Generating Power

[delta1]

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

 

Actually, I find it easier to initiate movement from the waist. But that is the great thing about Kenpo/Kempo, most of it is extremely adaptable to the individual.

[Treebranch]

Yeah, you're moving the hips foreword and the legs are just keeping you from falling and that falling is generating a lot of the power. It's hitting with your whole body and one time.

[Ali]

 

For Chinese Kung Fu system, usually they achieve more powerful

 

punch by 3 ways; taking simple pushing palm as example

 

1) Using instructment

 

Take a big stone ball (somewhat like a boiling ball) and set a wooden platform with slope on your waist level, use your palm to push it upslope, breath in and let it downslope, breath out.

 

Repeat these movement to strengthen the muscle of your arms, waist

 

to generate dynamic power.

 

2) Qi Gong

 

3) By repeating practising same pushing palm and increase your speed

 

of step-in.

[Phantasmatic]

Do you all think that keeping balance over your center makes you generate more power (like using the waist) or would you say that pushing through the target generates more power?

[Martial_Artist]

Pushing through anything doesn't generate more power. Hitting through something does.

[delta1]

Do you all think that keeping balance over your center makes you generate more power...?

 

Ballance is a key to not only generating power, but to movement in general, and an upright posture is key to ballance in most styles.

 

Go back to the three main power principles: torque, backup mass, and marriage of gravity. These relate to the three dimensions of a physical object, like you. Your body has width, depth, and height. You can also move in those three dimensions; ie sideways, forward and back, up and down. The three main power principles are simply used by moving properly in those dimensions.

 

Torque changes your width in relation to his center line, it alters your side to side profile from his perspective. From some grabs, if you can step sideways as you turn into your opponent, you can upset his balance and give yourself room to work. Rotating your body with a punch, also with a fist rotation at the end of the punch, gets torque into play in multiple planes.

 

Backup Mass works in depth as you move toward or away from your opponent. Steping in as you hit adds momentum to your strike, while steping out can increase the effects of a pull.

 

Marriage of Gravity works in height. Even just the settling into a stance as the strike lands adds power by allowing you to hit with the whole body. More obviously, settling your weight into a downward elbow strike gives a lot more power than just 'winging' the strike. Upward motion also can use this principle, as you effect his base. What goes up, must come down. Unweight him, and he must reestablish his base before he can effectively move in ballance.

 

These examples are way oversimplified, but the point is that you have to move to generate power. And to move effectively, you have to keep your ballance. No ballance, no real power.

[Treebranch]

Well Delta it's really a play of off balancing and balancing. Your really moving from position to position, start-middle-finish, middle being not in balance. I don't know if I'm making sense, but do you get what I'm saying?

[delta1]

Treebranch, it sounds like you are saying that you move out of ballance, and are only in ballance before and after you move. What style teaches that? That would make your stances more like a stationary platform from which you move only your arms and legs until it is safe to reposition. Otherwise, if you are moving out of ballance, you end up lunging ineffectively from one position to the next, with no structural integrety or coordination and little power. Just lunging forward doesn't give power to a strike. Body allignment, structural integrety, nailing the stance at the same time the strike lands- all the basics work with the principles to maximise power, and ballance is a major key in applying the basics and transmitting power. It's difficult to coordinate anything if you are lunging or plunging, and flailing to regain ballance destroys allignment and integrety.

 

If you move in ballance, you should be able to change direction in mid step, change targets in mid strike, change stances at will, and all with speed and power.

[Treebranch]

In your transitions from position to position is where you are in a sense not balanced. Take for example when someone throws a punch and you move at the right time taking that momentum to throw him. You are in a sense taking advantage of his own unbalancing at the right time. If you wait to long he will settle into balance, if you go to early he can easily reposition and track you. It is the transition to the position of power that generates the power. If you are in a stance and I push you it probably won't do much, but if you are moving and I push the right way you will probably fall or try to catch yourself. I hope this clarifies what I'm trying to say.

[delta1]

I hope this clarifies what I'm trying to say.

 

Not really. Sorry.

If you are in a stance and I push you it probably won't do much, but if you are moving and I push the right way you will probably fall or try to catch yourself.

 

Every stance has a weak direction where you can be pushed off ballance. You are actually more stable moving in ballance because, if pushed, you can change direction. Also, movement has inertia, which must be overcome. Look at the twist stance, which is very narrow based and unstable if you get stuck there. But as you rotate and settle in or move out you are somewhat more stable. Think of a top- ever try to ballance one on its tip? But give it a spin,and the gyroscopic effect goes to work, and the thing will stand itself up. In rotational motion you momentarily make use of this effect to add stability.

In your transitions from position to position is where you are in a sense not balanced. Take for example when someone throws a punch and you move at the right time taking that momentum to throw him. You are in a sense taking advantage of his own unbalancing at the right time.

 

You can only take advantage of his unballancing if he unballances, or moves out of ballance. I think what you are getting at here is more taking advantage of his momentum and leverage against an extended limb. You can redirect, deflect, strike, push, pull, or any number of things to unballance him. And the more he commits or extends, the easier it will be for you to take his ballance. But the better he moves in ballance, the harder it will be, and the quicker he will regain ballance and neutralize your positional advantage. You are right that timeing is extremely important, but don't confuse the physical forces you take advantage of with a lack of ballance. Of course, if he does move out of ballance, take maximum advantage.

It is the transition to the position of power that generates the power.

 

Yes, transition implies movement, and movement is necessary to apply force in generating power. But it only works if you pay attention to your basics. One of the most important of those basics is maintaining ballance.