Being a newbie myself, im asking the same questions. However, everyone seems to be focused on punching. As im training in TKD, i would love to increase speed in my kicks, granted kicking will most likely always be slower than punching as there is a much greater distance to cover in comparison.. but still.. After reading this thread i can see that resistance training with weights might be harmful for the arms, but is it the same for legs and kicking? (im thinking light ankle weights, and simple kicks like a front snap kick, just to improve the chamber and response time) Also, i dont know if im adding fuel to the fire, but in terms of punching, i have always been one for logic.. One of Newtons laws of physics does state that every action has an equal and opposite reaction therefore, i would be in favour of a 'push/pull' type punch - Punching with one hand while pulling the other to your hip. BUT i cant see this having any advantage in a street fight as you would be dropping your guard
Ok then logically look at this - if you have 100 % to put in a strike and you do equal pull to push how much do you have going each way?
Just as something to throw in here: Speed is unlikely to be the problem you think it is. What most beginning athletes of almost any description need is more strength. Also, a stronger athlete is generally a faster athlete. This problem is solved by lifting weights and eating more. What most beginning martial artists need more of is technique. By this, I don't necessarily mean 'technique' in the traditional karate sense of everything being perfectly aligned in order to maximise the power of the strike. I mean the kind of skill where you can burst in, dodge a punch, etc. That problem is solved by going to class. That's not what was said exactly...
If you looking to increase the speed AND power of your kicks, proper pivot points and angles apply to kicks just as they apply to punches. So, proper structure is going to give you the best results over the long haul because it all has to work under fire for it to be worth anything.
Agreed, but by proper do you mean traditional 'to the letter' techniques? i mean, traditionally we are taught (a turning kick for example) from a gaurding stance, to bring your knee up to a 90, then pivot supporting foot almost 180 , then kick. This is fine, for patterns.. but for sparing, i never see people fully pivot, they seem to kick from a 45. comparing the two, traditional seems slow, but after several board breaks i can see huge power in it. The other seems faster, but is it wrong?
I'd wondered about this...realised that Newtons Third law is being misapplied here. For example, in thrust, a gas being accelerated out the back of a ramjet engine with the resulting acceleration of the engine in the opposite direction isn't quite what is happening with respects to someone retracting (push/pull) during a punch. Its more to do with the conservation of angular momentum with its fixed axis of rotation and whatnot - the increase in rotational speed of a spinning figure skater as the skater's arms are contracted - is more in line, I think, than the more general third law which requires the variables at play to be linear or far moreso than what we're talking about. Someone up on their University Physics could elaborate or correct points here. After seeing Rebel Waldo's, querist's and jwt's posts mentioning 'pivot points' and rotation at the hips, rotation of the shoulders being mentioned as the prime considerations here, it made perfect sense. Where else but MAP can one learn the ins and outs of Vector Mechanics at the same time while learning the best way to kick someone's ****. Thanks fellows!
Here is an example of USING proper pivot points for punching and for close in elbow strike. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRqfYwhsQdQ"]The brutal Double Hip system‏ - YouTube[/ame] The pivot point for a right punch is through the left hip and left shoulder. For the right fist, the pivot point is through the right finger tips with the striking surface the first or first two big knuckles. For the close in right elbow strike, the same pivot point through the left hip and shoulder; however, it is a shortened pivot. The pivot point on the right arm is a point through the right forearm. The closer to the elbow the pivot point is the more linear the elbow, the further towards the wrist, the more slicing the elbow. The striking surface is the elbow. Pivot points move towards the target with all other parts of the body rotating around the pivot point. Using proper pivot points will change the range of your strikes and make it very difficult for any one to jam you since proper pivot points promote good structure throughout the entire technique. So when you strike through something, the majority of your force will be going into and through the target, not back into you. Here is another example of using proper pivot points: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BCU64CwmYc"]Learn to Punch like Chuck Liddell....‏ - YouTube[/ame]
Oh, reading back to the OP question, I see that this thread was about kicking, so I should talk about proper pivot points for kicking. Kicking is a little different in that many of the pivot points such as those in the hip are already being used simply because you are standing on one leg, so you can't help but pivot on the shoulder and hip. The concern is more about body alignment and sharper triangles, but that is a related but different subject. Therefore, talking just about the pivot points, I will talk about are the ones on the leg. For the front kick that strikes with the ball of the foot, the pivot point for the kick will be the tips of the toes. The toes move towards the target and all the other parts of the body rotate around the tips of the toes. This means that the knee moves up and down like a piston for power and speed. There is no chamber for the kick; however, because the knee moves up and then down (like a piston) during the kick, it resembles the action of chambering... this is not a formal chamber however. A formal chamber does not exist in the kick. Of course, I should not have to mention that you need full body movement and relaxation for speed and power. You also need strength and coordination, which plyometric training can help with. At around 2:12-3:16 in this video are good examples of the proper pivot points for a front kick: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uch4s7CHgxM"]Buakaw Por Pramuk Gym Arts Of MUAYTHAI DVD vol1 part 4/14‏ - YouTube[/ame] Notice the knee goes up and then back down like a piston. The knee is both a hinge and a piston.
This is great stuff guys, looks like i need a few hours in front of the mirror to really find where im going wrong, but this is a great start
