Punching- contract or not?

[cwk]

When you punch, do you relax until the moment of impact then contract or do you stay relaxed all the way through?
I personally relax all the way through when doing Chung kuen, I find it upsets my opponents structure more this way when cutting into his centre through his guard.
what about you guys?

 

[CRCAVirginia]

I cannot punch hard without making a tight fist, which keeps my wrist from rolling. Which makes tension in my forearm, however I try to limit the tension to just those body parts, which is a skill in itself. If I am punching in the air I can get away with a loose fist, but not on a heavy bag or focus mitt.

 

[qwksilver61]

the way that I was taught,is not to contract at all,for one,you can not accurately judge the distance to impact,to tense at the last moment is sort of a contradictory.Think of it as cracking a whip.When training on the wall bag speed is of the essence,your fist should be held as though you were holding a bird,closed but not tight,this way at any point in covering the distance to the point of contact,also do not rock back at all,or lean into the punch,velocity is your friend,your hands will stop on impact....if you chose to power through...your contractors will work against your extensors.Proper form when advancing,body straight,head back,chest slightly concave,weight on the rear leg,forward momentum,should all come into play.and don't forget to yield,or turn when being hard pressed."nuff said" also punching is not the end all,use many tools,and not just one screwdriver.
:barf::shock::whip1:

 

[Touch Of Death]

I cannot punch hard without making a tight fist, which keeps my wrist from rolling. Which makes tension in my forearm, however I try to limit the tension to just those body parts, which is a skill in itself. If I am punching in the air I can get away with a loose fist, but not on a heavy bag or focus mitt.

Don't tighten the whole fist.
Sean

 

[mook jong man]

Its not something I really think about , countless repetitions on the wall bag have ensured there is the correct level of tension in the wrist and fist to maintain correct structure and transmit force into the wall bag.

I believe in trying to remain as relaxed as possible , while striking and letting the intention of my mind , power the strike into and through the object.

I also believe in just " firming " the wrist area not locking it , trying to rigidly hold the wrist in position will just radiate tension straight up the forearm and decrease the force of the strike.

Firming the wrist area means trying to stay relaxed , and just using the intention of your mind to project force through your arm to keep the wrist in alignment without too much muscular effort on your part.

You can demonstrate this by holding your arm out and getting a partner to try and wiggle your fist back and forth laterally to see how much movement there is at the wrist joint.

Try it once with a lot of strength and tension in the arm , then try it again with relaxation and mentally projecting your force through your arm and thinking of firming the wrist area .

You will see that it doesn't require much muscular effort at all to keep the wrist in position when under external pressure from your partner.

This muscle isolation skill is taught in the SLT form , so it goes without saying that frequent practice of the form is a must in learning the correct way of generating force in Wing Chun Kung Fu.

 

[cwk]

Its not something I really think about , countless repetitions on the wall bag have ensured there is the correct level of tension in the wrist and fist to maintain correct structure and transmit force into the wall bag.

I believe in trying to remain as relaxed as possible , while striking and letting the intention of my mind , power the strike into and through the object.

I also believe in just " firming " the wrist area not locking it , trying to rigidly hold the wrist in position will just radiate tension straight up the forearm and decrease the force of the strike.

Firming the wrist area means trying to stay relaxed , and just using the intention of your mind to project force through your arm to keep the wrist in alignment without too much muscular effort on your part.

You can demonstrate this by holding your arm out and getting a partner to try and wiggle your fist back and forth laterally to see how much movement there is at the wrist joint.

Try it once with a lot of strength and tension in the arm , then try it again with relaxation and mentally projecting your force through your arm and thinking of firming the wrist area .

You will see that it doesn't require much muscular effort at all to keep the wrist in position when under external pressure from your partner.

This muscle isolation skill is taught in the SLT form , so it goes without saying that frequent practice of the form is a must in learning the correct way of generating force in Wing Chun Kung Fu.

pretty much the way i do it. good to see other people are on the same page.
I see your in australia mook jong man. Are you Chu Shong Tin lineage?

 

[mook jong man]

pretty much the way i do it. good to see other people are on the same page.
I see your in australia mook jong man. Are you Chu Shong Tin lineage?

Yep.

 

[cwk]

Thought you might be. from what I've seen of you guys online and on VDO there's a very big focus on relaxation and proper structure, all good stuff.