3rd Kup Theory

By this point, you should be familiar with the theory of power, but it is important to understand it in detail:

• Reaction Force – the principle that as the striking limb is brought forward, other parts of the body should be brought backward in order to provide more power to the striking limb. As an example, if the right fist is brought forward during a punch, the left fist should be pulled backwards simultaneously. This allows you to use the muscles on both sides of your body, resulting in a more powerful technique. It also aids rotation for moves with a circular motion (e.g. reverse knifehand strike).

• Concentration – the principle of bringing as many muscles as possible to bear on a strike, concentrating the area of impact into as small an area as possible. Applying the same amount of force over a smaller area will result in more damage to the opponent.

• Equilibrium – maintaining a correct centre-of-balance throughout a technique. This ensures you are using the correct parts of the body to maximise force output. You cannot produce a powerful technique if you are falling off balance.

• Breath Control – during a strike one should exhale, with the exhalation concluding at the moment of impact. This tenses muscles at the moment of contact, resulting in a more rigid collision which applies more force to the opponent.

• Mass – the principle of bringing as much of the body to bear on a strike as possible; using the turning kick as an example, the idea would be to rotate the hip (and body) as well as the leg during the kick in order to take advantage of the additional mass behind the kick. Mass is directly proportional to power output, all else equal.

• Speed – similarly to mass, speed (or acceleration) is crucial in providing power to the kick. Generally, it is easier to improve the speed of techniques, compared to trying to get more mass behind the techniques.