Thrusting Wedge, Twist Of Fate & Parting Wings-Front 2 Hand High Push

[Kenpojujitsu3]

To me pushes and punches are very different.

I took a lesson at another school, the instructor asked me if I knew the difference between a strike and a punch. I said no. He took two steps back from me and threw a punch at my face. "Those two knuckles" he pointed out. A punch is a strike that leads with the first two knuckles. It provides a concentrated force.

Pushes on the other hand, you can get your entire body weight in to a push, and work in muscles all the way down to your feet pushing off the ground to make something go forwards. I can push my futon and make it move as much as I want. I can't do that by punching it.

At the same time, I can't push someone in the jaw.:idunno:

Just my thoughts and I'm probably making no sense because Stickarts' Arnis class wore me out. (Missed you, HKPhooey!!)

You can get all of your mass behind a punch just like a push. The difference isn't in the force generated but in the duration of the force. In a push you can keep generating the force at a near constant rate. In a punch the force is generated in a burst but dies at the end of the extension. That's also why punches do more damage than pushes. The force being generated and then dying out generates impulse or a sudden change in momentum. If the energy created by the change in momentum is greater than the energy the target can absorb, the target is damaged. A push while transferring energy with the same force as a punch may not change the momentum. Hense no damage.

 

[TChase]

You can get all of your mass behind a punch just like a push. The difference isn't in the force generated but in the duration of the force. In a push you can keep generating the force at a near constant rate. In a punch the force is generated in a burst but dies at the end of the extension. That's also why punches do more damage than pushes. The force being generated and then dying out generates impulse or a sudden change in momentum. If the energy created by the change in momentum is greater than the energy the target can absorb, the target is damaged. A push while transferring energy with the same force as a punch may not change the momentum. Hense no damage.

The force of a punch (or any other strike) doesn't have to just burst and then die out. It's very possible to simultaneously achieve the benefits of impact, and that of a push(mass displacement) in a single strike, provided your alignment/basics are correct, you maintain the proper depth, and you're completely penetrating the dimension you're attacking. Transitions and maneuvers can be used as a driving force to accentuate this. It becomes particularly interesting when attacking multi-dimensionally.

:asian:

 

[TChase]

Aha! I'm starting to understand a little better now. I'm a bit slow on the uptake sometimes...

You're doing fine...one day at a time. :asian:

 

[Hye Kenpo Nar]

On an intellectual level I think these make sense, but I have doubts about my own ability to make them work. I think the stepping forward and wedging with the forearms, as long as you clasp the hands together for stability, has the greatest potential of the three described.

Another method I like is to step to about 1:00 with the right foot and pivot to remove your torso out of the path of the push. At the same time deliver a double palm strike/block to the outside of his left elbow/upper arm area. This turns him away from you toward your left, and places you sort of behind his left flank. You are free to attack the back of his head or neck or ribs, or grab the back of his left shoulder with both hands and jerk/pull him back and down along your right side, as you sweep your right foot forward. The sweep catches the back of his left ankle and swings his foot forward and up, while pulling him down and back drops him on his head. In the Chinese arts, we call this sweeping technique Bak Hok Tom Goi, or White Crane Tests the Water. Off topic a bit, but that's one of my favorites.

in thrusting wedge you want to step to 12 into a forward bow, to be able to maintain your balance because of the bracing angle, and so you can get more hip torque and rotation when you execute the right upward elbow to the chin.