White Belt Punches
|
|
Terms:
Jab
Reverse Punch
Loose - Tight motion
Proper Fist
Telegraphing Movement
Combinations
Hammer Fist
Knife Hand
Ridge Hand
Ox Jaw
Eagle Beak
Palm Heel Strike
Exercises:
1. Ten Jabs from each hand, don't forget to switch stances.
2. Ten Reverse Punches, don't forget to switch stances.
Reverse Punch
Loose - Tight motion
Proper Fist
Telegraphing Movement
Combinations
Hammer Fist
Knife Hand
Ridge Hand
Ox Jaw
Eagle Beak
Palm Heel Strike
Exercises:
1. Ten Jabs from each hand, don't forget to switch stances.
2. Ten Reverse Punches, don't forget to switch stances.
The Jab
In the boxing ring and on the street the humble Jab has scored more hits than any other punch. In fact many boxing matches are won with this deceptively simple technique.
A Jab is a linear punch thrown from the front hand. If you are in Left Fighting Stance (Walking Stance) then your forward fist is your left fist. If you are in Right Fighting Stance the opposite is true. In simple terms one simply makes a fist...
That is, one makes a proper fist with the thumb over the first two fingers of the hand.
Then you simply extend your arm out strait, strike the target, and then your arm returns. Easy peasy right?
Wrong!
Remember in Hapkido all physical power comes from the ground. So that is where the punch must begin. You gain power by pushing into your target from your back foot. The energy travels up your back leg across your back through your front shoulder and travels through your fist into the target.
Then you simply extend your arm out strait, strike the target, and then your arm returns. Easy peasy right?
Wrong!
Remember in Hapkido all physical power comes from the ground. So that is where the punch must begin. You gain power by pushing into your target from your back foot. The energy travels up your back leg across your back through your front shoulder and travels through your fist into the target.
The Jab scores the most hit's because it is the closest weapon to the target. It only has to travel half the distance of any other weapon on the human body.
So lets try a practical exercise shall we! Have your partner hold a target, an ordinary couch cushion will do at first. Put a spot on the cushion with a piece of tape. This is your target. Assume a Left Fighting Stance. Adjust your range and Jab punch with the left hand!
If you are too far away the punch will have little effect. If you are too close the punch will have power but not maximum power. Experiment with range till you can strike the target with maximum power. Once you have the range dialed in make a mental note, this is the distance for maximum effect on a jab punch. As humans come in all shapes and sizes this distance is a little different for everybody. In fighter language this is called REACH.
Congratulations you have just learned to execute a Jab Punch.
Now, lets perfect it! Did you know the first man made object to break the sound barrier was a bull-whip. The crack of the whip is actually the sound barrier being penetrated. The secret to this speed is Flexibility.
A fast punch is more valuable to a fighter than a powerful punch. Because a slow punch, even if it has power, can be easily blocked or avoided.
Ideally you want your punches to be blindingly fast (think Bruce Lee) and powerful. The Jab was built for speed, it's close to the target and if done skillfully it strikes as fast as a cobra, decimates it's target with power, and is retracted out of harms way in the blink of an eye.
How do we attain this speed? You must master the muscles in your arm. Try to relax them all. It's okay if your fist relaxes into something more open. At the beginning of the jab your muscles should be loose and relaxed. At the moment of impact you make a proper fist which will tighten your arm muscles. Then the rapid retraction of your arm out of harms way should be done with loose relaxed muscles. All of this should happen in a fraction of a second. It sounds impossible but YOU CAN DO IT!
One thing I do is visualize snapping a towel at a target. Now pretend your arm is the towel and snap it at the target. When you are jabbing properly you will be able to hear your fist hiss through the air, THAT IS FAST!
So lets try a practical exercise shall we! Have your partner hold a target, an ordinary couch cushion will do at first. Put a spot on the cushion with a piece of tape. This is your target. Assume a Left Fighting Stance. Adjust your range and Jab punch with the left hand!
If you are too far away the punch will have little effect. If you are too close the punch will have power but not maximum power. Experiment with range till you can strike the target with maximum power. Once you have the range dialed in make a mental note, this is the distance for maximum effect on a jab punch. As humans come in all shapes and sizes this distance is a little different for everybody. In fighter language this is called REACH.
Congratulations you have just learned to execute a Jab Punch.
Now, lets perfect it! Did you know the first man made object to break the sound barrier was a bull-whip. The crack of the whip is actually the sound barrier being penetrated. The secret to this speed is Flexibility.
A fast punch is more valuable to a fighter than a powerful punch. Because a slow punch, even if it has power, can be easily blocked or avoided.
Ideally you want your punches to be blindingly fast (think Bruce Lee) and powerful. The Jab was built for speed, it's close to the target and if done skillfully it strikes as fast as a cobra, decimates it's target with power, and is retracted out of harms way in the blink of an eye.
How do we attain this speed? You must master the muscles in your arm. Try to relax them all. It's okay if your fist relaxes into something more open. At the beginning of the jab your muscles should be loose and relaxed. At the moment of impact you make a proper fist which will tighten your arm muscles. Then the rapid retraction of your arm out of harms way should be done with loose relaxed muscles. All of this should happen in a fraction of a second. It sounds impossible but YOU CAN DO IT!
One thing I do is visualize snapping a towel at a target. Now pretend your arm is the towel and snap it at the target. When you are jabbing properly you will be able to hear your fist hiss through the air, THAT IS FAST!
- Practical Exercise: Today at practice try jabbing in left fighting stance and then switching to right fighting stance. Remember when the stance switches so does the punching hand.
- Focus on range, accuracy, power, and speed
Instructor Note: The jab is a fairly modern addition to Hapkido and was not part of the original style. Some purists would say a jab is not Hapkido. We at Hapkido online place utility first and feel that though the jab was not a part of the art as conceived it is still a useful technique and one you might encounter in the modern age.
The Mighty Reverse Punch
The Reverse Punch (cross) is a linear punch thrown from the rear hand. It may superficially resemble the jab (and when beginners do it there is little difference) but it is a completely different type of punch with its own rules. Where the jab is like a striking cobra, the reverse punch is a battering ram. The reverse punch is meant to be power punch that drives strait through the target. In video game parlance, it's a finishing move!
If the target of the reverse punch is the center of the sternum the puncher actually aims through the sternum. As the image above demonstrates the reverse punch will shatter bones and can be lethal.
Because it travels twice the distance of the jab it is a slower punch because it is slower you may as well make it powerful. The secret to generating power with the reverse punch is to use your whole body.
Remember in Hapkido all physical power comes from the ground. As you begin the punch you explode forward from your feet, the energy travels up your legs through your hips and back, travels through your arm and through the target. If it is done properly it uses nearly every muscle in the body. You are driving your entire being through that target like a freight train.
A word of caution, a punch of this type requires commitment. You cannot do a reverse punch half way. If your opponent detects the punch coming and blocks or evades you will be in real trouble. Put as much power into this punch as you can WITHOUT LOSING BALANCE.
Conceal your intentions as best you can, you must surprise your opponent for this punch to be successful. A common problem for all fighters is Telegraphing Movement. A telegraphing movement is like a 'tell' in poker. It alerts your opponent to your intentions. Sometimes people move thier feet a certain way before executing certain techniques and this gives them away. To some extent telegraphing is unavoidable, it is your job as a fighter to find ways to minimize it as much as you can.
One effective way to disquise your intentions is to not throw single moves but instead use them in Combinations of three or four moves. For example you might do a front snap kick- jab,-jab-reverse punch.
Skilled fighters like skilled poker players can read you like a book based on the way you move and carry yourself. Everything from your posture to your stance and movement style gives them information about your capability.
If the target of the reverse punch is the center of the sternum the puncher actually aims through the sternum. As the image above demonstrates the reverse punch will shatter bones and can be lethal.
Because it travels twice the distance of the jab it is a slower punch because it is slower you may as well make it powerful. The secret to generating power with the reverse punch is to use your whole body.
Remember in Hapkido all physical power comes from the ground. As you begin the punch you explode forward from your feet, the energy travels up your legs through your hips and back, travels through your arm and through the target. If it is done properly it uses nearly every muscle in the body. You are driving your entire being through that target like a freight train.
A word of caution, a punch of this type requires commitment. You cannot do a reverse punch half way. If your opponent detects the punch coming and blocks or evades you will be in real trouble. Put as much power into this punch as you can WITHOUT LOSING BALANCE.
Conceal your intentions as best you can, you must surprise your opponent for this punch to be successful. A common problem for all fighters is Telegraphing Movement. A telegraphing movement is like a 'tell' in poker. It alerts your opponent to your intentions. Sometimes people move thier feet a certain way before executing certain techniques and this gives them away. To some extent telegraphing is unavoidable, it is your job as a fighter to find ways to minimize it as much as you can.
One effective way to disquise your intentions is to not throw single moves but instead use them in Combinations of three or four moves. For example you might do a front snap kick- jab,-jab-reverse punch.
Skilled fighters like skilled poker players can read you like a book based on the way you move and carry yourself. Everything from your posture to your stance and movement style gives them information about your capability.