting hit with the technique.


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## Kung Fu Wang (Dec 21, 2021)

Everybody can do this if they have the correct "body rotation".


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## JowGaWolf (Dec 21, 2021)

Not sure if you are interested but there's a zero inch punch as well.   It's a real punch.  It can hurt as well.  I personally think the zero inch punch is easier to do.


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## Kung Fu Wang (Dec 21, 2021)

JowGaWolf said:


> Not sure if you are interested but there's a zero inch punch as well.   It's a real punch.  It can hurt as well.


May be body method is better term than body rotation. If you can punch with your arms behind your back, you can understand the 0 distance punch. You don't use arm to punch. You use body to punch.

We should not care about how far the fist is from the target. We should only care about how much body method that you can add into it. The body method can be

- left -> right,
- right -> left, or
- back -> front (most WC people use this method).

2 feet punch with 0 body method < 0 inch punch with maximum body method


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## Wing Woo Gar (Dec 21, 2021)

Kung Fu Wang said:


> Everybody can do this if they have the correct "body rotation".


I think it’s odd that so many people think that Bruce lee invented this. It’s ubiquitous in cma. Am I Bruce lee? No. Can I do the 1 inch punch? Yes, me and probably a million other people can too.


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## Oily Dragon (Dec 21, 2021)

I'll post some background detail later wheh I have more time on how Lee marketed this, but the one inch punch is actually a really common Southern fighting bridge, Cheun Kiu.

It's not limited to punches, the body mechanics are broadly applicable to everything from punching to pushing to pummeling.

Bruce Lee picked up the concept from Wing Chun, because Cheun Kiu happens to be one of those bridges that is a bit deceptive (like all True Warfare) but the style relies on it heavily, even if many students and teachers never learned this part of their history.


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## Wing Woo Gar (Dec 21, 2021)

Oily Dragon said:


> I'll post some background detail later wheh I have more time on how Lee marketed this, but the one inch punch is actually a really common Southern fighting bridge, Cheun Kiu.
> 
> It's not limited to punches, the body mechanics are broadly applicable to everything from punching to pushing to pummeling.
> 
> Bruce Lee picked up the concept from Wing Chun, because Cheun Kiu happens to be one of those bridges that is a bit deceptive (like all True Warfare) but the style relies on it heavily, even if many students and teachers never learned this part of their history.


Thank you for elaborating this!


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## Wing Woo Gar (Dec 21, 2021)

Oily Dragon said:


> I'll post some background detail later wheh I have more time on how Lee marketed this, but the one inch punch is actually a really common Southern fighting bridge, Cheun Kiu.
> 
> It's not limited to punches, the body mechanics are broadly applicable to everything from punching to pushing to pummeling.
> 
> Bruce Lee picked up the concept from Wing Chun, because Cheun Kiu happens to be one of those bridges that is a bit deceptive (like all True Warfare) but the style relies on it heavily, even if many students and teachers never learned this part of their history.


It’s things like this that make a legend.


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## Wing Woo Gar (Dec 21, 2021)

JowGaWolf said:


> Not sure if you are interested but there's a zero inch punch as well.   It's a real punch.  It can hurt as well.  I personally think the zero inch punch is easier to do.


Same mechanics. I agree, somewhat easier to do. Maybe because contact is already established? Never really thought much about why. it’s fun to show it to new students and then show them what’s really happening. My Sifu would do it open palm with a second guy back to back with the receiver. The second guy would always get thrown forward. When new people would ask how? Sifu would say”that’s why my name is on the sign outside.” in the advanced class he would just blow it off and say “it’s a trick, anyone can do it”.


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## Wing Woo Gar (Dec 21, 2021)

Wing Woo Gar said:


> It’s things like this that make a legend.


Somebody will be mad at me for saying these things but it is true.


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## Oily Dragon (Dec 21, 2021)

This animated GIF sums it up well.  Please click on it.  The "inch" bridge is at the very end.

See the shadow?  Did it take a second viewing?  If it did, you're dead.








			https://c.tenor.com/nQDVWue8RQkAAAAC/snake-strike.gif


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## Terrible Tim Witherspoon (Dec 22, 2021)

JowGaWolf said:


> Watching this video now.  I like hearing form people outside of Traditional Martial Arts.    There's 2 things to the punch.  The real side and the Trick.
> 
> *So the punch is real*, *The trick is the stance.* The person getting hit is the worse possible stance to absorb this punch.. I take that back. Standing on one leg is the worst stance. Standing like these guys come in a close second stance. lol. Because the stance is bad they are easy to knock over. The knock over effect wouldn't be so exaggerated or may not even happen if they were in a fighting stance or a traditional martial arts Bow Stance. The sliding of the chair is caused by the energy of him stumbling backwards. The punch just knocked him off balance. A lot of fighting systems understand the importance of balance and will try to exploit that because you will be at the most weakest when your balance is weak.
> 
> ...


You are 100% right about the stance! That is about as bad of a stance to be in when receiving a blow this way. What I find interesting though is the way he is using his body. Not sure if this is from his Kung Fu training or his studies of boxing, especially old school boxing. I know Bruce studied a lot of old school boxing. He was truly a kinesiologist, but I am starting to really look into Kung Fu. Some very interesting motions in the traditional arts.


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## Terrible Tim Witherspoon (Dec 22, 2021)

Oily Dragon said:


> This animated GIF sums it up well.  Please click on it.  The "inch" bridge is at the very end.
> 
> See the shadow?  Did it take a second viewing?  If it did, you're dead.
> 
> ...


Great example or speed and using your coiling


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## Terrible Tim Witherspoon (Dec 22, 2021)

Kung Fu Wang said:


> May be body method is better term than body rotation. If you can punch with your arms behind your back, you can understand the 0 distance punch. You don't use arm to punch. You use body to punch.
> 
> We should not care about how far the fist is from the target. We should only care about how much body method that you can add into it. The body method can be
> 
> ...


Very good point


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## Terrible Tim Witherspoon (Dec 22, 2021)

Wing Woo Gar said:


> Somebody will be mad at me for saying these things but it is true.


You have to understand I am looking at Bruce's Lee's punch from a perspective of someone who has been hit by some of the greatest punchers in history. Believe me I know punching power lol I have also coached a lot of fighters both pros and Amateurs. I have of course seen countless demonstrations of the one-inch punch. I have also seen and felt the punches of people who claim to have amazing power many it turned out were more hype than anything. In the end you gain an insight into punching power. Bruce is showing a very unique ability to use his body and have penetration. I see a lot of people doing these demonstrations in a pushing manner. He is truly penetrating his target and using his body in a very special way. It is actually one of the hardest motions to teach beginners and pros!


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## JowGaWolf (Dec 22, 2021)

Wing Woo Gar said:


> I think it’s odd that so many people think that Bruce lee invented this. It’s ubiquitous in cma. Am I Bruce lee? No. Can I do the 1 inch punch? Yes, me and probably a million other people can too.


I guess we have to look at it from a cultural point of view.  During the time of the demo there wasn't a lot of understanding of Martial Arts in the general public in the US.. I think fighters in general understand because a lot of are the same or similar principles that they use and train in.


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## JowGaWolf (Dec 22, 2021)

Wing Woo Gar said:


> Same mechanics. I agree, somewhat easier to do. Maybe because contact is already established?


For me it's probably because I always seek where an opponent is resisting.  I can guide the resistance by putting pressure to feel the push back.  It's difficult to explain but it's like this.  I can feel objects push back.  When I push a cup with my fingers it feels like the cup is pushing back. When I push against a wall it feels like the wall is pushing back.   That push back provides feedback and tells me the force that I need to apply and in which direction I need to apply it. 

So as long as I have some sort of contact prior to the strike I have no problem.  But if there's no contact, then it feels empty to me, which in this case I have to perform the strike as I would in a form when I strike the air.  I'm goofy like that. lol  Contact  is very important to me.   The longer the contact the better, that includes punches.  Here's how it works for me..  Each letter is a punch that makes contact with me.

I know what you are doing = Grappling where contact is 100%
I           w               r          g  =  Someone who punches one punch at a time..
I  Kn w wha   ou  a    doin    = Someone throwing combinations

It's possible to detect things like body shift and weak rooted stances through punches.  The more I get the easier I can make out the direction they are heading in and what they are trying to set me up.  Keep in mind these are punches that I receive to my guard and not to my face lol.



Terrible Tim Witherspoon said:


> I see a lot of people doing these demonstrations in a pushing manner. He is truly penetrating his target and using his body in a very special way. It is actually one of the hardest motions to teach beginners and pros!


yep the strike is real but like you said it's really difficult for people to get it.  It's one of those things that most people won't get until they can feel that connection once, then it becomes easier for them to use the technique.


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## Cynik75 (Dec 22, 2021)




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## JowGaWolf (Dec 22, 2021)

Terrible Tim Witherspoon said:


> I know Bruce studied a lot of old school boxing. He was truly a kinesiologist, but I am starting to really look into Kung Fu. Some very interesting motions in the traditional arts.


It's really difficult to say without asking him.  It's found in Martial Arts but that doesn't mean that's where he learned it from.  It's possible that he spoke to a fighter in his earlier years and that fighter helped him understand the principle.  All it would take is a lot of practice and a lot of exploration.  I know he had a lot of influences that affected his training approach.  Maybe the hardcore Bruce Lee fans can shed some light on this.


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## Wing Woo Gar (Dec 22, 2021)

Terrible Tim Witherspoon said:


> You have to understand I am looking at Bruce's Lee's punch from a perspective of someone who has been hit by some of the greatest punchers in history. Believe me I know punching power lol I have also coached a lot of fighters both pros and Amateurs. I have of course seen countless demonstrations of the one-inch punch. I have also seen and felt the punches of people who claim to have amazing power many it turned out were more hype than anything. In the end you gain an insight into punching power. Bruce is showing a very unique ability to use his body and have penetration. I see a lot of people doing these demonstrations in a pushing manner. He is truly penetrating his target and using his body in a very special way. It is actually one of the hardest motions to teach beginners and pros!


I have no doubt you know more than most including me. I would not claim to be anything near to Bruce lee or you for that matter. I am critical of the set up however. You are correct about the penetrating force in my opinion. My Sifu could “stack” people and then strike the one in front but move the one in back. Kinda like the 5 metal balls suspended in a row where the middle 3 don’t move but the ones on the ends swing and trade impact.


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## Wing Woo Gar (Dec 22, 2021)

JowGaWolf said:


> For me it's probably because I always seek where an opponent is resisting.  I can guide the resistance by putting pressure to feel the push back.  It's difficult to explain but it's like this.  I can feel objects push back.  When I push a cup with my fingers it feels like the cup is pushing back. When I push against a wall it feels like the wall is pushing back.   That push back provides feedback and tells me the force that I need to apply and in which direction I need to apply it.
> 
> So as long as I have some sort of contact prior to the strike I have no problem.  But if there's no contact, then it feels empty to me, which in this case I have to perform the strike as I would in a form when I strike the air.  I'm goofy like that. lol  Contact  is very important to me.   The longer the contact the better, that includes punches.  Here's how it works for me..  Each letter is a punch that makes contact with me.
> 
> ...


That is Newton’s third law in action. Equal and opposite forces.


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## Oily Dragon (Dec 22, 2021)

One of the best illustrations of the concept of the "one inch" power, good old Grandmaster Lam from Canton.

This is not Wing Chun, but it's an open secret that the "one inch" bridge below is also biu ji, a core Wing Chun concept.

What's probably not clear to many is why in the photo below, the snake is at the full extension of its strike, but in demonstrations of inch "ging" power, the distance is a much shorter.  About one inch, hence the name.

Basically, the idea is that the more you can put into a shorter distance, the more powerful the impact.  Like a spring.  Hence the coil of the snake leading to the last inch of nasty pointed teeth.


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## Oily Dragon (Dec 22, 2021)

Pai Mei's "what if an enemy is three inches in front of you" scene from Kill Bill 2, same idea.  Three inches, _saam cheun._


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## Wing Woo Gar (Dec 22, 2021)

Oily Dragon said:


> View attachment 27820
> 
> Pai Mei's "what if an enemy is three inches in front of you" scene from Kill Bill 2, same idea.  Three inches, _saam cheun._


From the flying guillotine to Tarantino. Pai Mei!


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## Oily Dragon (Dec 22, 2021)

Another perspective from the Choy Li Fut side.

One of the Ten Seeds, the Na/La 拿 bridge, is a core piece of CLF's snake form. 

拿 means to seize with the hand (not exactly "shooting fingers" like the Wiki says) but it's executed as biu ji techniques (definitely means darting snakey fingers) for a reason, that last inch doesn't have to be a strike the way Lee did it, it could be a grab.  It could be a strong push, too.  It could be chest to chest.  It's all still the same one inch bridge.

You'll also see Southern family Crane techniques in this video, because like a lot of animal forms, they tend to mix in animal energies that go together like Snake and Crane.  I always find it helpful to compare things like Wing Chun and CLF, you can see where Wing Chun has lost some of its mobility compared to the broader, deeper styles.


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## Yanli (Apr 27, 2022)

JowGaWolf said:


> Watching this video now.  I like hearing form people outside of Traditional Martial Arts.    There's 2 things to the punch.  The real side and the Trick.
> 
> *So the punch is real*, *The trick is the stance.* The person getting hit is the worse possible stance to absorb this punch.. I take that back. Standing on one leg is the worst stance. Standing like these guys come in a close second stance. lol. Because the stance is bad they are easy to knock over. The knock over effect wouldn't be so exaggerated or may not even happen if they were in a fighting stance or a traditional martial arts Bow Stance. The sliding of the chair is caused by the energy of him stumbling backwards. The punch just knocked him off balance. A lot of fighting systems understand the importance of balance and will try to exploit that because you will be at the most weakest when your balance is weak.
> 
> ...


  I agree with you to a point, the stance is the reason why the person is knocked back so easily, I have seen it many times, but keep in mind, Bruce Lee has them stand like that because if he hit them while they had a solid stance, he would of greatly injured them.


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## Yanli (Apr 27, 2022)

JowGaWolf said:


> It's really difficult to say without asking him.  It's found in Martial Arts but that doesn't mean that's where he learned it from.  It's possible that he spoke to a fighter in his earlier years and that fighter helped him understand the principle.  All it would take is a lot of practice and a lot of exploration.  I know he had a lot of influences that affected his training approach.  Maybe the hardcore Bruce Lee fans can shed some light on this.


   Look at the punch as driving your force, balance, and movement forward. I do not know how you were taught to throw a punch, but one method is to hand to your side totally relaxed, slowly focusing all your energy and strength in your forward motion, and you have your arm and hand fully solid at the point that you hit the target. That is essentially doing with the 1 inch punch.


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## Cynik75 (Apr 30, 2022)

Yanli said:


> ... Bruce Lee has them stand like that because if he hit them while they had a solid stance, he would of greatly injured them.


Or would not injure them at all...


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## Yanli (Apr 30, 2022)

Cynik75 said:


> Or would not injure them at all...


  I assure you, it would hurt, a lot.


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## Yanli (Apr 30, 2022)

Oily Dragon said:


> Another perspective from the Choy Li Fut side.
> 
> One of the Ten Seeds, the Na/La 拿 bridge, is a core piece of CLF's snake form.
> 
> ...


  I am not exactly sure by lost its mobility, but to guess what you mean, I would answer that what was lost is because it was wasted movement and energy. Wing Chun is a more direct approach, not the circler, this makes less movement to respond to, and saves energy.


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## Dirty Dog (Apr 30, 2022)

Yanli said:


> I agree with you to a point, the stance is the reason why the person is knocked back so easily, I have seen it many times, but keep in mind, Bruce Lee has them stand like that because if he hit them while they had a solid stance, he would of greatly injured them.


Sure. Because Magic Chi Balls.


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## Yanli (Apr 30, 2022)

Dirty Dog said:


> Sure. Because Magic Chi Balls.


  Well, one can see it in different ways, I would put it in a more physical manner. Think of it this way, put your hand to your side, palm facing upward, as you slowly go to throw the strike, slowly tighten up your muscles starting from your shoulder and going to your fist, and you get all those muscles fully tightened right at the point you get to the target. Of course, stance and movement plays a vital roll in the strike.


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## Dirty Dog (Apr 30, 2022)

Yanli said:


> Well, one can see it in different ways, I would put it in a more physical manner. Think of it this way, put your hand to your side, palm facing upward, as you slowly go to throw the strike, slowly tighten up your muscles starting from your shoulder and going to your fist, and you get all those muscles fully tightened right at the point you get to the target. Of course, stance and movement plays a vital roll in the strike.


I've trained for over 50 years. I know how to throw a punch.
The notion that a single strike will "greatly injure" someone is... far fetched. By far the most likely result of the strike would be a bruise.


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## Cynik75 (Apr 30, 2022)

Yanli said:


> I assure you, it would hurt, a lot.


I assure you it wouldn't hurt.


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