Increasing strike velocity

Discussion in 'Health and Fitness' started by RexKwonDo Jones, Jan 25, 2013.

  1. RexKwonDo Jones

    RexKwonDo Jones Valued Member

    Anybody have general tips to share on how to make your punches and kicks harder and faster?
     
  2. philosoraptor

    philosoraptor carnivore in a top hat Supporter

    Practice man, practice.
     
  3. RexKwonDo Jones

    RexKwonDo Jones Valued Member

    Aside from practice :p I try to do that every day.
     
  4. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

  5. RexKwonDo Jones

    RexKwonDo Jones Valued Member

  6. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    The thing is with the arm is that you can hold them out at reach all day long. You can't do this with the legs because we don't use them in the same way.

    My own belief is that you don't want to be throwing the kicks out, using momentum once the leg extends out from the body. You want to be in control throughout the entire range of motion.

    To obtain this amount of control you need strength, stamina and flexibility; the basics for any athletic endevour.
     
  7. RexKwonDo Jones

    RexKwonDo Jones Valued Member

    So what you're saying is, once I CAN hold my leg out at reach all day long due to my tremendous strength, stamina, and flexibility, THEN I will have the most honorable kicks?! :hat:

    On a serious note, I kinda figured when it came to kicking speed there wouldn't be any magical additional things you could do to augment good ol' exercise and practice, but I was hopeful :p

    I have considered trying to jury-rig some weighted shoes to throw kicks in, similar concept to punching with resistance. Or perhaps just wearing some steel-toed work boots from Wal-Mart... Do you have any specific leg strengthening or kick building exercises that you yourself use and would readily recommend?
     
  8. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    I wouldn't recommend weighted shoes.

    One of my favourite exercises is the squat and kick. This is a video I made for the MAP Members Workout Thread.

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgF2DLdtK2I"]Dynamic Hamstring Stretch.wmv - YouTube[/ame]

    Watch this video from 8.00 minutes. This is a set of exercises that I still teach today.

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGUPl5FvF68"]Bill Superfoot Wallace - How to Advanced Stretching 3/3 - YouTube[/ame]
     
    Last edited: Jan 26, 2013
  9. RexKwonDo Jones

    RexKwonDo Jones Valued Member

    Thanks so much, you really have been tremendously helpful. I'm going to implement all of your advice first thing tomorrow :)
     
  10. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

  11. RexKwonDo Jones

    RexKwonDo Jones Valued Member

    Will do! Your accent is fantastic by the way!
     
  12. Fish Of Doom

    Fish Of Doom Will : Mind : Motion Supporter

    relaaaaaaaax.

    also, practice :p (speed in the sense of hitting fast is as much if not more about timing and positioning as it is about moving your arms and legs fast. hitting power depends primarily on structure as well, and structure is a direct result of doing your movements well, not fast)
     
  13. Frozen Ghost

    Frozen Ghost Valued Member

    The general principle is that kinetic energy increases with the square of the speed, an object doubling its speed has four times as much kinetic energy. The exponential gain from speed can mean for many martial artists that exchanging the sledge hammer type punch for the iron ball on the end of a chain approach can yield much better energy expenditure efficiency and or harder impacts.
    The speed increase is gained by relaxing all the muscles except the ones contracting to throw the punch- the hand is not forcefully curled until the last split second before impact when it is solidified by the puncher.
    Punching and kicking like this is blindingly fast and expends little energy. It takes a little practice however.
     
  14. Fish Of Doom

    Fish Of Doom Will : Mind : Motion Supporter

    the kinetic energy of your moving fist does not equal the deformation stress said moving fist causes on the target during impact, however, and it is the latter that makes a punch effective.
     
  15. Frozen Ghost

    Frozen Ghost Valued Member

    I disagree- I thought it generally accepted that the more kinetic energy applied in a punch the more effect on the point of impact.
    I think most people can both test this and see it in action in the math.

    However in the interests of "ok I'll bite" please explain.
     
  16. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    *Waits for a massively over complicated series of posts explaining simple training techniques*. :D
     
  17. Frozen Ghost

    Frozen Ghost Valued Member

    I think you are right- if this is going the way of pedantry in the interests of impressing the audience I won't be fuelling it further.
     
  18. Fish Of Doom

    Fish Of Doom Will : Mind : Motion Supporter

    what i'm saying is, even if your fist is moving fast, you need good structure and good follow-through for a punch to be effective, and you can often through a much more effective punch by sacrificing pure speed (which while good to have is at least IMO secondary to timing and positioning) in exchange for a "heavier" punch with some bodyweight behind it and some degree of full body tension to stabilize your joints against the resistance to the impact (which doesn't mean locking yourself in place either, just enough to effectively transfer ALL of your kinetic energy to the target).
    there are some kinds of strikes that do benefit from a pure speed approach, like choy lay fut's charp choy (funnily enough one of my favourite hand techniques), but the speed is again something i consider secondary to punching correctly (plus, if you punch correctly, speed will come much more easily later on).

    as for kinetic energy, this explains it well: http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com.ar/2008/09/hitting-harder-physics-made-easy.html

    basically, people tend to oversimplify the physics of stuff hitting stuff and get stuck on the force that is applied to their own bodies rather than to the target, and focus on speed for its own sake, sometimes ending up with arm punches, rather than on proper technique (incl. relaxation) and positioning that make the technique "shorter" rather than faster.
     
  19. Frozen Ghost

    Frozen Ghost Valued Member

    This is a comparison between typical Japanese and Chinese punching methods. Personally I use both situationally. Neither style invalidates the other IMHO. The OP wanted tips on punching- I'm not sure this debate will be overly helpful in a tips for newcomers section myself.
     
  20. RexKwonDo Jones

    RexKwonDo Jones Valued Member

    You guys are fine! I have gotten what I came here for, the resulting discussion is just interesting to read. You guys all know waaaaaay more than me about this stuff.
     

Share This Page