wu mei pai

[stonecrusher69]

Originally Posted by Sihing73

Tom,

On this we will need to agree to disagree. By stomping you can and will add power to a strike. If you try this for yourself I am sure you will find this to be true. If not then all I can say is when and if I am in NY again or if you ever visit Atlanta, I would be glad to meet and compare notes. Not a challenge but perhaps we are missing something in this medium.

southernkf,

You raise a valid point. Anytime one strikes energy is returned and channelled through the body. There is a great deal of potential for doing damage over time. One of the reasons it is so important to remain relaxed while striking.

I once had the energy explained to me this way: When we punch if we clench the fist on impact we retain energy. However if we strike relaxed then more of that energy is issued to the target. However, a portion of that energy will always return to us through the fist. Now the more rigid one is the more energy becomes trapped in the body at various stages and this can, over time cause damage.

Sihing73... On impact of the fist if it is rigid the energy travels back to the body but what about when we hit with full forse then within a split second the fist become completly soft can the energy still rebound back into our bodies? I think if you can time the release of th energy there won't be a rebound effect.

[southernkf]

If you stomp on the ground with any amount of force, the ground is going to push back with the same amount of force, ignoring elasticity in the ground. What you do with it and if you can utilize it is another matter

[Sihing73]

Originally Posted by stonecrusher69

Sihing73... On impact of the fist if it is rigid the energy travels back to the body but what about when we hit with full forse then within a split second the fist become completly soft can the energy still rebound back into our bodies? I think if you can time the release of th energy there won't be a rebound effect.

Hi SC69,

One of the reasons we are taught to relax after impact is to lessen the amount of energy which is rebounded back to our bodies. However, this is easier said than done. I also believe that no matter how "relaxed" one is that there will always be some amount of energy returned to us from any contact with an opponent. I do not believe that it is possible to release 100% into the opponent and not take something back in return. Of course the amount one receives may only be a small percent or even a portion of a percent but it still comes back to us.

By keeping the "entire" body relaxed any returning energy will be dispersed as it travels throughout the body. This lessens the potential for damage over time. One of the ways Sifu explained it to me is that each joint can act like a spring when relaxed and when energy returning reaches each "joint\spring" a portion of that returning energy is absorbed by the "spring" and dispersed. This continues until the energy is either entirely absorbed or exits the body through the foot. This is an interesting idea to me and I am going to explore it more as time permits. I am wondering how this may fit in with those who strive to achieve a whole body connection and absorb incoming energy into the ground.

FWIW, I do not strike with a hard or tense fist but strive to remain relaxed throughout. When I punch my fist shakes at the end as I try to "throw" all of my energy outside of the body. While some will argue that you must clench or tighten the fist on impact, I have had good results trying to remain relaxed throughout. Of course having said that, there are exceptions to every rule and there may be times when it is desirable to strike with a tense fist. But then again I tend to punch with the lower pinky finger as much as possible. I have been told that this is a good way to break your hand but thus far it has not happened. But then again God watches over fools like me

[chisauking]

when I first took up western boxing, my coach taught me to stomp on the ground as I jabbed. I found by doing so, my power had indeed increased.

Also, my friends that do Thai boxing also adopt this 'stomping' action as they train on the bags.

So we can see that other arts do incorperate this motion into their punching.

Try it and see.

[Tom Kagan]

Originally Posted by chisauking

when I first took up western boxing, my coach taught me to stomp on the ground as I jabbed. I found by doing so, my power had indeed increased.

Also, my friends that do Thai boxing also adopt this 'stomping' action as they train on the bags.

So we can see that other arts do incorperate this motion into their punching.

Try it and see.

This has nothing to do with rebounding your foot off the floor to kick. You are discussing something different than of what Sihing73 spoke.

[Sihing73]

Originally Posted by Tom Kagan

This has nothing to do with rebounding your foot off the floor to kick. You are discussing something different than of what Sihing73 spoke.

Hello Tom,

While you are technically correct that these are two different applications for a stomp, it does fall into the conversation as regards whether or not a stomp will add power to ones strikes. This applies whether or not it is a strike with the hands or feet. Since you have posted that a "stomp" does nothing to increase the power of ones strikes, ththe point chisauking made is valid and does, imo, apply to this thread.

Having said that I would now be curious as to whether or not you would agree with the concept that a stomp can increase the power of ones strikes. If not then why not?

[Tom Kagan]

Originally Posted by Sihing73

Hello Tom,

While you are technically correct that these are two different applications for a stomp, it does fall into the conversation as regards whether or not a stomp will add power to ones strikes. This applies whether or not it is a strike with the hands or feet. Since you have posted that a "stomp" does nothing to increase the power of ones strikes, ththe point chisauking made is valid and does, imo, apply to this thread.

Having said that I would now be curious as to whether or not you would agree with the concept that a stomp can increase the power of ones strikes. If not then why not?

Thrusting forward and planting your foot timed with a strike increases the power of your shots. This is what chisauking is referring to in western boxing. Whether you stomp is immaterial. The proof is in the pudding: Western boxers don't stomp around the ring throwing punches. If stomping increased power, western boxers would be among the first to widely adopt it - you'd be able to observe such a stomp to increase power frequently at elite levels of competition during a match. But, you don't.

As I said in my 2nd post, it does not increase power more than a direct motion. You can use a stomp to distract, you can use a bounce (not stomp) on the floor to quickly reverse direction if your leg is traveling the away from your opponent (double kick), you can stomp as a reminder to time your strike with a planted foot... sure, a lot of stuff. But no, a stomp doesn't increase power. Regardless of how much you can reclaim with a rebound, it absorbs power.

Again, that doesn't mean don't ever stomp. It has a place as an adjunct method.