“…correct hitting is invisible. The enemy should fall without seeing your hands.” Chinese Martial Arts Text
Punching is common to almost all the martial arts. As a basic strike it is unparalleled in terms of usability and effectiveness. Almost anyone can throw a half decent punch, if not a power punch, no matter what level of skill or experience they are at, which is why the punch is so popular amongst martial artists and non martial artists alike. It is probably utilized more often than the kick or any other technique for striking or counter-striking. In self defence terms, the humble punch could probably take the prize for most used defensive or offensive technique since it comes so naturally to most of us.
Given how popular the punch is and how much it is used by martial artists it makes sense to develop it as much as possible so that it can be used with full effectiveness. Let’s now take a look at how to do that and discover the real secret to developing a power punch.
The Three Levels of Speed
When it comes to punching there are three levels of speed that can be utilized to deliver them, the last of which being the one we will most concentrate on here, since that is the level that will allow us to execute super-fast punches.
1. The Untrained Punch. This type of punch is characterised by the “wind up and throw” approach, most often resulting in the commonly seen “haymaker” punch as used by those who have no training in how to punch. Thus this level of speed is where your average street fighter would be at. The punch can be seen coming by any trained exponent of the martial arts and thus can be easily countered with a block or another strike before the punch gains any real momentum.
2. The Trained Punch. This type of punch is most often utilized by trained boxers and karateka. There is no telegraphing with this punch and it is done with maximum focus of power, with the emphasis being on the delivery of the strike rather than the preparation as in the first type of punch. As effective as this punch is, it can still be blocked and countered by a suitably skilled defender. I’m sure you have successfully defended against such punches many times in your training.
I’m also sure that this is were you are probably at yourself in terms of your own punching level. In most martial arts, punching technique is never usually taken any further than this. I doubt most people are even aware that there is another level of prowess after this one. I certainly wasn’t until I happened to come across a book by Peter Payne called Martial Arts: The Spiritual Dimension. A section of the book talks about hitting and the different ways to hit and at the end of the section it mentions the type of punch we are going to talk about now, the punch that represents the third level of speed.
3. The Whiplash Punch. Here the focus is not on the preparation or the powerful delivery but is instead on the withdrawal. The punch is basically retracted from the point of impact as fast as possible, with no real consideration given to the actual delivery of the punch. Such a style of hitting will deliver a shocking, penetrating impact on to your opponent and if done correctly, it will not be sensed or even seen coming. Your opponent will only see the punch on its withdrawal, after they have been hit.
Now as I say, I had never heard of this method of punching before and it was a bit of a revelation to me. I didn’t think it was possible to level up your punching skills so dramatically. I have tried to research the punch on the internet but I can find very little about it. My first instinct on reading about it was that it sounded like a technique that would be used in a Kung Fu or Wing Chung style, since most movements in these styles tend to be quite fast and snappy as opposed to being stiff and powerful. Anyone who knows of this techniques origins should let me know. I’d be interested in learning more about it.
Practice
Regardless of were the technique comes from, it works and it will dramatically increase the speed and power of anyone’s punching with a little practice.
As I said, the emphasis, when practicing this punch, should be on the withdrawal as opposed to the delivery, something which proves tricky to pull of at first, especially if you have spent years, like I have, punching with the emphasis on the delivery like most karateka.
After a while though, you will soon get the hang of the change in emphasis and you will be amazed by the difference it makes to the actual speed of the punch itself. When practicing on a bag, I was struck by the penetrating power of the punch. Admittedly, at this point in my practice, the normal trained punch is still more damaging, but I have no doubt, with some more constant practice, that the whiplash punch will prove to be the more powerful and devastating of the two.
The actual execution of the punch is not particularly difficult. The difficulty lies in remembering which emphasis to use. In other wards, remembering to emphasis the withdrawal part of the punch. At this point also, I would like to reiterate what Peter Payne said in his book about safety precautions. Because the punch is so powerful and snappy, speed must be built up slowly and great care must be taken not to lock the arm at full extension otherwise the elbow joint can be severely damaged. Just take it slowly at first, like any technique and build up speed gradually.
Although I can’t verify this (yet) it has been said that this punch can extinguish a candle by sucking the flame after it as it withdraws. It will even cause a freely suspended piece of paper to sway towards you. Given such examples, you can get some idea of the tremendous speed and power possible with this punch.
Other Applications
I am still at the early stages of developing and practicing this whiplash technique, but I have no doubt that there exists the possibility to apply it to other areas of the martial arts. In terms of kicking, for instance, the emphasis can also be changed to the withdrawal. I have tried this with front snap kicks and again, it works. There is a noticeable difference in speed as compared with the normal kicking method.
I have yet to experiment with other techniques like throws. Although it would be slightly harder to work this method into throwing, I still imagine it could be done with a little practice and experimentation. Perhaps you have already done so. If so, let me know the results. I’d be very interested in hearing them.
This technique also has good street self defense applications. Having the ability to hit an opponent before he even realizes he has been hit is a good ability to have. For more on this, see my other article, Why You Should be a One Hit Wonder.
Try It!
So there you go. The secret to developing a power punch. Try the whiplash method out for yourself and see the dramatic difference it will make to your speed and overall power. Just remember what I said about caution. Build it up slowly.
