developing power

[sticky fingers]

In addition to my WC training I also do clapping pushups and chain punching straight up into the air with light dumbells while lying flat on my back. Are these exercises beneficial/detrimental for WC? What else can I do to develop short range power and punching power?

[Martial Joe]

Hmmm...If you think,the only reason lifting weights and pushups makes your punches stronger is because you get stronger yourself,old KF masters dont do that stuff.Get your form right in punching,im sure it already is but then do alot (and i mean alot) of air punches,and that will get your punches the power for short distance blasting you need,also penetration!So remeber its not the weights its the skill.Keep that in mind.And also the slowwer the better(remember what i said)...


Joe

[Armin]

Hi Philt!

If you do extra-exercises, why should it be wrong? Movements are done by muscles and if you have more muscles (better: muscle-fibres), you'll get more power. That's ok. You may get some problems later, when training chi-sao, but that's only another question of how much you train. ;)

BUT: Remember one thing! Real Power emerges out of the joints, the body-movement/steps and the bearing.

More muscles, if used correctly (meaning: relaxed) will make you faster, not stronger. You don't need punching-power, because you punch with the whole body!


Armin.

PS: Maybe you should do exercises that train "linked" muscles, like the puch-ups you do. E. g.: sit-ups with chain-punches (lie flat on the ground, both legs are angled, than lift the upper part of the body and do three or five punches into the air). Another good and simple exercise for stamina: walk (don't make a step and stand - Walk) through the room with WC-steps and chain-punches as long as posible

[Martial Joe]

Armin...dont get me wrong..i didint say lifting was bad.And i do agrea with the body.You need the to put the body behind every movement you do,and as hard as you can do it.More mass behind the hit the better the hit!

Joe

[Martial Joe]

Besides i lift every other day,and thats not what i am lifting for,not for power in my punches,i just would like to be one of those dudes with a nice body that have alot of lady freinds..haha.And a question...does lifting weights realy effect your chi sao?Because as you see i work my body alot.

[Eric]

The more muscle mass you have in your arms and pecs the harder it will be to protect your center line. You will not be able to pull your elbows in far enough, the muscle will affect your movement,... sometimes muscle mass can slow you down, unless you train right. As far as gaining power, first perfect your form and technique, with that comes power. If you have a problem generating power I would say that you are punching wrong, work on your punching, or ask your sifu to help you with it. Get a punching bag, one with the water in it that sits on the floor for $100 US and beat the hell out of it. When you can knock it over then you know that you have good power. Weight lifting will not necessarily improve your power, if your form is wrong... practice practice practice... I know that is what everyone tells anyone that asks advice here, but it is really the only correct answer.. There are no "get good fast" techniques, you have to work to be good at wing chun...

now go practice..!

ESR

[old jong]

The particular power in wing chun comes from relaxation,stance/structure,timing and focus.
The less muscle/the more power!
Throw the punch using the same motion as using a saw to cut wood! use no tension at all except at the instant of impact then relax immediately!
Do a very slow siu lim tao everyday.
;)

C'est la vie!

[benny]

i have found doing punches in a pool is good as you can use proper structure while having resistance too.

[sticky fingers]

thanks for the replies. Many ppl wrongly believe that if u lift weights you're gonna get big bulky muscles. Not true. It depends on how heavy u lift and your training regimen. When I first started WC, I was really into lifting for mass and I can remember that I couldn't get my elbows past my nipples when I did WC! Also, I was very tense even when I thought I was relaxed. I still enjoy lifting weights, but I wanna be a lot more careful now that I am practicing WC, hence my original post. I don't neglect my WC training, so I do try to perfect my technique.Yes, perfect technique will bring out maximum power but it gets kinda boring to do a gazillion chain punches in the air. :p

[adepss]

Eric,

I can't agree with you that the more muscle you have in your pecs and arms mean that you are'nt as able to protect your centre line.

If you strech between lifts and exercise through the full range of movement then moving your elbows in any direction becomes easier, not more difficult, and the muscle around your chest and arms improves the protection factor of your body to withstand poerful strikes.

If you are not training in flexibility as well, then whether or not you have large muscles the result will be same you won't be able to move effectively to cover your centre line.

regards,

Andrew

[S.Teebas]

Building muscles is only a short term solution to your want to build power/strength. All the great masters use proper techique to generate power, not by lifting heavy weights. I'm not saying that weights are bad...just that there are other options, which i believe are better and will in the longterm provide better results, than building muscles. I saw a seminar by Tsui Seung Tin where these enormous body builder guys Maybe twice the size of Tsui...were asked to stop him from advancing Tsui's punch. None could stop him and these guys out easily weighed him twice over. when they were asked how it felt (trying to stop his punch which was moving quite slowely) one of them said "It feels like all my muscles are completly usless".

I mean, weights are good for shaping your body and giving you the ability to lift heavy obvects, but if your talking about maxamising your power in a WC combat situation i would look to mastering your technique.


S.Teebas

[adepss]

Just for the sake of clarification Bodybuilding and weight training for strength are different.

bruce lee lifted for real world power increasing his strength speed and body mechanics in the process as well as increasing his muscularity.

i don't see the connection as to where bodybuilding and martial arts are used in comparison.

Pure bodybuilding is to make the muscles extremely
large for aesthetic purposes, however the muscle mass does protect the body from external damage.

Now proper weight training on the other hand improves your strength speed and power as well as adding useful muscles.

In order to be good at a martial art you must train in the art to improve your skills, having said that if 2 persons skill level is about equal the deciding factor in terms of gaining the advatage comes down to physical prowess.

so don't neglect your skills training , however don't overlook the effectiveness of proper weight training as an extremely powerful aid to helping you become a complete and strong fighter.

peace.

[Inquisitor]

Just something I'd like to point out:


Weight training produces different muscle fibers than does, say, hitting a wooden dummy. The muscle created through weight training is not conducive to short, fast, "explosive" bursts of energy. It is more geared towards pushing/pulling/lifting, since that is how it was developed. Someone who does weight training every day and has rather large arms for his size may have more force/momentum behind his punch than the average person, but his punch will be very weak when compared to someone who practiced punching as fast as he could 1000 times a day. Anyone with a basic background in physics will tell you that, in terms of punching, speed is ultimately worth much more than mass.

[Koing]

yeah I'd agree speed is more important. You can hit someone with less power but as long as you do hit first then thats going to give you an advantage. Also you learn to follow up very quickly with many other punches. So ultimately you will end up better.

"Bye 4 now; not 4 ever"

[tsb]

If George Foreman dropped the hammer on me even though he could have mailed the punch to me faster, I'm still going nighty-night. :o George could also **** on me and get a KO, but you get my point.