Wing Chun punch is like a bullet

[KPM]

[Even if the punch decelerates as it penetrates, if the initial impact is the same, then the damage it does is at least the same.

---Not true. Read some of the further responses from others. Impact is also relative to the target itself. And compare two punches that both land on the ribcage traveling at the same speed with the same mass and therefore the same impact. One punch accelerates through the target while the other one decelerates and dissipates its force. Which punch will do the most damage? I would posit that the first punch is not "pushing", it simply has better penetration. The second punch "pushes".


As it penetrates, the struck body will be suddenly and traumatically displaced, causing potential further damage. The head gets whipped around when the side of the chin is punched, for example. That whiplash alone can be very damaging.

---That is only because hitting someone on the chin so that their head whips around offers little resistance to the punch compared to hitting them in the soft abdomen or in the chest. There is little deceleration when hitting someone on the chin. Therefore the punch penetrates and doesn't "push" much more easily than striking the abdomen or chest.


If the speed is sufficient AND the body behind it is stable enough for it to land solidly, then the punch is effective. That holds true whether you do or do not seek to penetrate further.

---Any punch can be effective. Heck, a 10 year old girl can throw an effective punch depending upon the circumstances. But not every punch is optimal. I like to punch optimally for the circumstance.


Newtonian physics is relevant, but not as straight forward as that.

---Like I already said, F = M * A over simplifies things, but at least it gives a way to start thinking about the dynamics.

 

[Flying Crane]

[Even if the punch decelerates as it penetrates, if the initial impact is the same, then the damage it does is at least the same.

---Not true. Read some of the further responses from others. Impact is also relative to the target itself. And compare two punches that both land on the ribcage traveling at the same speed with the same mass and therefore the same impact. One punch accelerates through the target while the other one decelerates and dissipates its force. Which punch will do the most damage? I would posit that the first punch is not "pushing", it simply has better penetration. The second punch "pushes".


As it penetrates, the struck body will be suddenly and traumatically displaced, causing potential further damage. The head gets whipped around when the side of the chin is punched, for example. That whiplash alone can be very damaging.

---That is only because hitting someone on the chin so that their head whips around offers little resistance to the punch compared to hitting them in the soft abdomen or in the chest. There is little deceleration when hitting someone on the chin. Therefore the punch penetrates and doesn't "push" much more easily than striking the abdomen or chest.


If the speed is sufficient AND the body behind it is stable enough for it to land solidly, then the punch is effective. That holds true whether you do or do not seek to penetrate further.

---Any punch can be effective. Heck, a 10 year old girl can throw an effective punch depending upon the circumstances. But not every punch is optimal. I like to punch optimally for the circumstance.


Newtonian physics is relevant, but not as straight forward as that.

---Like I already said, F = M * A over simplifies things, but at least it gives a way to start thinking about the dynamics.

As I said, if you are happy with your methods, keep at them.

 

[wingchun100]

Or Hong Kong, as it were.

 

[Juany118]

I guess a lot gets lost in the Hollywood portrayal of Wing Chun

Very much so. I was simply talking about the "stereotypical" punch but my Sifu teaches us that punching is situational after you are no longer a novice. I actually, for general striking, prefer palm and elbow strikes over punches personally.

 

[wtxs]

www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/amp3093/the-science-of-bruce-lees-one-inch-punch-16814527/

Thanks for finding the article.

 

[JowGaWolf]

People actually debate whether the one inch punch is more push than punch? If they were ever on the receiving end, it's pretty obvious.

It's a short jab with a lot of body weight going into the punch. It's the typical mechanics for a kung fu punch in general.

The article from popular mechanics gets one thing wrong about the punch, it's not the hips that is twisting it's the waist. The force that the waist generates from twisting is more than what the hips generate. One only has to look at baseball, golf, and hockey, to get a good idea of just how powerful the waist is. The stronger the core is the more powerful the punch can be. Bruce Lee had a really good core. The article makes the mistake of calling the short jab as a flick. The one inch punch is impressive but the thing can be done with a zero inch punch. In other words the fist can actually be on the target and still deliver the force of a punch.

It was is interesting is to read how training affects the brain. "The altered white matter allows for more abundant or complex cell connections in that brain region." This is a good thing especially as a person gets older. "Lee earned his brainpower the hard way, with many years of practice." I'm glad that they put this because it means that the improved white matter can be obtained by anyone. One of the things that students in my school say is that Kung Fu hurts their brain (I guess that's from the new connections being made).

Martial arts may also help prevent and lessen motor skill diseases where the brain and the body have a difficult time in communicating. This makes sense when I see old people do martial arts and they are able to move so well, yet non-martial artists seem to lose the ability to move without struggles.