Elements of Punching

I want to write about the elements of punching because recently in the comments section someone expressed some skepticism about a statement made on one of the videos that proper punching technique takes months or years to learn. I want to tell why martial arts instructors say that, and also relate some possible ways to become competent at striking in much shorter time.

Speed vs. Mass

First, you have to understand that any strike involves a transfer of energy from the striker to the target. And this energy transfer is a function of mass and speed.

Force = Mass x Velocity squared

This formula shows the relative relationship of force to mass and velocity. Force is directly proportional to the mass. Thus, if you double the mass, you double the force. This is the physical foundation of the saying, "If it doesn't work, hit it with a hammer. And if it still doesn't work, get a bigger hammer."

A less well known corollary of this formula is that force is directly proportional to the square of the velocity. Thus, if you double the velocity, you quadruple the force.

Martial arts and combatives training seek to maximize striking with both mass and velocity. You learn the various techniques taught in your school for putting your whole weight behind your punch (throwing the hip into the punch, dropping energy, etc.)

The result is that you learn to punch with, say, 160 lbs of body weight rather than 14 lbs. of arm weight. Of course, it takes time to not only learn to punch with your whole body, but also to do so without overextending, thus losing balance and mobility.

Once you learn to practice this consistently, however, the only way you can use it to increase your power is to increase your body mass. For every pound you add, your punching force increases proportionally. But the real multiplier is speed.

If you can put all your body weight behind a punch, you can hit with X lbs. of force. If you can triple your speed, you can hit with 9X lbs. of force. But to increase speed you will probably have to enter into a process of unlearning and learning.

Most beginners want to hit hard. And, since they know that hitting hard requires muscular effort, they tense their muscles as they punch. (This goes for all types of strikes, not just punches.)

Tenseness while striking causes opposing muscle groups to work against each other. For example, the act of straightening the arm utilizes the tricep muscles. If the biceps, which bend the arm, are tense, however, they are causing "drag" on the work being done by the triceps. Ergo, the motion is slowed down.

Thus, punching (or any striking) becomes faster as you learn to contract only the muscles necessary to the movement while relaxing the opposing muscles. Simple? Yes. Easy? Not so much.

There are some drills that will help develop speed in striking.

Continued in "Elements of Punching, 2"

Confrontational Types, 4

Continued from "Confrontational Types, 3"

My wife keeps chickens -- mostly Rhode Island Reds. She also has a little Bantam Rooster maybe a little more than half the size of the hens around him. But his diminutive size does not deter him from strutting around and acting like king of the roost.

The human confrontational type that I call the Bantam Rooster shares similar characteristics. He struts and postures, but only to cover his innate insecurity. He's a wannabe.

Because he's just posturing, the last thing that the Bantam Rooster wants is for someone to take him up on his challenge. It's all a bluff.

Like the bully, he confronts others for the sake of his ego. The difference is that his ego is vulnerable, and he knows he cannot deliver. If he feels threatened and pulls a knife, he will display it prominently, perhaps waving it around to make sure you see it.

Years ago, when I worked hospital security, a bantam rooster was brought in for admission to the drug rehab program. He was about thirty with a worn leather jacket, tattoos on his neck -- looked like a tough customer. His mother brought him in.

He was loud, obnoxious and uncooperative, a real pain in the neck -- though some of the medical staff had a much lower opinion of him. They refused him admission, and asked me to escort him out of the hospital. In the parking lot, he said he wanted to fight me.

I did not want to fight him, and I admit his appearance did intimidate me, but he would not get in the car to leave, and kept advancing on me. I had drawn my baton, but ended up tossing it away and tackling him. (Note to my barber: this was before we received the PR-24 training.) He went down, and his mother started yelling for me not to hurt him.

In the end, he just caved, and it was no problem putting the cuffs on him. Just a Bantam Rooster, strutting and posturing.

If you do call a Bantam Rooster's bluff, though, get out of there as quickly as you can, and do not turn your back on him. He may decide to reclaim his injured ego by attacking you from behind, or he may go to his car to retrieve a firearm.

He's a bluffer, but he may still be dangerous.

Confrontational Types, 3

Continued from "Confrontational Types, 2"

Our third confrontational type is the big deal. This one is ego-driven. He thinks he's a big deal because he can dominate others.

Bullies fall into this category, but I think the description also fits gang members who beat or kill others for street cred.

When I was in 7th grade, I became the target of some big deals. For lack of a better strategy, my parents told me, "Just stand up to them, and they'll leave you alone." This does not work with the big deal, because his arrogance and his status grow out of his ability to fight, so he will welcome the challenge.

Unlike the raging bull, it does not work to offer to give the big deal what he says he wants. If you do, he will escalate his demands, because what he really wants is to inflict physical pain and/or humiliation on you.

The best thing to do about a big deal is to avoid him. A group of arrogant young males loitering on the street may well be big deals, and you should turn around or cross the street to avoid them. That's for a one-time encounter.

If the big deal knows you or sees you frequently, however, this strategy may cause him to conclude that you are afraid and lead him to seek you out. Eventually, you will have to decide whether to submit or to fight. It's not a good choice, especially if he has friends with him -- they will readily join in on his side.

To have any chance, you must draw the verbal line, as described in "Confrontational Types, 2" and strike preemptively. If he has friends, you have maybe a second or so to neutralize him before you take on his backup. You must therefore send him to the pavement without hesitation and without misgiving.

Two key mindset principles in dealing with a big deal are surprise and ruthlessness (See Principles of Personal Defense by Jeff Cooper).

Continued in Confromtational Types 4

Fighting is dangerous and carries the possibilities of injury to yourself or others, and can lead to criminal prosecution or civil liability. Since each individual and each threat is different, nothing in this article should be construed as specific advice for your situation. The decision to fight is yours and yours alone, and the author accepts no liability for the consequences, should you decide to do so.

Confrontational Types, 2

Continued from "Confrontational Types"

The raging bull differs from the true orc in that he's angry and is not likely to sidestep a fight. He will not back down at direct eye contact, and he will likely take it as a challenge.

The raging bull may be a guy who has chronic anger issues, or he may be the peaceful, quiet guy who has just had the last straw and snapped. Either way, something triggered his anger, and he's looking for satisfaction.

Most courses that teach you how to defuse (not diffuse, please!) potentially violent confrontations are aimed at raging bull types. The methods you learn will work with one of them, AS LONG AS he does not feel you're patronizing or manipulating him. That will only fuel his anger.

(Hint: Most of the techniques you learn in managing confrontations will not work against the other confrontational types.)

A major factor in opening dialogue with an angry person is empathy. "If what just happened to you had happened to me, I'd be furious."

One sure way to get a true raging bull to calm down is to give him what he wants. Your apology? Your table at the restaurant? Your parking space? None of these is worth fighting over, so if you can do so without violating Biblical ethics, let have what he wants so you can get on with your life.

If you cannot legitimately placate him, you need to draw a line. In the non-threatening defensive stance say, "I cannot give you what you ask. Is there any other way I can get out of this without a fight?"

If he says, "No," then the fight has begun -- neutralize the threat. Or he may say nothing and swing at you -- be ready.

Continued in "Confrontational Types, 3"

Sheepdog Strategies, 10

LT (my barber!) sent me this, and I thought it would make a good personal security primer for the ladies in your life, and good review for the rest of us, as well.

Everyone should take 5 minutes to read this. It may save your life or a loved one's life.

Crucial

Because of recent abductions

In daylight hours, refresh yourself of these things to do

In an emergency situation...

This is for you, And for you to share

With your wife, Your children, Everyone you know.

After reading these 9 crucial tips,

Forward them to someone you care about.

It never hurts to be careful In this crazy world we live in.

1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do :

The elbow is the strongest point on your body.

If you are close enough to use it, DO!
2. Learned thi s from a tourist guide.

If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse,

DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM.

Toss it away from you...

Chances are that he is more interested

In your wallet and/or purse than you,

And he will go for the wallet/purse.

THEN RUN LIKE MAD IN ANY OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car,

Kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole

And start waving like crazy.

The driver won't see you, but everybody else will.

This has saved lives.

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars

After shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit

(doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc.

(DON'T DO THIS!)

The predator will be watching you, and this

Is the perfect opportunity for him to get in

On the passenger side, put a gun to your head,

And tell you where to go.

AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR ,

LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.

If someone Is in the car With a gun To your head

DO NOT DRIVE OFF,

Repeat:

DO NOT DRIVE OFF!

Instead gun the engine

And speed into anything, wrecking the car.

Your Air Bag will save you.

If the person is in the back seat

They will get the worst of it .

As soon as the car crashes

Bail out and run.

It is better than having them find your body

In a remote location.

5. A few notes about getting Into your car in a parking lot,

Or parking garage:

A.) Be aware:

Look around you,

Look into your car,

At the passenger side floor ,

In the back seat AND under the car

B.) If you are parked next to a big van,

Enter your car from the passenger door.

Most serial killers attack their victims

By pulling them into their vans while the women

Are attempting to get into their cars.

C.) Look at the car Parked on the driver's side of your vehicle,

And the passenger side... If a male is sitting alone

in the seat nearest your car, you should walk back

Into the mall, or work, and get a

Guard/policeman to walk you back out.

IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY.

(And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the elevator

Instead of the stairs.

Stairwells are horrible places to be alone And the perfect crime spot.

This is especially true at NIGHT!)

7. If the predator has a gun

And you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN!

The predator will only hit you (a running target)

4 in 100 times; and even then,

It most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ.

RUN, Preferably in a zig -zag pattern!

8. As women, we are always trying To be sympathetic:

STOP

It may get you raped, or killed.

Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking,

Well educated man, who ALWAYS played

On the sympathies of unsuspecting women.

He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked

'for help' into his vehicle or with his vehicle,

Which is when he abducted his next victim.

9. Another Safety Point:

Someone just told me that her friend heard

A crying baby on her porch the night before last,

And she called the police because it was late

And she thought it was weird. The police told her

'Whatever you do, DO NOT Open the door.'

The lady then said that it sounded like the baby

Had crawled near a window, and she was worried

That it would crawl to the street and get run over.

The policeman said, 'We already have a unit on the way,

Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.'

He told her that they think a serial killer

Has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax

women out of their homes thinking that someone

dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it,

but have had several calls by women saying that

they hear baby's cries outside their doors

when they're home alone at night.

10. Water scam!

If you wake up in the middle
of the night to hear all your taps outside running or what you think is a
burst pipe, DO NOT GO OUT TO INVESTIGATE! These people turn on all your
outside taps full ball so that you will go out to investigate and
then attack.

Stay alert, keep safe, and look out for your neighbors!

WARSKYL Conference Update

Yesterday I sent off for the proof copy of the manual for the conference. When the manuscript converted to a PDF file (for the printer), it somehow inserted two blank pages (each after a section break). Too much going on in my life right now to take the time to fix it -- maybe the 2nd edition.

Oh well, use the blank pages to take notes.

Each family represented at the conference will receive a manual. Extra manuals will be available to conferees at $7 each. Those not at the conference will have to pay more.

In the next hour or so, I will be leaving for North Carolina. It involves a possible change from wage slave to self-employed. I've been self-employed before . . . then self-unemployed. I'd appreciate your prayers.

Confrontational Types

I read an article by Bob Pierce about confrontational types -- the different types of people you may encounter in a potentially violent confrontation -- that I thought you might find helpful. It's not so much that he said anything you or I don't already know, but he put it together into a comprehensive picture.

I will give these four types my own descriptive names: 1) the true orc, 2) the raging bull, 3) the big deal, and 4) the bantam rooster. (I might also add a fifth, psychopath.) Over the years, I've run into these types, and I'm sure many of you readers have, as well. The bad news is that they can all be dangerous, but the good news is that if you can recognize the type, you are more likely to be able to derail the potential violence.

The true orc is a predator, plain and simple. He targets easy prey. If you notice him stalking you, you can often dissuade him by looking straight at him to let him know you've made him.

The other types may take direct eye contact as a challenge, but the true orc is not looking for a challenge. He wants to ambush his prey. The earlier you let this predator know you're on to him, the less it will take to persuade him to look for an easier mark.

If the situation reaches the testing phase, you must go into the non-challenging defensive posture and draw the appropriate verbal line. "LEAVE ME ALONE!!" This informs him that you are not about to step into his net.

A woman who challenges an orc in this fashion at this stage has a 50% chance of altogether avoiding physical assault.

Continued in "Confrontational Types, 2"