A Good Strike; A Good Punch

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A strike/punch needs certain principles in order to achieve a goal of striking/hitting with power and force. First, your body mass. Your mass moving in the right direction along with the effects of gravity creates the mainstay of your power and force. Second, your velocity contributes or enhances the power and force that comes from movement of body mass, i.e., the speed and direction of that force and power. 

Now, there are other principles that are involved that are under the heading of, “Physiokinetics,” such as structure, alignment and so on. Another enhancing set of principles are the twitch of your hip girdle and shoulder girdle of just a few degrees of rotation. 

Now, since this is a strike we have to address the arm, i.e., the shoulder, the elbow, the wrist and the fist. Remember, if you are relying on the musculature and skeletal system of the arm for power and force alone you are muscling it and the results will be disappointing. The term chinkuchi, an Okinawan dialect term, translates into bone, sinew, and muscle or what I use, “Ligaments, muscles, bones, joints, tendons.” All of those act more effectively when properly structured and aligned with the muscles, tendons and ligaments along with properly aligned skeletal structure as a stabilizer so that power and force don’t bleed off. 

Then there is the principle of, “Timing.” This is the ability to bring about proper application of principles through the movement of mass moving forward and using that rotation along with the arm where they coordinate according to certain physics so that they all arrive at the target - at the SAME TIME.

Remember, in karate they often teach and practice to apply a technique where they step forward, stop, root, then rotate and strike. The stop itself breaks the power chain and if any other principle and factor misses such as improperly aligned elbow, etc., will bleed off a lot of power and force making for a bad strike or punch. 

So many karate dojo lose site of what actually makes for a powerful and forceful strike and/or punch. One way to overcome so many variables that could, may or might not get the job done is to remove the strike and punch themselves and use either the open hand form of strike or, better yet, the elbow strike. The dynamics of application take out some of the potential bleed off aspects. 

The power chain is critical to achieving a solid, forceful and powerful strike and/or punch. These principles described along with proper application of the physiokinetic principles will achieve that goal except for one more very small yet very important, critical actually, aspect - doing all of this under the stress and chemical dump you will be experiencing when attacked in a predatory way. 

“When attacked on the street at its very worse you will be completely and totally surprised, you will be experiencing pain and fear, it will be hard and fast and close from a direction least expected such as the back or back-side, and it will be a flurry of techniques that will result in your freeze and/or the OO bounce of OODA along with the loss of your balance and your structure being totally disrupted.”

Another important factor to striking/punching with power and force is the, “Optimal Effective Zone.” Even when all things come together in the power/force chain the absolute best zone to apply maximum force and power may span a mere two to three inches. This zone can be described using a auto engine power stroke metaphor. The stroke of any piston in that auto chamber at one point along that cycle produces the greatest amount of power. The arm, i.e., the shoulder, upper arm, elbow, forearm, wrist and hand as they cycle from the start to a finish there is this zone where maximum power and force is achieved when it reaches, penetrates and retracts rapidly. Each of us as to body configuration has a different zone. Each of us dependent on the application at any given moment to any given situation will have a unique zone of power and force. This, of course, adds to the complexities and helps explain, with all the other principles, etc., why striking/punching is not the end all that many karate proponents lead us to believe. Remember it is the coordinated build up of things that get the job done, not just striking and punching or even kicking, etc.

“In the midst of a chaotic two-way fight it is really difficult to keep these elements and principles of a good strike in control and hit with great force. This is why fights seldom result in injury and can go on for a long time.” - Marc MacYoung, Getting Hit and Hitting

OH yea, I almost forgot, another enhancer to power and force is also under timing, i.e., Time. Time as in the transfer of energy for to transfer that energy in the shortest amount of time creates a greater, “Impulse” and the greater the damage. Longer time = less impact = less damage and it makes it hard to stop the threat as well as articulate how you were not engaging in a mutual fight, i.e., the longer it goes on the more it is perceived as a mutual fight. 

The TIME issue equates how the strike arrives, i.e., it reaches the target, passes into the target a certain distance then snaps back as fast as reached its target. You want your adversary to stop, i.e., he collapse instantly, folds and falls or collapses a bit - staggers some trying to recover. You just gained time, time to stop and leave to safety, etc. or whatever is required for that specific situation. This type of strike/punch is called the “Snap Punch” in karate communities. Look toward “Coordinated Actions” that build like a crescendo, i.e., a snow ball rolling down a hill building upon more snow as it passes. One action that builds on a previous action until the threat is stopped - then you stop, right?

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