Generating Power

[cymry]

What techniques do you know of? Things like hip torque and the drop-step.

[SevenStar]

depends on the style. There are various chinese systems that use the spine to generate whipping power. There are other systems that sue the body's various coils. Similar to the hip torque, but the body has WAY more coiling points than that one. There is thrusting of the hip, as with the muay thai knee strikes, etc.

[Treebranch]

Striking with the whole body behing the strike or kick.

[delta1]

Power is generated by paying attention to the concepts and principles taught in your system. Proper timeing, structural allignment, targeting and body dynamics. In othr words, drill your basics with attention to detail.

[cymry]

Can you please go into more detail on the techniques you know? Or are there any websites that explain them?

[delta1]

As sevenstar pointed out, different styles emphasize different methods of power generation. There are some basic principles common to most, if not all styles. Multi volume books have been written on the concepts that are used to apply these principles. So I'll just stick to simple principles.

 

Ed Parker listed three main principles of power generation:

 

Torque- any time there is a twisting motion involved in your strike, stance, move, etc.

 

Back Up Mass- any time you get your body weight into a technique, either moving forward, backward, or just in body allignment.

 

Marriage of Gravity- when there is a downward component to a move, whether droping a knee on a downed opponent or, at the other extreme, just settling into a stance .

 

Everything else- proper body mechanics, structural allignment, technique, etc.- all work with these three principles. It is mostly these concepts that are done differently, or emphasized more or less, by different systems. For example, boxers use a lot of torque and their body allignment in a strike allows them to throw their elbows out more than a karateka, whose stances are meant to be used with an anchored, or tight in elbow. Both use backup mass, but in a different way, and the karatekas lower stance makes better use of marriage of gravity (though I doubt they call it that). All the principles are in both styles, but there is a very different emphasis.

[SevenStar]

Can you please go into more detail on the techniques you know? Or are there any websites that explain them?

 

several, but you can't learn how to do them from reading about them.

 

Do a search on silk reeling.

 

Do a search on coiling energy.

 

heck, so a search on all that's been mentioned here.

 

When you begin to talk about things as complex as this, explaining them would probably take longer than anyone would care to type.

[kempocos]

"Ed Parker listed three main principles of power generation:

 

Torque- any time there is a twisting motion involved in your strike, stance, move, etc.

 

Back Up Mass- any time you get your body weight into a technique, either moving forward, backward, or just in body allignment.

 

Marriage of Gravity- when there is a downward component to a move, whether droping a knee on a downed opponent or, at the other extreme, just settling into a stance . "

 

As many things Mr Parker says I find no new info, reworded to make sense to western thinking. The concepts described is much like the fluid " wave " motions found in many Chinese and Okinawian sytles. All movement starts from the ground to the ankle-knee-hip-shoulder-elbow-wrist. the movement can be subtle and still create great power look at Bruce Lee's famous " one inch punch " this is how it is done.

 

"

[delta1]

As many things Mr Parker says I find no new info, reworded to make sense to western thinking. The concepts described is much like the fluid " wave " motions found in many Chinese and Okinawian sytles. All movement starts from the ground to the ankle-knee-hip-shoulder-elbow-wrist. the movement can be subtle and still create great power look at Bruce Lee's famous " one inch punch " this is how it is done.

 

Well, yes, that was part of Mr Parkers genious, cataloguing principles and concepts, defining motion, and putting it all in terms westerners could easily understand. Mr Parker very effectively married the concepts of several different systems. He authored the techniques that are the vehicle for teaching those concepts and principles. But I don't think anyone, least of all Ed Parker, claimed to have invented the moves.

 

Not too surprising that AK bears some similarity to Chinese and Okinawan arts, since Mr Parker assimilated some of the Okinawan systems, as well as some Japanese, into AK. His base was Chuan Fa, and he also studied Taiji, so thre is a lot of CMA influence in AK.

 

Movement should start at the waist, right behind the tan tien. Power could arguably be said to come from the ground up (and now I've said it, I'm sure someone will want to argue about it ). Is that what you were thinking of? I'm pretty sure Bruce Lee's one inch punch used movement originating from the waist.

[kempocos]

" Well, yes, that was part of Mr Parkers genious"

 

I agree 100%

 

" Movement should start at the waist, right behind the tan tien. Power could arguably be said to come from the ground up (and now I've said it, I'm sure someone will want to argue about it ). Is that what you were thinking of? I'm pretty sure Bruce Lee's one inch punch used movement originating from the waist."

 

It is hard to start from the waist , to move the hips there must be some movement in the legs. This is more a Chinese way of thinking I believe