One Inch Punch

[dropshadow]

many applications of the "one inch punch" can be found in the chinese martial arts, like wing chun and the various shaolin subsets. if you've studied any of these arts, you will probably realize that many of the moves in chinese martial arts specifically are designed to feign and attack at the same time. for instance, your right hand might be acting as a decoy to set up your left hand or very possibly a kick, or maybe your left hand attacks but your right hand is ready as a counter in case the left hand attack is realized and countered by your opponent. in these types of scenarios, having a "last second one inch punch" where force is sometimes exerted at the very last moment helps to hide the true intentions of your movements.

 

bruce lee's original background as many know was wing chun. it is probably here where he first encountered the concept, but as an avid student of not only martial arts, he was particularly interested in physical conditioning, physics, and the human anatomy. perfecting the "one inch punch" became a goal of his because it would help train to produce a more efficient punch.

 

demonstration purposes only? i hardly could agree there unfortunately. it would seem the practical applications of applying a large amount of force in a confined space would be easily evident. take for instance the recent trend in MMA and grappling. if you on the ground struggling, being able to effectively strike when you do not have complete movement of your limbs would be extremely beneficial. another example of a practical application of this would be pressure point fighting. many of these points have to be hit correctly and at the right angle. again, being able to exert a large amount of force in close quarters in one spot would be very beneficial in this setting. along with not only the force at the moment of impact that would come with this training, but the control of the force would be very beneficial in attacking points and meridians.

 

there are numerous practical applications of the "one inch punch" beyond demonstrations in my opinion.

[Treebranch]

Budo Taijutsu strikes can be used from a close distance. It's all about body mechanics and is very useful at close quarters, you can generate a devasting strike from nowhere. Also when your viewing a fight, boxing for instance, watch their feet and hips their posture, not the hands you'll learn a lot.

[FistsOfFury]

In all honest, much of the one inch punch is urban legend and trickery. It is true that if you are an experienced Wing Chung practitioner, punching at one-inch might be painful to your opponent, but not as painful as Bruce Lee made it out as. You will see many videos and demonstrations of people apparently reeling back in pain from a supposed one-inch punch. It is all a mind trick. It is the same as those magicians who convince someone they can push them with out touching them, as crazy as it may sound, but these people convince the other person that they will fall. Similarely when those TV evangelicalists convince wheelchair bound people to stand, they never tell you for one that the person is wheelchair bound from injury and was not actually born parapalegic. The wheelchair bound person conivinces their body to stand up and think it is "The Lord Jesus Saviours Power". With the one-inch punch, the person performing it convinces the lemons that they will feel great pain and will be thrown back several feet. I do not doubt that an experienced person can cause some damage at a one inch, but its about as good as the one-mile punch.

[JerryLove]

The one-inch-punch (and te concept of short and no distance power) does not promise a more powerful hit than the same concepts used on a travelling punch... rather it offers the ability to hit without having to cross distance. You see the same thing in many arts (fa-jing pushes in Taiji for example).

 

They hurt or don't hurt as much and as little as other options. How much pull-back does it require to do chest-compressions? Not much.

[Treebranch]

In all honest, much of the one inch punch is urban legend and trickery.

 

I agree a lot of people use this to promote their Art, but the principal is real and if learned can be useful. For instance, how hard can you push someone with one hand with all your weight behind it?, pretty hard right. Well do that same pushing motion making a fish instead your hand, it takes a great deal of practice to do this fast, but it can be done. Works great and at short distance, it is really designed to create space.

[Martial_Artist]

One inch punch: real. Using the demonstration in combat...not recommend. Using the principles behind the one inch punch in combat; necessary.

 

MA

[CrazyAZNRocker]

What makes the one inch punch able to excert that kind of power because of the principle of using the hips in not only punches, but in every technique. When one punches, one musn't punch with the arm. The performer must use the arm as an extention of the hip. With good and strong hip control, distance becomes irrelevant for pulling for powerful techniques. Whether one is in close or long range, the use of the hip is the most important priciple in martial arts. When the hips are used, all techniques will become devestating, punches, kicks, and blocking alike. In grappling, rotation of hips are important for throws and take downs.

 

That is why I think that the one inch punch priciples don't only to demonstrate chinese martial arts, but to demonstrate to ALL martial arts in general. In terms of physical principles, I'm sure that Bruce Lee wanted to show the importance of hip and to show that legs and arms are extensions for the hip motion, which then result in devestating effects.

[KungFuLuvva]

woah woah your totally mixed up there buddy. wing chun punches do not come from the hip at all, your thinking of karate. wing chun uses elbow energy. this site will fully explain the mechanics of wing chun.

 

http://wcats.com/CR-Lesson1.html

[JerryLove]

Actually, when I'm working WC (which mostly entails sticky-hands these days) I'm pushing power from the ground.

[KungFuLuvva]

its true that a lot of the power comes from the ground up, but what he was refering to sounded more like karate or something of the sort. wing chun does not use hip power.