Image via Wikipedia

It sounds pretty basic. After all, every martial artist has seen a punch before or at least knows what a proper fist looks like. But what allows that 100 lb student to hit harder than the guy with the 18” arms? Surely not size, or even strength.

Punching power is simply the transfer of energy. Power comes from the largest muscles in the body, the hips, and is transferred up to the torso whose power and strength is added, then to the shoulder, down the arm and lastly to the fist, two knuckles of the fist. Think of the strength of the largest muscles concentrated on two little knuckles. That is where power comes from.

If the stance isn’t correct, the power is diminished; if the shoulders aren’t straight the power is split in two, technique, technique, technique. This is why we work on basics, stances, focus in every class.

Think of a hammer. It hurts when you accidentally tap your finger instead of the nail. But is all that striking force from the head of the hammer? Of course not. That’s why there is a handle. It’s the leveraging of the weight, or the torque that shows such a variance in striking force. Like a fist, the hammer head is simply the striking end.

The arm doesn’t punch the body does.

Simple science for the martial arts. The transfer of energy. Now you know how to maximize and leverage your punch.

Grand Master Rankin