Bruce Lee power training
Power in hitting
depends not on your strength.
But it is the way,
you throw your blows.
It is not whether
you are close or at length.
If you’re too near,
use your striking elbows.
But it is the hands that
you’ll employ the most
In a sparring session
or a martial arts meet.
And when it is all over,
hope you can silently boast
That you have learned
to hit with speed and power.
Bruce Lee power training
Power in hitting is not based strictly on strength. How many times have you seen a
boxer who is not muscular but packs a wallop in his punch? And then you see
another, heavily muscular boxer who can’t knock anyone down. The reason behind
this is that power isn’t generated by your contractile muscles but from the impetus
and speed of your arm or foot. Bruce Lee, a 130-pounder, was able to hit harder
than a man twice his size, because Lee’s blow with a heavy force behind it, was
much faster.
In jeet kune do you do not hit by just swinging your arm. Your whole body should
participate in the impetus – your hips, shoulders, feet and arms. The inertia of your
punch should be a straight line in front of your nose – using it as the guiding point.
The punch originates not from the shoulder but from the center of your body.
Straight punching or kicking is the basis for scientific and artistic fighting. It is a
modern concept in fisticuffs derived from the knowledge of body leverage and
makeup. A punch from your arm alone doesn’t supply enough power. Your arms
should be used strictly as bearers of your force; and the correct application of your
body should furnish the power. In any power punching, the body must be balanced
and aligned with your lead foot, forming a straight line. This section of your body is
the mainstay, functioning as an axis to generate power.
Before you can punch with power, you must first learn to clench your fists properly,
otherwise you are liable to injure them.