Martial arts tips

[Tigerwarrior]

Figured it would be a good idea to make a thread on tips. Little things you've learned in your training that helped. Can be anything. Share your wisdom with martial talk!

I'll go first. Tip: when punching if you try to punch hard you will punch with less force. If you use speed and your body weight you will punch harder than tensing and trying to put tons of power in your punch. In breaking I once couldn't break a board because I was so focused on power. Then My teacher told me to punch faster and use my body and not focus on putting strength from my arms. I broke the board. Same day, just one tip made the difference.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

When you

- think about power/speed, that's not your true power/speed.
- don't think about power/speed, that's your true power/speed.

The day when you can punch with your arms behind your back and just punch with your body, you truly understand how to punch.

When you punch, try to pay attention on your knees. Is your knee coordinate with your elbow?

 

[skribs]

Don't pull guard on the guy that more than doubles your weight.

 

[Simfers]

To all the people who've asked me what the best martial art is: The best martial art for you is the one you enjoy training in, because that's the one you'll stick with. When you stop enjoying it, find a new best one.

It's a wild ride, friends. Enjoy it.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

If your opponent wants to

- bend his arm, you help him to bend more.
- straight his arm, you help him to straight more.
- drop low, you help him to drop lower.
- stand up, you help him to stand up higher.
- stand wide, you help him to stand wider.
- stand narrow, you help him to stand narrower.
- ...

To help your opponent is to help yourself.

 

[isshinryuronin]

The day when you can punch with your arms behind your back and just punch with your body, you truly understand how to punch.

This sounds like something the ancient Shaolin master would say to his disciple in a king fu movie.................BUT,

A great observation!! Even though our arts are quite different we agree on this concept. The arm motion in a punch is just the most observable, tail-end of the technique.