Anyone learning the martial arts, (the striking arts take note), will tell you that one of the very first things that you will be taught is how to throw a punch.
The technical side of how to throw a punch in the more traditional combat arts often involves how to be technically accurate and how to rotate, (half a turn), the striking fist into the target upon impact. This turning action of the fist is often called the Corkscrew Punch due to the screwing action of the punch upon impact with the target area. Not long after that stage has been explained and practised then further tuition will involve how to add hip snap behind the punch and how to drive the punch through the target by additionally using the back leg, from a fighting stance to a straight locked position, to enhance the power of the punch. The speed of the punch and various other aspects will also be added along the way. One of the main highlighted items when learning how to throw a fist punch will be to focus on a point beyond the target itself, to aim at, rather than just the surface of the intended target. This of course is a vital thing to make a note of, more so, if attempting to break a board in half if involved in what is commonly called ‘The Destruction Test’ that some students will be required to do at their more senior stage levels of training. When it comes to throwing a punch that requires the need to punch a point in space, beyond the target, some people tend to say ‘Punch The Dot', as a descriptive training term. When it comes to effective striking methods these commonly taught basics have great value, however, other forms of striking with the fist are also needed in some situations. For example, a street fight situation will often not allow for such powerful punching methods as it will be more a case of fast multiple strikes with no time to think about technique or application unlike when learning the basics of a punch in the Dojo, Kwoon or maybe a training gym. For sure it will be more like that when throwing punches in a street fight and you find yourself forced to be more focused on rapid strikes to survive the day. There are various other ways of striking with the clenched fist such as a Back-fist strike or those very fast jab strikes that recoil back very fast. The classic, and a very common and effective combination, that involves both jabs and power driven punches is the lead hand throwing a single, or a couple of, fast jabs followed by a reverse punch with a full power driven locking action. However, of all the clenched fist type of strikes the centerline Wing Chun punch is somewhat unique compared to the others. Unlike a penetrating power punch, or those fast recoiling jab punches, the Wing Chun punch, which I hasten to add is also commonly used in other martial art styles, is not a recoil jab punch or a powerhouse penetrating punch but a snap punch. That type of clenched fist punch is not aiming to punch the dot or use a recoil action, but a snap and jolting punch that makes it ideal for those very close range combat situations. When it comes to learning the striking arts it is more than ideal to learn and master all three of those striking methods so that you can adapt to most, if not all, situations that you may find yourself in one day. For a related article on the subject of ‘The Destruction Test’ click >HERE< Comments are closed.
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