Usage of hips and how you hold your hand

[brickman]

I am finding with each reply I write that it is very hard to get a clear picture of what people mean. It is very difficult to vividly describe what one is actually trying to get across with such technical applications.

 

With that in mind, can anyone describe to me what they mean when they say they hit with their hips. I mean what is the action of the hips when YOU hit? Also...how do you punch? what is the way you hold your hand, etc.

 

I ask this only because of a few questions from other topics. I would like clarification....thanks in advance.

[cathal]

When we strike, say with our right hand, the right hip moves forward with your arm. The fist moves to the center of your body, as the desired target would be the sternum or head. Just at the point of contact with the target, you snap your hip back. At the same time you have your fist rotated to the target so you're first two knuckles are making contact to the target. At that point in the strike all of the power is transmitted to the target thus causing damage. In my style we kiai at the point of contact which serves to focus the body's energies and the power of the attack.

[koryu]

Hip torque is key to proper body alignment and striking power. Power comes from the hips, but this is not the only thing that it is based on. The entire body is involved in the process.

 

Let's take a basic punch for example.

 

The hand starts palm up, closed fist, chambered around the floating rib. As the hand goes out, the other hand pulls back (push/pull motion), the hip on the same side moves forward with the direction of the punch. The hand turns over at the end of the technique and at this point several things happen at the same time. The hand tightens, along with all the muscles of the forearm, bicep, tricep, and lat. The legs tighten, toes grip the ground, and hips return to their natural position and center of gravity drops. All the muscles in the body should be tight at this one quick moment and then released to their natural positions. This is the technique of a good punch. But this is only developed after years of training. It is not something that comes overnight. Proper striking is also developed with the diligent training and study of kata. If you study and train kata correctly, this will develop for you in time.

 

Hope this helps.

[Killer Miller]

I'm not sure which hip action you are referring to - but what you describe is "hip vibration." There are two basic hip actions and that is "hip rotation" and "hip vibration."

 

Hip Vibration:

 

This action is primarily used in close to the oponent and generally used to apply shock to the oponent. This is where you are generally at the ready position, or a similar variation of, and you don't have time to step and/or rotate your hips, so you "vibrate" the hips - hips go out and at the point of kime, they rotate back to the starting position.

 

Hip Rotation:

 

This action is primarily used when you have to cover a little distance or you have time to fully rotate your hips back to the 45 degree position and is to apply "knock down" speed and power to your oponent. This is the punch that is really going to hurt or knock you out!

 

As far as the original question of the poster:

 

To say to "hit with the hips" is a generality of the concept - which I think is ok to teach because you still get the general point across. However, this is not technically true or what really occurs. All body actions start from the center, lower diaphragm through proper breathing, which is what occurs first to generate the punch, kick or what ever technique... You contract through exhalation or the lower diaphragm, torso starts to twist applying a power transmission to the floor as a result of an equal and oposite reaction or the hip rotation, power transmission goes back to the hip and rotates it. What is the fist doing at the time? Absolutely nothing! The fist is just going along for the ride until the time of realease for the punch (in theory, but not what you will see most do). Then you have a second set of actions that occur which we've talked about plenty before as to how to apply kime for the punch or body action. Does this better clarify you question?

 

 

When we strike, say with our right hand, the right hip moves forward with your arm. The fist moves to the center of your body, as the desired target would be the sternum or head. Just at the point of contact with the target, you snap your hip back. At the same time you have your fist rotated to the target so you're first two knuckles are making contact to the target. At that point in the strike all of the power is transmitted to the target thus causing damage. In my style we kiai at the point of contact which serves to focus the body's energies and the power of the attack.

[smr]

All the muscles in the body should be tight at this one quick moment and then released to their natural positions. This is the technique of a good punch.

 

It is also worth noting that this is a point of much controversy. I personally don't see the logic in stopping your body at the point of contact to make a more powerful strike. After all, when you tense all of your muscles you are doing exactly that; throwing on the brakes. The optimum situation would be to continue to apply the maximum amount of force possible and let the body you are striking absorb it all. Let your target stop your fist, not your muscles.

[ninjanurse]

Every action has an opposite and equal reaction. It is a matter of physics really. The left hip "pushes" while the right hip "pulls", and vice versa. While this is a very simplified explanation it should create a mental picture for you.

 

[smr]

Every action has an opposite and equal reaction. It is a matter of physics really. The left hip "pushes" while the right hip "pulls", and vice versa. While this is a very simplified explanation it should create a mental picture for you.

 

 

However the "pull" of the left hip has nothing to do with the power being generated. It's simply a side effect of rotating your hips around an axis that is located within the hip. It's like turning a wheel. The equal and opposite reaction part comes in when you make contact with the target. The target is enacting the same amount of force on your fist as your fist is making on it. If you were both standing on a frictionless surface, you would both slide away from each other an equal distance. One of the primary reasons why we drill our stances so hard is that when we throw that punch and it makes contact, we are prepared to withold against the force of the strike and stay on our feet. Try striking something about the same weight as yourself with your feet side by side, touching each other. If your hit was solid, you will be forced to step back or you will fall. That is equal and opposite reaction.

[ninjanurse]

"Pull" IS an integral part of the technique not just a by-product and proper balance between the two maximizes power. The physics of impact is irrelevant in regards to the generation of the technique-in my opinion it is only a result of one action and the beginning of another. In addition, a proper stance utilizes "push" and "pull" of many large and small muscle groups to maintain balance on impact. Even the act of breathing demonstrates this principle of "equal & opposite" reaction and implies an integration of systems that creates balance and effects change.

 

[Killer Miller]

It's not controversy, it's physics.

 

Put up a piece of 4 foot high plywood with a 2 foot supporting stand at the base.

 

Scenario 1:

 

You take a tennis ball and throw it at the board as hard as you can. You probably will not knock the plywood over and the ball will bounce back - or at least it would take a lot of effort to do so.

 

Scenario 2:

 

You take the same tennis ball and affix it to the end of a broom stick. Now apply the same speed and force you applied it scenario 1 and keep your feet firmly planted. You also stop the ball at 2 inches past contact. The board goes flying with no problem and the tennis ball stays where it is.

 

What's the difference of the above two scenarios? Both Scenarios have the "same" equal and oposite reaction from impact. The oposite reaction force of scenario 1 is transmitted back through the ball and with no resistance the ball goes bouncing backwards until all of the reaction force is expended. The oposite reaction force of scenario 2 is also transmitted back to the ball. However, it is also absorbed throught the broom stick, through your body to the ground, back through your body, broom stick and ball, and the initial reaction force is returned to the plywood. Result is that the initial force, or a very high percentage of it (some if lost through muscles and joints - especially weak joints of poor technique), is redirected back to your target.

 

Now based on your understanding of the need to "not" contract or pause (as you state), the result would be the same as scenario 1. However, with even a nano-second of kime, your result will be some level or variation of scenario two. To pause is to apply kime is to apply the reaction force generated to your oponent.

 

After kime, a nano or split-second, then continue moving on you way with whatever you were going to do - it's almost seamless with practise...

 

- Killer -

It is also worth noting that this is a point of much controversy. I personally don't see the logic in stopping your body at the point of contact to make a more powerful strike. After all, when you tense all of your muscles you are doing exactly that; throwing on the brakes. The optimum situation would be to continue to apply the maximum amount of force possible and let the body you are striking absorb it all. Let your target stop your fist, not your muscles.

[smr]

Now based on your understanding of the need to "not" contract or pause (as you state), the result would be the same as scenario 1. However, with even a nano-second of kime, your result will be some level or variation of scenario two. To pause is to apply kime is to apply the reaction force generated to your oponent.

 

After kime, a nano or split-second, then continue moving on you way with whatever you were going to do - it's almost seamless with practise...

 

There is no need to tense. Just keep pushing through the target until it stops your fist. Simple as that. There is no need to tense all of the muscles to resist the reactionary force of the impact. You need only tense muscles that resist that reactionary force. It just so happens that these are the same muscles that got your fist to the target in the first place. The kime point happens when you've transfered the maximum amount of force and pull back. Without a properly timed withdrawl, you are just pushing the target and wasting energy, or at least leaving your arm out to be trapped.