Let's agree on the following statements first:
- Energy is an invisible substance that could be either saved or transmitted to another object
- Energy exists in two states, either potential or kinetic
- Every motion and transition could be described as a wave.
What I would like to discuss here though is how to make a karate technic in efficient way producing maximum energy with minimal effort (utimate goal of many martial artists); and what the key elements of the technic are. Let it be a "simple" punch, CHOKU-TSUKI (直突き, straight punch) for instance.
Let's focus on the energy.
Newton Cradle is an amazing model to experiment with energy transfoirmations. In two words this model demostrates Potential to Kinetic Enrgies transition and passing momentum. When a ball is pulled up we "create" Potential Eergy. Once it is released and falls - Kinetic. The thing is that in the ideal conditions this would become a perpetuum mobile but in reality there are forces that contradict and absorb some energy during the transforamtion.
Anyway as we can observe it is not the last ball that produces energy; it serves for the energy delivery mostly, from the fist to the target. It makes me visualize the punch differently. Here are some interesting points to keep in mind:
1. Potential Energy to be created first. Yes, basically someone has to pull the ball up first in order to create a momentium for the last one.
The ignition of the movement is given by a little "explosion" inside the center of the body, so called gravity center or HARA (腹), TANDEN, DANTIAN (丹田) etc. Certain parts of the brain responsible for intention and commitmnent stimulate muscles to produce a "car piston effect". I imagine a car piston-like environment that releases energy as a result of explosion inside, that "lifts the ball" creating a potential. And the lifting process itself is described by passing this energy from hand to the ball or in our case from the explosion in the center to the heel of the back leg. Now there is an amount of potential energy generated, although for short time only (natural losses). The systems is set for the action.
2. Next step is to transform Potential Energy to Kinetic. And the back leg together with the foot are playing crucial role in this process. Excatly the same way the "ball was lifted" it will be released. The exact same way the energy generated from the body center to the heel it will come back but...
- If the heel is connected to the floor the momentum, the wave, will be bounced back with the same phase (this is why the timing has to be correct) and with minimal losses leading to the Constructive Interference and as a result making the amplitude doubled and energy - quadrupled accordingly.
- In case, if the heel is disconnected from the floor the energy will be mostly dispersed as there would be no bouncing effect and no wave constructive intereference... or if the timing is incorrect the system can even work agaibnst itself (shifted or opposite phase) leading to the Destructive Interference canceling the wave and killing the energy at all. This is why I am focused so much on keeping the heel down during my practice at least for KIHON (基本, fundamentals) and KATA ( 型, form) practice.
Let's stay positive and imagine that the energy was passed the best way and got quadroupled. Then what? What happens to the generated wave?
3. Then we come to the moment when the energy was successfully transferred from Potential to Kinetic and the ball flies down (or through the same channel, the leg comes back to the hips area).
4. Once it hits the second ball the chain reaction has started and based on the principle of conservation of momentum and energy the amount of energy generated above through the chain of balls will be transmitted to the last ball, the end effector and in our case to the punching wrist.
I deliberately avoided going deep in physics and tried to keep an imagination working for myself rather than formulas. I believe that visualization in Martial Arts is the key. So, formulas are left aside. Sorry. 😉
Of course the entire system is not static like the Newton Cradle and there are extra momentums added (i.e. push of the back leg, hips rotation, shoulder and elbow extentions etc.) making the pounch even more efficient but on their own, without the energy generated of the back heel they are nothing but physical attempts to use muscles only.
And since we are talking about muscles we should make anoher observation, and a very important one.
The famous Newton Cradle, is just a model. Due to the natural losses the movement cannot be 100% efficient and eventually stops. In order to reduce those negative forces (such as friction, for example) the balls are hanging on the elastic light ropes! Elasticity (my sensei's favorite word!) is the factor that makes the losses much smaller and allows free motion of the balls. How does it apply to the muscles? Here you go. In order to produce the most efficient punch (technic), assuming that the generation and transition of the energies went smoothly one's muscles should be relaxed like those ropes allowing the energy, the wave, to pass through with as less resistance as possible. And only at the end whe the enrgy is to be transferred to the target the KIME comes in, and for a split second only only (subject for another discussion later). So, ideal model of the punch in this case would be a whip that becomes a hard or sharp (depending on the technic) stone for a split second of the contact only.
- Confidence leads to Relaxation
- Relaxation leads to Speed
- Speed is Power...
- Power leads to Confidence.
Try to keep your heel down during KIHON or KATA practice and keep your hands relaxed making them hard for a spolit moment of the impact only. Let me know if it worlks for you as it does for me. Have fun!Just observe other acitivties that involved the same musculoskeletal chain!
Of course the heel is not staying down all the time but it serves its purpose when needed. Timing is important.
