Me persoanlly it’s the turning / facing strike ,coupled with the timing of an incoming target = :eek: I could send guys sliding on their butts 6-7 ft after hitting them…I had guys come up to me after seeing this ‘event’ at clubs and say how good the ‘punch’ was…:rolleyes:
Power source = the quadriceps are flexed and contracted as we strike in sharp focused extensions of the driving energy into the ground. The basic stance training allows the legs the endurance to maintain a low position as we move, adding CK facing without lifting the hips horizontal plane as we move …~~~~ hip bad / --------hip good .
Timing = this energy is transmitted through a good structure as the hips are driven into the facing , turn of the action …shoulders are controlled to move a little but not over turn. The striking arm should be relaxed and bent slightly inwards …almost like uppercuts in angling. Force can be shown to be taken by ‘stealing’ space of your strikes distance…iow I can show you its too slow or to wrong timing simply by letting you hit my chest and doing certain things ..it only takes a few inches of movement. Add arm deflection angles and we see that the simple combination of all the actions is coupled into our training regimen…over and over…simple actions combined , for alignment, timing, balance, structure.etc…boring repetitions…no over feeling, trapping etc..
Drills to achieve this goal= Seung Ma ~ Toi Ma drills focus on this action and is repeated 1000’s of times to make the structure of the angling moving stance reach its completion together with the angling arm / elbow in strike.
…so the impact force , deflection, timing, balance, physical alignment/structure/hips is all focused into that singularity , makes for a short punch relying on timing.
I have met 90% of VT guys who DONT do this, instead they use the wrist to try and stop the tan…some dont even shift as you come at them…others move backwards in a straight line in front of your attacking line…not a good place to be, even if your ‘sifu’ bs’s about fighting the inside gate …aka dont know how to shift/angle strike. Some let you step and do a hand gesture as if the strike would have any force…we steal force by attacking their striking space..
The inch punch is a ‘test’ to prove the ability AND use deflection angles at the same time iow not to open the elbows and trade punches just to give max force. The strike without retraction :rolleyes: [ many can be seen pushing shoulders] is to give the strikes point of impact a ‘test’ of alignment, stance= feet positions, hips facing, shoulders…isolating a moment in time for our benefit.
During Seung Ma Toi Ma, we do a 1/2 step attacking entry to allow our partners to strike us and angle relative to the sides attacking limb…left or right…making it intuitive , adding space of a face off later for sparring etc… as the entry stops at the 1/2 step all the alignment , hips, strike, elbow angles…are combined into the ONE action …we keep the wrists floppy so the focus is a relaxed strike but with shoulder girdle muscle groups contracted to maintain the critical forearm/upper arm angles …after a check the attacker steps again to ‘check’ or ‘prove’ the connections by following up with the full attacking entry action…later not stopping 1/2 step is done in a more flowing random exchange…
Inch punching at the 1/2 step can show force is maxed with perfect timing…or to slow, losing the max / pact position or to early …over extension, no deflection trade punches etc…or bad feet, wobbly, off balance…you freeze ? dont move at all…move to the wrong side 
it all happens under pressure of the ‘here and now’ of chi-sao…
If you use short shuffling attacking steps the driving force is being generated from extending into the ground all the legs force in short sharp bursts, meaning any arm action with good structural positioning will harness this force…this can be strikes in cycling deflection, trapping , lan sao’s..etc…
With correct 3"x3" shuffling movements we can generate an unbroken line of force, transmitted through the contact point we use, this can be any part of our body. The most critical part and simplest to take advantage of is which foot moves first in a given direction…very simple to attack a person who is simply trying not to fall backwards out of balance…sudden attacks will capitalize on MISTAKES made …rather than set pieces or ‘moves’ that allow all kinds of mistakes to be made without ever taking advantage of them…a lot of mistakes will happen without you knowing until you attack them…loss of balance, bad timed strikes, over controlling your ARMS makes it easier to keep attacking their stances, they create bridges for you , we dont look for them…we strike until we are stopped, trying to recover striking again asap…
Not using a lead leg inside gate charge either…seen a lot in you tube with the same results…this is similar to a guy attacking a trench in wartime across a field…he charges right down the center firing..only he doesnt know that the opponent wants this and lets him come , because he has a machine gun in each end of the receiving line… He is a dead man. Only a matter of time which gun takes him out firing as he goes for one then another…
CK teaches this…easy to do hard to repeat…I have used the incorrect energy ‘pulse’ from attackers to counter them in bar fights…lots of guys grab 95% first before hitting making it easy to feel their energy pulse…when you click into the ‘metronome’ of their force you can play them like rag dolls…
Remember facing/turning is only to angle your attack/strike centerline AT the opponent … so in a fight you will move with the guy and shift pivot angle face etc…to achieve a natural angle on the guy as you hit him…so you free yourself from seeking to control by feeling, instead you become a free moving fighter hitting gaps available rather than thinking to control water first. if you are using actions even at their most basic level that incorporate attack and defense …you gain an advantage over those who dont know this way and use controlling double hand exchanges for everything…what I was taught in VT before discovering a more efficient method…
Good timing will make any punch powerful…positions & tactics will help to avoid a double punch traded KO
Why we place so much on ‘staying with what comes’ and adopting a side stance that can pivot and realign quickly along a perimeter , allowing facing a moving target without having lead leg that commits you to back and forth …if you move away so does your point of impact and your not attacking. Use a lead leg stance and your that guy charging into the filed of battle …better to wait with guns at your sides…see what the guy does, let him show you what action to take. side stances allow quick angling etc…as the dummy we enter from the sides but attack and shift back and forth across its face …we adopt facing actions for symmetry , like double juts sao’s but only for developing the ‘jut’…
Many interpret this as hands stick with what comes in chi-sao, leading to over controlling quagmire of hand games in a redundant self deluding ability to fight guys who just wail in on you ; ) iow guys will make you stay with an arm [tan] coming in and then strike as it retreats …common misunderstanding…the arms are training striking what comes ..hitting the ‘glass’ head as it comes with simultaneous strike defense arms in rotation, allowing unstoppable attacking actions… a goal we have…not stick to a guys arms endlessly… but to HIT THEM WITH SUFFICIENT FORCE [ loud ] capable of stopping further attacking .
Boxers generate tremendous amounts of force from low elbows too …they bob and weave / duck so dont require elbow deflection / strikes …I taught a student who was also training at Gleasons, he said his boxing coach noticed his jab had improved since training in VT.
strong coffee !
eek: