[I:http://yozing.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/AlCase13.jpg]Power, in the Martial Arts, especially martial arts like Kenpo or Shaolin is often measured by how hard you can hit. Thus, people beat the stuffings out of the punching bag and the Makiwara, and they do push ups to strengthen themselves, and…and they are doing it all wrong. You see, there is one essential thing that they don’t understand, and so all their push ups and punches are having less effect than they would wish.

I want to point something out here…and I can only do that by asking you one exact question. Where, when you throw a punch, do your arms bear the most weight? The answer is plain to see, they bear it when the arm is nearly extended at the end of the hit.

So why do you need to push up your arm through the whole range of motion from the floor? Being strong at the beginning or middle of the punch is not important. Concentrating your work out through the whole range of motion is not addressing the exact needs of the punch.

So, when you do a work out, make it gentle and general, and build up your body and your arms as a whole unit, then concentrate your efforts on the end of the punch where you need it. This is easy to do, you can do it for just about any exercise in existence. All you have to do the motion of the exercise where the arm is nearly extended, and concentrate your training on that part of the exercise.

Let’s say you’re doing that staple of all exercise, a push up. Do the push up until your arms are nearly extended, and that’s where the real work out starts to happen. Do as many six inch push ups with the arms nearly extended, as you can, fast, concentrating on keeping your belly tight and having good form.

Here’s the point of it all, you need to concentrate the work out, and feel the power, in your shoulders. When you punch something the jolt of impact is going to go up your arms and directly into the shoulders. Thus, it is the shoulders that must become strong and dense, it is the shoulders, as felt in the last six inches of the push up, that must be built up.

For a good punch you need thick and dense shoulders, so perform the six inch push up I have detailed here, and do it throughout the day, until the muscles of the shoulders become as dense and enduring as the leg muscles of a marathon runner. It’s odd that people have never thought of what I am telling you here, and I scratch my head at it. I suppose the problem is that people are taught how to exercise in one manner, and never actually look at the exact goal they are trying to accomplish.

So do those ‘long arm 6 inch push ups like they are going out of style. Do them and put your awareness in your shoulders, letting your shoulders lightly bulk and become immensely dense. This is the way you develop a punch that is stronger than the next fellows, this is how you create the most powerful punch in the universe.

Al Case, The Doctor of the Punch, has studied martial arts 4O years. If you want the straight goods on how to build the most powerful punch in the world, pay him a visit at Punch ‘Em Out.

Tags: , , , ,

Filed under: Health

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!