LOOKING FOR SPEED WITH ALL THE WRONG PHRASES...

 by Phillip Starr

After teaching the martial arts for some time and especially after working as a teacher of the English language, I've come to realize just how much the words and phrases we use impact how we think and subsequently, act. I started thinking back to how students act and react when given certain commands or thinking of certain words such as “Do it faster!” When a student is given such a command or if she thinks in those terms, the result is almost inevitable; she strains that much harder to make her punch or kick speedier. This is almost always accompanied by using too much “oomph.” The technique becomes rather jerky and hurried, making it less effective that it was in the first place!

If she is trying to maximize the speed of her punch, her mind focuses on her fist; if she wants to fire out a faster kick, she thinks about moving her foot with greater rapidity. I feel that this has a detrimental effect on her technique, making it that much clumsier and less effective.

This is particularly obvious in the practice of iaido (the art of drawing and cutting with the Japanese sword). Novices often use too much muscle when they execute a cut; they hold the sword in a white-knuckled death grip and hack down as if they were chopping wood. The cut is stiff, awkward, and uncontrolled.

For starters, consider that the speed of a given technique is generated by correct body movement rather than trying to “push” the hand, foot, or sword. If you want to increase the speed of a given technique, you must make the appropriate body movement that much faster! It's much like using a bullwhip; if you want to increase the speed of the free end of the whip, you don't strain to make the tip move faster. Rather, you focus on moving your arm and hand (and consequentially, the handle of the whip) that much faster. You know this without having to be told. It's the same with punches and kicks. If you want your fist or foot (the tip of the whip) to move faster, you must increase the speed of the body action (the arm and hand that grasps the whip). This naturally involves the pressure of one foot against the floor and the movement of the hips.

It's also important to understand how each technique works. To begin with, consider that the hand or foot must ACCELERATE en route to the target. Ideally, it strikes the opponent just as it reaches the point of maximum acceleration. Once maximum acceleration is reached, the blow begins to decelerate and lose destructive power very quickly. There is usually a snap or twist of the wrist or ankle at the very end of the technique. The main reason for this oddity is that it actually MAXIMIZES ACCELERATION of the technique just prior to impact! The technique begins to decelerate very quickly after this. If the twist or snap occurs too early, the blow is much less effective and its force is rather blunt. This phenomenon is discussed in my book, “MARTIAL MECHANICS.” Save up your lunch money and get a copy!

Many years ago, senior instructors of the Japan Karate Association ran a series of experiments that were designed to determine the speed of punches and kicks of karate practitioners from green belt to 4^th grade black belts. I know that most black belts like to think that their punches travel at something approaching Mach 3 but the painful truth, as found in the results of these tests, is that most 1^st grade black belts deliver a punch at about 20 mph. But don't despair! Consider that the punch only travels about 3.5 ft. to the target. At such close range, 20 mph. is enormously powerful!

However, the devices used to measure the velocity of the karateist's techniques couldn't determine just how much the acceleration increased because of the final snap or twist of the wrist or ankle. The truth is that at the present time, we just don't know how high the “terminal velocity” really is... but it is certainly very considerable. The ending snap or twist in the technique may well double or triple the 20 mph. figure!

Over my six-plus decades of training and teaching, I've met many martial arts “experts” who boasted that they could deliver numerous high-velocity strikes in a single second. Sounds pretty impressive. I watched them do it and sure enough, they lived up to their words! They really could fire out a series of blows with machine-gun rapidity. However, their blows lacked real destructive power. By themselves, not one of them would stop a determined assailant. Their speed was impressive but ineffective. Such people clearly lack an understanding of how technique actually works; that striking with the mass of the entire body makes all the difference! And this simply can't be done if they try to cram too many techniques into a small space (of time).

Actually, I prefer not to use the word, “speed.” Rather, I use words like, “swift” or “quick.” For some reason, they don't seem to evoke the same shallow, hurried reaction that the words “speed” and “faster” do. A good technique flows smoothly from start to finish. It's never jerky or detached from the movement of the hips. Instead, it is the end product of the movement of the whole body. The movement should be swift and smooth.

The next time you're training to increase the velocity of your technique, think in terms of fluidity and effortlessness rather than “speed.” Make it smooth and quick. You'll be surprised at how changing the words with which you think can change how your body reacts!