My sensei has stated on numerous occasions that I am putting to much power into my movements and that I should concentrate on speed ...not power.

Despite everything that I am trying, I am still doing it.

Any ideas?

REEEE.........LAAAAXXXXX....

Michael

Relax, focus on the motion of your hips, drop your shoulders, and relax.

I don't think "power" is the word he means to use.

I think he means too much tension in your technique.

Speed can only be developed in a "relaxed" state...
If you are tense, you actually use "opposing" muscle groups and slow down your techniques...tension usually occurs when one "tries" to be more powerful.

"Relaxation" does not imply that one be like a wet noodle...but rather like a cat ready to spring...relaxed, but ready...and when it's time to move, only the muscles necessary are working.

To tense your wrist, arm, or shoulder not only slows it down, but disconnects it from the body...that means instead of putting 50% of your body mass behind the technique, you are only putting the mass of your arm...so you reduce speed and mass by being tense.

Physics states that kinetic force is equal to 1/2 the mass multiplied by the square of the velocity...

Your instructor is correct, therefore, in stating that speed is more important...and that comes with relaxation...as an added bonus, when you relax, you increase mass of technique by keeping the arm "connected" to the body.

:asian:
chufeng

Fantastic advice chufeng!:asian:

Originally posted by Little_Shoto

My sensei has stated on numerous occasions that I am putting to much power into my movements and that I should concentrate on speed ...not power.

Despite everything that I am trying, I am still doing it.

Any ideas?

Don't stress that you tried and are still doing it. Concentrate on tensing at the very end of your movement. Keep doing the technique over and over. It will eventually come. These things are often a time thing especially if you know what you are trying to develop. The only way is practice, practice and more practice.

A training device that may help you learn to relax, some...

A simnple candle, about 1" thick, with the flame at about shoulder level...

You stop your punch 1" from the flame...the idea is to extinguish the flame.

If you are tense, it WILL NOT go out.

The candle is an excellent teacher for relaxation AND focus, because if focus is off, it still won't go out, regardless of how relaxed you are...

speed and focus...if both are present in the technique, the candle will go out...if not, try again...nice thing about this...if you set as an objective for your training to extinguish the candle 10 times with each hand, your weak (poor technique) side will get extra repetitions...eventually both hands will be equally fast and accurate...then you WILL have power. This training was considered "secret" at one time...but I see no reason to withold it...those who will train, have the right heart...those who want quick secrets, will quit long before they gain any benefit from it.

The candle is completely objective...an honest witness to your technique.

:asian:
chufeng

hey that candle thing works! ive bin doing it off and on for a while and i can just about put it out on command now. lotsa fun :D

Thanks for all of the replies guys!

A friend of mine who did Shaolin kung fu in Vietnam told me about the candle yesterday.

I will definatley try that out this weekend. I know that I will have to build a table to mount it on though because I'm 6'2" and all of the counter tops in my house are way way way too low for me.

Curious, would it also work if I was kneeling down?


:asian:

Horse stance practice! High horse stance most likely.

Get a portable Christmas tree stand at K-mart, or whatever...
then get a wooden dowel cut to the length that will place the candle at the appropriate height and mount it in the Xmas tree holder...melt a little wax and place your candle on the end of the dowel and voila, a portable (and cheap) training device.

:asian:
chufeng

I should probably make something or my wife will probably murder me since I spent alot of money on my wood shop and haven't made anything in about 2 years. :P

Here is a tip to help you relax.

Hypnotism is a good way to help you relax and there are a ton of decent hypnosis relaxation tapes or cds on the market. The only problem is that they take about twenty minutes which is not practical, to say the least, for the martial arts. But here is someting which I have been working on. Take a cd and listen to it and start to relax. After you are in the super relaxed state say to yourself something like (for me) "Tony Relax". State it as a command and then finish the session. Now, after a half-dozen or more sessions, give your self the command when you are tensing up. It works like Pavlovs dog. Your body equates the Command with the relaxed state from the hypnotism and you will become condidtioned to relax at the command.

Anyway, give it a try and see if it works.

Tony

Trow 50 - 100 punches as fast as you can every day when that becomes easy throw 150 in the same amount of time