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The Science of the One-inch Punch

posted by LaminatorX on Sunday June 01 2014, @04:09AM   Printer-friendly
from the Cruel-Tuteliedge-of-Pai-Mei dept.

infodragon writes:

The One Inch Punch is an ancient martial arts move of kung-fu. In this popular mechanics article the neuroscience of the punch is explored.

While the biomechanics behind the powerful blow certainly aren't trivial, the punch owes far more to brain structure than to raw strength...

By the time the one-inch punch has made contact with its target, Lee has combined the power of some of the biggest muscles in his body into a tiny area of force. But while the one-inch punch is built upon the explosive power of multiple muscles, Rose insists that Bruce Lee's muscles are actually not the most important engine behind the blow.

"Muscle fibers do not dictate coordination," Rose says, "and coordination and timing are essential factors behind movements like this one-inch punch."

 
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  • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Mr. Slippery on Monday June 02 2014, @03:48AM

    by Mr. Slippery (2812) on Monday June 02 2014, @03:48AM (#50068) Homepage

    There obviously was "forward momentum" involved. That is what a punch is, after all.

    There's a difference between a punch where the puncher's center of mass has forward momentum, and a punch where the puncher's center of mass is relatively still but rotational momentum is generated by the legs and transferred by the hips to the torso, leading to forward momentum of the punching arm. For maximum power, of course, we want to combine the two, but when a fight has already gotten up close and personal, a striking artist needs the ability to develop significant power without moving their center of mass forward.

    So not actually a one-inch punch at all, then?

    "One inch punch" is something of an idiom. In demonstrations it's typical for a practitioner to place their fingertips on the target and then make a fist and launch from there, so we're talking a finger-length punch. Someone with Lee's talent and ability to devote themselves full-time to training could quite likely have a strong punch at one inch.

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  • (Score: 2) by monster on Monday June 02 2014, @03:53PM

    by monster (1260) on Monday June 02 2014, @03:53PM (#50265) Journal

    There's a difference between a punch where the puncher's center of mass has forward momentum, and a punch where the puncher's center of mass is relatively still but rotational momentum is generated by the legs and transferred by the hips to the torso, leading to forward momentum of the punching arm. For maximum power, of course, we want to combine the two, but when a fight has already gotten up close and personal, a striking artist needs the ability to develop significant power without moving their center of mass forward.

    Pretty much this. As a martial artist myself, I assure you that like 80% of the force of a punch/kick comes from adding momentum from the rest of the body; it also gives balance to the punch, so even if you didn't hit, your body is still in a stable position. That's why the real "magic" of the one-inch punch is not in the muscles' mass but in how your brain coordinates them.