[monkeypalm]

agreed. onlookers interpreting things incorrectly in any situation can lead to a whole heap of differences in understanding!

[zefff]

I thought I described it well enuff but respect to the other WC guys for expanding on it. It seems we all more or less agree

As I said B4 there are two methods for this concept. I think this is what Monkeypalm and dscott are confused about with their differences. The first is as dscott describes where the whole body and waist especially is used to propel the fist like a bullet from a gun.

The second is where it is up to the wrist, forearm, elbow, tricep and a little latisimus dorci to accelerate and penetrate through the point of initial contact like a laserbeam.

Practice this on a heavy bag and although u r hitting hard, the bag should not move much if at all. If you can hit hard without making the bag swing, you are doing it right cos %100 of the force is being absorbed by the bag.

I know women who can punch harder than me using this 2nd method. It is the true method that should be cultivated through regular practise. If you are deprived of time in your classes you will prolly be focusing on other aspects which return more immediate benefits such as structure, sensitivity, limb-speed and footwork.

I cant be arsed to go on after this cos it seems that people are posting when they dont know what they are talking about.

[EvilScott]

Originally Posted by zefff

As I said B4 there are two methods for this concept. I think this is what Monkeypalm and dscott are confused about with their differences. The first is as dscott describes where the whole body and waist especially is used to propel the fist like a bullet from a gun.

The second is where it is up to the wrist, forearm, elbow, tricep and a little latisimus dorci to accelerate and penetrate through the point of initial contact like a laserbeam.

Practice this on a heavy bag and although u r hitting hard, the bag should not move much if at all. If you can hit hard without making the bag swing, you are doing it right cos %100 of the force is being absorbed by the bag.

It's the difference between pushing power and penetrating power. Pushing power is the one usually demostrated - the person moves. Penetrating power just HURTS. It's hard to explain the difference...zefff did a pretty good job of it.

[zefff]

So is inch power useful in combat?...yes

no one mentioned the one inch headbutt though! I luv that old chestnut!

[superjim]

The inch power thing that was being discussed seems like it would be really useful in a fight, however the question was about the one-inch punch which, in my opinion, seems kind of pointless, you could spend the time you would spend training that technique practicing pulling your hand back really fast or something. Keep in mind I'm talking about the one I've seen in demonstrations where the attacker (Bruce Lee) is standing in front of the person and with his fist an inch away knocks them back into a chair, the whole 'penetrating power' sound much more effective, effective and painful... One inch headbutt, eh zefff?

[dcohen]

Originally Posted by superjim

demonstrations where the attacker (Bruce Lee) is standing in front of the person and with his fist an inch away knocks them back into a chair

Interestingly enough, you'll always find that damn chair at the person's rear triangulation point...the place they'd have to take a simple step onto, to regain their balance. In effect, they get pushed a little and then they trip over a friggin folding chair. Watch those videos, see what I'm talking about.

"No-inch" punches are what are REALLY useful in a fight...if you can throw a xingyi/bagua type wave into someone while you're grappling, whether standing or on the ground, you can do some serious damage to their body, not even factoring in the massive disorientation that you'll get with any luck, or the big psychological effect of "magic powers" being used on a really pissed off, really committed, and usually pretty unskilled fighter.

Something worth getting good at, and if you can do it no matter how your body is (i.e., no needed setup), suddenly a heavy punch becomes REALLY heavy and you can basically put your hand on someone, connect it into their center, and drop them without much of a fuss. At that point your headstomping skills are called on.

-David

[confusingDot]

"Any Wing Chun teacher worth anything should be able to do one, and probably better than Lee did."

why would they be able to do it better then lee. lee gained his power form his amazing strength, of working out all the time, and the use of electric shock, and i also heard he used drugs.

The one inch punch is just a DEMONSTRATION of how good a normal punch is. You can do a so called "one inch punch" from any striking distance, and ot any area of hte opponent.

the one inch punch is a PUNCH. that is all it is. what makes it specifically different is that you start with an open hand and clasp it before impact to help accelerate the hand, use a vertical fist, and utilize the wrist joint of bending and unbending to add in additional force. perosnally i do htis in all my punches, not just close range.

the punch was called the one inch punch because of it's effectiveness in close range. so when anyone saw it demonstrated... it was most likely demonstrated from one inch, and it's a catchy name. it's not something you jsut stand there and wait to do... you just fire it out, and retract it back ready to od another.

[Gong||Jau]

The one inch punch, in the sense that Lee did it (there are probably other ways), is done based on Wing Chun principles. Lee never even learned the third Wing Chun form. If Wing Chun skill were based on strength, Yip Man would have been the worst practitioner of all time, not one of the greatest.

It's not just a demonstration of a normal punch. It's a normal Wing Chun straight punch, but it isn't a cross or reverse punch. It's based on rooting your structure into the ground and throwing a punch so that even at close range all of the energy is thrown into your opponent, and having solid structure so that the energy isn't lost in your shoulder or hips.

[wuming]

Originally Posted by superjim

The inch power thing that was being discussed seems like it would be really useful in a fight, however the question was about the one-inch punch which, in my opinion, seems kind of pointless, you could spend the time you would spend training that technique practicing pulling your hand back really fast or something. Keep in mind I'm talking about the one I've seen in demonstrations where the attacker (Bruce Lee) is standing in front of the person and with his fist an inch away knocks them back into a chair, the whole 'penetrating power' sound much more effective, effective and painful... One inch headbutt, eh zefff?

The "one inch punch" is not a pointless technique. Three of the very important deciding factors in a fight are distance, time, and angles. First of all, the "one inch puch" is just demonstrating the fact that attacks can be made without having to pull your arm back and swing. These attacks utilize the motion of the body (particularly at the waste) to generate power so that in essence you are throwing the weight of your body behind the attack. Think about this closely, if you are in a fight and you find your self in a close range situation would it be a good idea to first pull your arm back to throw an attack? The answer is obviously no, during the time that you wasted pulling your arm back your opponent could have made an attack on you; you thus wasted precious time and energy. Even if you practiced pulling your arm back really fast, it is still not an effecient use of your time or energy. To elaborate on what Zeff was talking about, in my Pa Kua class we talk about both a "shocking chi wave" and a "pushing chi wave." Essentialy an attack with a "shocking chi wave" is used to penetrate inside the persons body and disrupt internal systems (cause damage to internal organs, cause internal bleeding, etc.). Obviously this type of strike can be very damaging, but it still makes sense to also use a "pushing" strike -- I do not think that you are going to want to severly hurt everyone you fight with. There are bound to be instances where internally damaging your opponent might not be a very bright idea: maybe the person is your friend, maybe you don't want to be liable for attempted manslaughter or murder if you actually kill the person, or maybe you actually value human life and realize that you do not need to hurt people only incompacitate (sp?)them for the time being.

[wuming]

Ninja klown, can I ask you where you found that picture. I find it quite amusing.