Do you personally punch harder with bent arms compared to extended?

[Wing Woo Gar]

You CAN hit it but not with any meaningful power.

It’s not an indictment man, nobody knows it all, there’s lots to learn in martial arts.

 

[Badhabits]

You CAN hit it but not with any meaningful power.

You'd be surprised. More than hard enough for it to snap back and make that cracking noise a proper one makes. If you spent more time throwing punches you'd know these things are totally possible. It's not even that special lol.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

You CAN hit it but not with any meaningful power.

May I ask how you train, and how long you’ve been training? A lot of the respondents here have been at it for 25-45 years. There are very knowledgeable people here. Take advantage of that.

 

[Buka]

Punching is less complicated than kicking, but punching is still complicated. Yeah, I know, the key is to simplify. But it’s still complicated.

Whenever I hear an experienced and successful fighter say, “Man, so and can really punch.” I immediately want to study so and so’s punching.

We all know martial artists that look great on the bag or hitting air or doing forms but who sometimes have trouble applying their skill to resistance.

As someone experienced in blocking with his face I can attest that it’s all good. Keep working punches, brothers.

 

[marvin8]

I talked to a karate fighter who participated in a study in which the karatekas had higher punch output when their straight punch arm was bent compared to extended. This was a surprise to them.

Round punches like the rear overhand or lead hook are often considered more powerful.

Could it be that there's greater bicep engagement when the arm is bent compared to straightened out?

A powerful punch involves the coordination of the whole body,

Also perhaps stronger wrist support at the point of impact?

Per Stuart McGill, contract -> relax -> contract (at point of impact) creates power.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

Round punches like the rear overhand or lead hook are often considered more powerful.


A powerful punch involves the coordination of the whole body,


Per Stuart McGill, contract -> relax -> contract (at point of impact) creates power.

How about per Marvin for once?

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

You CAN hit it but not with any meaningful power.

Maybe you are just that guy that can eat punches like crackers.

 

[Holmejr]

For straight punches definitely extend fully for a stronger punch. Plus, more deceptive and harder to defend against.

 

[Fungus]

You also have more ability to "follow through" then you do with a punch that's already extended when you land it.

I agree and think this is key, which is one to qualify what one really means by "power" and how it is measured. Peak force is one thing, and total energy transfer (integrated over the path of the impact) is another one.

The strikes which can carry power longer path (such as a hook) is also more forgiving as it may work even if target is moving a few cm during execution. A straight punch has a quite narrow impact path, so backing just an inch it takes all the power out of it, and if you are once inch too close it is also choked.

When breaking a board, the board isn't moving, and it takes little energy by high force, so then a straight punch may be the better choice.

 

[JowGaWolf]

I like experiencing things the same way. The amazing part is that was the light punch lol. I like how none of them took a hit over the heart and that safety was still a priority.

When the host of the clip said that he wanted to experience it "As it really is" I immediately thought. " No you don't" lol

There some strikes that land in such a way that you know you don't want the full show. Once someone gets to this level, there's no need to do sparring with hard strikes.

Per Stuart McGill, contract -> relax -> contract (at point of impact) creates power.

I like the word "Contract" instead of "being tense"

 

[Fungus]

You CAN hit it but not with any meaningful power.

The feedback of a heavy bag is a little different than hittin say the sternum. A heavy bag is swampy, meaning you need a longer impact distance. So practicing on different targets trains different things. This is at least my personal experience.

We currently have no makiwara by I occasionally hit a steel beem with gloves to train the alignment thing that is on that video. It really works, but the lesson is that distance management is critical, you need cm precision. On the heavy bag otoh, it is different.

Training both is nice I think. At the heavy bag, there is still a similar structure at the peak impace, but you need stabilitity to drive also before and after, to make it robust if the distance is a few cm off in a real situation when subject is moving.

 

[O'Malley]

I like experiencing things the same way. The amazing part is that was the light punch lol. I like how none of them took a hit over the heart and that safety was still a priority.

When the host of the clip said that he wanted to experience it "As it really is" I immediately thought. " No you don't" lol

There some strikes that land in such a way that you know you don't want the full show. Once someone gets to this level, there's no need to do sparring with hard strikes.

I'm not sure I'd want the full show either! I wonder how you can spar safely to see if you can land this kind of technique.

I like the word "Contract" instead of "being tense"

Me too, it's more accurate, as tension can mean many things.

 

[windwalker099]

Met Chris as a teenager long ago. Wing Chun wasn’t my thing, had high school friends who studied under him.
Nice guy very funny at times. one of the founding teachers introducing Chinese martial arts to the West

It should be noted in CMA most practices hitting things in developing power use whats called Dit da jow (跌打酒) "iron hitting wine" as an herbal liniment to protect the skin, thought to help the bones become denser, and draw "Qi" to the area being developed.

caution:
Dit da jow should only be used externally. Do not apply to open wounds or broken skin.

They used and developed something they called dynamic tension, which was thought to allow them to develop power within a very short range and time.

 

[windwalker099]

Southern mantis also has a similar method of power generation..Using the breath
called "inch power "

The importance of Lam's 1st Generation teaching is that every skill, in the Som Bo Gin Form, was taught, in three actions. One step consisted of three steps forward.

Each three steps executed one, two, or three short powers. Then Three circle hands with short power. Three moves forward of three steps equaled 9. Nine is the number of completion in Chinese numerology, by which Hakka people abide.

Of equal importance was the teaching of Holding the Breath during Som Bo Gin practice. There is a step by step method which is said to force the root into the feet and the breath below the navel. The method of holding the breath is critical.

 

[JowGaWolf]

I wonder how you can spar safely to see if you can land this kind of technique.

My experience is that the sparring has to be very honest and my sparring partner has to be honest about "What could have been if the punch landed."

From my perspective, I know when technique will land because I see it a mile away. When something is timed really well, it's timed "long before" the technique lands. For example, if you and I were training together, I would know if a punch would land because I have this thought that I could just hit you my hardest and land the strike, but I won't so I hold back power or redirect where the technique lands.

If you are able to block and defend against the slow stuff and i'm not seeing any real openings then I'm less confident that I will be successful with more power. Because the timing is off. It's not feeling like I could just put in all of my power and land the technique with no problem.

If I can't land the technique or I get countered while trying to land a technique then I know that it's less likely that I will be successful at all.

The sparring has to be honest because your sparring partner may see an opening that they know they can get without a doubt. If they tell you that it's there and that they can hit you then you have to believe it and not say "Well if you do that then I will just do this."

I've had sparring partners that would just walk through my kicks without acknowledging that the kicks were landing with ease. To them the kick was weak so they were safe. The reality is the kicks were weak by choice and if I had kicked with 50% of my power ribs would have been bruised or broken. A technique that enters successfully without restriction is the most dangerous. That same sparring partner told me that if he was really open, to just kick him hard so that he will learn. I didn't do that. That's a destructive way to learn. If you can't trust your sparring partner at that level then you won't be able to safely train those techniques.

you also want someone to be aware of when they would have been hit so they don't smash your face in when you pull power or redirect a strike. The one thing that was always constant for me. If I tell you I can land a technique on you, I can do it at will. I will tell you what I will do and then do it, and it lands.

The combo Jab+vertical back fist is such a technique. I can tell someone that I will do that at will and then I will proceed to show that it's possible. That combo is a much higher percentage than my regular jab combos. I can pull off that combo at slower speeds and park my fist in front of my partner's face without landing it. There are some people I don't use it with because I know that if I don't land the technique, they would punch me instead of acknowledging that punch would have landed. I don't like to spar with those people because they normally don't have the awareness that they were in danger.

 

[Fungus]

I'm not sure I'd want the full show either! I wonder how you can spar safely to see if you can land this kind of technique.

This type of strike and some variations is common strike in kyokushin. It has a slight downwards direction.
Hitting the chest or sternum is the "friendly version". The nasty version is hitting the collar bone, but with more curve.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

Southern mantis also has a similar method of power generation..Using the breath
called "inch power "

Three arrow step. It’s Tong Long Pai. Many versions of this form. We have one as well.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

Southern mantis also has a similar method of power generation..Using the breath
called "inch power "

Ours is done In a deep kneeling stance throughout.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

Southern mantis also has a similar method of power generation..Using the breath
called "inch power "

A powerful punch has to do with knee bend more than with arm bend. Don't see any "knee bend" in your southern CMA video.

In this video, this southern CMA guy has good "elbow and knee coordination". You can see when his elbow moves, his knee also moves at the same time. But this kind of high-level skill video is so hard to find.