what is the one inch punch?

[sideslasher9]

What does the one inch punch consist of is is chi or being very strong or what? i know bruce lee demonstrated it. and in several books and articles on it i read that u just have to practice it? how do i do that ?like in killbill???

[shevbo]

I have only seen the video of Bruce Lee doing it :/

I think your meant to punch at full stretch and retract your fist soo quickly that all the energy of the punch is travelling straight into the persons chest without coming back to you. This way this energy is not being wasted by not coming back to you.

Tried using physics there poor explanation I know :P

[Jay Bell]

What does the one inch punch consist of is is chi or being very strong or what? i know bruce lee demonstrated it. and in several books and articles on it i read that u just have to practice it? how do i do that ?like in killbill???

Biomechanical physics To be able to do shots like the 1, 3 inch punches, you have to have a good grasp of appropriate timing and tension.

And no...it's not chi..

[GodofGamblers]

There was an anecdote i read in a book once by a writer (Joe Hyams?) who invited Bruce over to his pool for a swim. One of the writer's friends stopped by (he was a weight lifter) and laughed when he saw Bruce. when he heard Bruce was a fighter, he expected to see a guy that looked like himself: over 6', musclebound and over 220lbs. when he saw this skinny chinese guy that tipped the scales at 130lbs, he was not impressed and let Bruce know.

Bruce offered to show him the one inch punch. The man would stand by the poolside and Bruce would punch him in the stomach from a distance of one inch. The man laughingly agreed.

Later, the writer went inside to see his friend, soaking wet from his fall into the pool and still breathing heavily. "I can't believe the power of that punch... It knocked the wind right out of me".

uh... yeah... that's the one inch punch.

i can't remember the writer's name but he was married to Britt Ekland. I doubt he made the story up. Joe Hyams, i think his name was. chi has nothing to do with it. forearms and back muscles were the muscles bruce worked on. he claimed those were the muscles for fighting. biceps, chest, the rest are purely ornamental, he said.

[Bugeisha]

Just wanted to take this time to point out that we don't have any purely ornamental muscles...

[GodofGamblers]

he he i guess not. i was just paraphrasing Lee. he found the western preoccuption to work biceps and the chest a waste of time. the back and forearms are for combat. the other ones, obviously are necessary, but not as important, in Lee's opinion.

[hkstone]

You may find many Southern CMA are using inch(es) punch - Pak(Bak/Bai) Mei, Dragon, (Chu and Chow/Chau) Mantis. It's all related to using stance/hip/ground gripping/chi into the dang tin/neck/shoulder all at an instance.

[Bad Karma]

WC 2nd form, but the technique goes way back in time in "soft" art systems. Fa jing is used and it's better concept is the "no inch." I've been dropped where I stood and I've been knocked across the room with it - sucks! LOL! Just wish I could do it successfully.

Peace

[Eye4NEye]

he he i guess not. i was just paraphrasing Lee. he found the western preoccuption to work biceps and the chest a waste of time. the back and forearms are for combat. the other ones, obviously are necessary, but not as important, in Lee's opinion.

Actually, read "The Art of Expressing the Human Body" and you will not find any such reference. Lee focused on circuit training his entire body and actually had perscribed exercises for each major muscle group. He even cautioned against favoring certain groups and causing a "weak link".

[GodofGamblers]

interesting. i don't doubt it. but if you look at his body, you can see that he favors certain muscles, above all the forearms and back. he didn't work the biceps or chest, which is apparent. he doesn't look at all like a Van Damme.

but you're right: he stressed running and circuit training in his writings most of all. running is the backbone of all sport he wrote, or something to that effect.

there is an interesting camera shot in ONG BAK. the hero, a Thai, stands off against a foreign fighter, 'the Bear'. the camera pans to Bear who is flexing his biceps and chest. the camera then pans to Tony Jaa whose musculature is quite slight in that area but then the camera pans back and focuses on his back which is where his strength is. it is quite a statement/juxtaposition of images. i think it was making the same point.

[Bad Karma]

What I always found interesting was how Bruce Lee managed to look thin and small until he flexed. Then, BAM! Where the heck did those come from?! LOL!

Peace

[Eye4NEye]

interesting. i don't doubt it. but if you look at his body, you can see that he favors certain muscles, above all the forearms and back. he didn't work the biceps or chest, which is apparent. he doesn't look at all like a Van Damme.

Indeed, he did favor certain muscle groups, but he didn't neglect any. Just because his chest doesn't look like VD doesn't mean he didn't work it. I would guess that VD followed more of a mass building routine and less of a stamina/speed routine than BL. Most of what I have read of BL says he focused on high rep circuit training which isn't going to bulk him up like VD. He was fanatical about his forearms and lats, though, that's for sure. He wrote about how he trained his forearms and abs every day because of their quick recovery time.

[poetic misjustice]

i've learnt that it's basically an energy punch, you aim the punch one inch behind the target, so you fist is one inch away from the opponent, then you punch (with alot of snap) two inches, the kinetic energy should travel through the body creating a chain reaction all from one point. I've only succeded once and it is effective

[Dan Harden]

Guys

The punch is not a punch. The more you think it is -the less it will be. The force is in your body. Your arms and forearms and chest have nothing to do with it. Think of your spine, your legs and the ground.
What on earth are you guys into mentioning muscles and tings like that.

Whether or not it is in tai chi? I will say this.
I was taught how to use my body in ways exactly like the CMA from a Japanese art. This included what we called an aiki-punch. Delivered from no inch...to ...whatever inch. I showed this to a CMA fellow but he could not manage to do it until we trained together at it. After some months of him practicing he suddenly "got it" and drilled me into the ground. While it was not excellent, in time, it will be.
Power generation is paramount in the CMA, is it not? it is formelss is it not?
Stop thinking about muscle work. I have a small guy who could nail you like nobodies business. I am large, 6' with plenty of muscle. So if he can do what I do where does that leave the muscle theory. I also have great difficulty pushing him-he can trap my energy and drop me. I donlt think I will be tellig him to use his muscle anytime soon.

cheers
Dan

[Digi]

but you're right: he stressed running and circuit training in his writings most of all. running is the backbone of all sport he wrote, or something to that effect.

All the techniques and strategies you learn are useless if you're too tired to perform it. Cardio is should be practiced daily.

[TheOmega]

Bruce's 'One Inch Punch' technique is from an old Shaolin principle that was called, Iron Palm of T'ai Chi. As Bad Karma said, I have also been struch with the Iron Palm. It does make you lose footing and launch back quite far if done in the right hands. It is the principle of my Master to "feel what I deal". So many times to learn an art, I must experience it, mostly in part.

[Yang Wei Xin]

I believe the one inch punch does not rely on strength so much as proper skeletal alignment, thus taking advantage of your connection to the ground, and bringing that strength up throught the skeletal structure, and then putting it into your opponents chest, obviously muscle is required, but without proper alignment, muscle doesn't mean much.

[TheOmega]

This is true. Everything is very specific to do the technique correctly, though harboring a true belief in the body's energy I believe Chi does have something to do with it.

[Yang Wei Xin]

[QUOTE=TheOmega]This is true. Everything is very specific to do the technique correctly, though harboring a true belief in the body's energy I believe Chi does have something to do

I agree, I think its funny when I see people debating the existence of something as universal as Chi(Ki), especially on a martial arts website.

[TogaAssassin]

[QUOTE=Psycho Mantis]

This is true. Everything is very specific to do the technique correctly, though harboring a true belief in the body's energy I believe Chi does have something to do

I agree, I think its funny when I see people debating the existence of something as universal as Chi(Ki), especially on a martial arts website.

I'm not suprised at all to see it argued becuase there is no concrete evidence to prove that what you call "chi" exists. We can call it energy, because there is no doubt that energy (the potential to displace mass) exists at every bend (be it potential energy or actual energy manifest). Sure you can call THAT chi but until someone can prove without a shadow of a doubt that something like (the essence of someones soul essentially) chi exists I think it is a perfectly valid topic for debate.

It is not impossible that Chi is akin to the valhallah of the vikings. Something that was invented in order to subvert mens fear of death and destruction in battle. It's amazing what you can overcome when your mind refuses to bend to the cold harsh rules of the physical world. When you truly belive your Chi is shielding you from harm etc it's got to be a lot less stressfull to fight an armed opponent.

Remember Chi didn't work so well when the Shaolin attempted to use it to divert bullets during the boxer rebellion.