Explosive Power simply means an ability to exert a maximal amount of force at a minimal of time. It is also described as a quick outburst of energy in a short duration of time.
This can apply in many areas, such as throwing punches, kicks, field sports, court sports, cycling, cleaning, clapping push ups and more. WHAT is an explosive technique?
An explosive technique means delivering a sudden, quick, snapping motion or springlike motion attack then immediately retracting the attacking tool after the launch of an attack. Attacking tool can be a punch, kick, a stick or any tools used to deliver an attack. The peak force of an effective and explosive technique is at the “Point Of Contact”, but the force of an ineffective punch BEGINS from the delivery and loses its power by the time the arm is fully extended. WHY do you need explosive power in our punches & kicks?
Explosive power saves you a lot of energy and time to get a job done.
Explosive punches decreases stress and muscles tension while helping you to preserve strength to achieve efficiency.
Explosive training increases training frequency, due to its relaxed and outburst of energy nature. You can do more punches and kicks without feeling tired easily, as training frequency is important for the registration of muscle memory, the development of strength, and building lean muscle.
HOW & WHEN will I be able to obtain skills to deliver an explosive technique?
Like anything else, practice, practice and practice, but Practice with awareness. Aware about your entire body posture and movements. As high reps WILL NOT IMPROVE your explosivity.
Always remember your goal is not to achieve exhaustion but explosiveness.
Play Motivational Music while you are training.
Relax your mind, and your body will automatically be loosen up. When your mind is relaxed, your muscles will be relaxed as well. Only then you are able to deliver a sudden outburst of energy, which we call Explosive power.
Use imaginations together with your training to practice explosive techniques. Imagination such as, the time you use explosive energy to perform certain tasks. Tasks such as cleaning, performing a smash in Badminton, and jump scare a kid or someone behind a door. All these tasks shares the same attributes, put these experiences in your mind when you are practicing your punches or kicks.
USE OF GRAVITY AND ELASTIC ENERGY TO ACHIEVE EXPLOSIVITY
Human muscles are build with elasticity. You can stretch your muscles to some extent, then it will also restore to its original state. Muscles can perform at its peak when they are loosened, this is called elastic energy. This energy allows human beings to perform rapid movement and perform explosive techniques.
To build elasticity of the arms and spine, our body need to be fully relaxed, then only we can move our upper body like a spring. The elasticity in our upper body uses the strength coming from the lower body to generate speed and power.
Traditional martial artist have mentioned that, “Strength comes from the ground, transferred to the ankles, to the legs, and then being controlled by the hips.” Then from the waist, it transfers the energy to the upper parts of the body. This means that the waist functions as the central axis that connects the lower body with the upper body.
When the muscles, joint and ligaments are loosened, it will be stretched downward by gravity. At this point of time, the body weight shifts to the lower body and stores in the foot. The amount of energy stored at the foot increases by straightening movement and the bending of the knee. This explains why weightlifters push their feet to the floor to shift their power to the upper body when they lift a heavy barbell.
To learn more about elastic and explosive punches and kicks, PM us on our FB page:Urban Street Defense to attend our workshops or weekly classes.
During Raya Festive Season, most of us will head back to our hometown, looking forward to visit our loved ones, and re-visit some places that bring back good or bad memories.
For me, as I was travelling back to my hometown, not only did I re-visited some places in my hometown, I re-visited my past and the origins of the formation of The Women’s Self-Defense Community Program. I reflected on what triggered the idea and passion within me to form the Women’s Self-Defense Community and specially tailored program that continues to develop the community.
More and more reasons began to unfold, as I revisited my past and met up with my friends and relatives.
Some may be curious about the motivations and reasons behind my efforts. If you are curious enough, I encourage you to read on. It is a common thing to hear from my family members and friends about their relatives, friends or even family members who were victims of crimes at some point in their lives. Crimes such as snatch theft and robbery in broad day light. But among all the crimes, the most common cases are wives being abused by their own husbands, both physically and verbally. Physical & Verbal Abuse usually come in one package and the consequences and impact on the women and family is great.
Every time I hear of these incidents, a surge of anger will rise within me but at the same I feel helpless as I could not do anything but to just pray. For the past 2 years, I have heard of increasing incidents happening to the people around me, I even witnessed a few incidents which involved road bullies and snatch thefts in front of my very own eyes. A lady driver being bullied with insulting words, yet another lady was screaming for her life as she was dragged along by a motorcyclist as her hand was still holding on to her bag. Her hands and face were scarred. It may be temporary but the emotional effect can be permanent. On another occasion, a group of robbers managed to robbed one of my neighbor’s car. I rushed out and tried to stopped the robbers but it was too late. The car was no where to be seen. They escaped.
Apart from the above, my worst encounter was a wife that has fallen victim in the hands of her own husband, experiencing and bearing the pain of physical and verbal abuse. Husbands are supposed to protect and love their wives at all costs, and not become headlines for domestic violence. In fact, no man should ever hit a woman. The feelings of injustice and anger are indescribable.
There are two incidents I wish to share here. Case #1: A man owned a business, and whenever his business was not doing well, he will then return home to lash out his anger and disappointment by beating up his wife and verbally abuse her. It eventually became a frightful routine. Despite all the sacrifices the wife had made for the home, this man thought he had every right to throw his temper on her, just because he was the sole provider for the family. Worst of all, he encouraged their son to abuse the mother together. The wife, being a foreigner, had no relatives or family to turn to for help. Sometimes, the husband will just throw her belongings out and command her to get out of the house. Where do you expect your wife to go to in the middle of the night? At wits end, she sought shelter at the nearest Motel, not knowing what her future holds. Overwhelmed by fear, anger, injustice and at the same time torn by the love any wife or or mother would have for her husband and child, she just could not comprehend why all these are happening to her. Abandoned by her husband and her very own flesh and blood, she had no where to go, no one to turn to. Despite all odds, she knew that she must stand up and fend for herself. Eventually, with the minimal resources she had, she took up the challenge to set up a food store selling noodles and was determined to earn her own living expenses. When her husband came to knew about this, he started to demand money from her to sustain his business. She refused and the beatings started again with her precious belongings often thrown out onto the streets. It has then became a norm for her to head back to the same motel to stay for the night. But I admire this woman, because of her courage to step up and start a business of her own and having the endurance to overcome the struggles she faced, and despite the painful circumstances that she has been subjected to by her own beloved family, yet she remained strong. Physically and emotionally bruised, but her spirit was not beaten. Case #2: A man with criminal record was released from jail, and currently living with his wife and child who is in his early teens. Despite serving time in jail, his lazy and undisciplined attitude remained the same. Not willing to search for a proper job, always seeking the fastest route to earn a living with the least amount of effort. It didn’t take long for him to return to his old ways of distributing drugs and gambling. He often gambles off the money he took from his wife, and ends up beating his wife whenever he feels like it. Left with no options, the wife took up two jobs, one in the morning, one at night to make ends meet. There was once they were unable afford a place to stay, one of her friend willingly offered to help and manage to find a temporary place for free for a duration of 6 months.When it was time to move out, her friend took the initiative to find another suitable place for the family. Eventually, by God’s grace they found an owner that was willing to take them in.
Due to their financial constraints, her friend offered to pay for their deposit and some minor repair cost for the house. To the wife’s astonishment, the husband not only did not appreciate the effort, he REFUSED to move out from the previous house he enjoyed for free. But this is not for him to decide, he was forced to pack his bags and shift to the new place.
On that very day when they were due to move in, the husband had a heated argument with the wife. He complained that the house did not have air condition, and his family is not fit to be staying in such a house. Consumed with anger, the husband slapped the wife’s face several times until it was was swollen. He then had the guts to drive the wife to the police station, challenging her to make a police report, because he knew that her love for him was so great that she will surely not press charges against him. With a swollen face, tattered clothes and slippers torn apart, she was left abandoned and stranded at the police station by her husband. She then approached the police officer to lodge a police report, but the officer told her that this station does not take in husband and wife cases. She was told to report at the Headquarters which was quite a distance away. Armed with grit and determination, she walked for 40 minutes under the scorching hot sun all the way to her friend’s house to seek help. Her friend immediately took a cab with her to the police station HQ to lodge a report, followed by medical check ups and all the tedious procedures she had to patiently go through.
Eventually, the husband was called back to the police station. When he arrived, again he and his wife were hurling insults and blaming each other for causing the arguments. The police lady officer stepped in and stated that regardless of who is at fault, under the eyes of law, as long as a man hits his wife, the wife has every right to press charges against the husband. The man then retaliated that his wife would not dare take such drastic action as she loved him so much. And yes, sadly, the husband went free. His wife did NOT press charges against the husband. As a wife and a woman, to protect your own dignity and your future, would you not make a stand ? The choice is yours.
So, why did I bring up these 2 cases? From these 2 cases you can see and appreciate the differences of their characters, their response and the choices they made in life. The stark contrast in these cases had greatly impacted me to continue my efforts and work in this society.
One of the main reason for the existence of the Women’s Self-Defense Community is to build up women’s confidence, increase their ability to defend themselves and also EMPOWER other women to do the same. I cannot do this alone, I need more women to step up against violence.
I am not concluding that physical self-defense or learning martial arts is the solution to all abusive relationships or crimes involving women. But it is part of a necessary skill that is able to condition the mind and body to step up and stand firm on your ground in life, without fearing and allowing anyone (not only men) to take advantage of you and abuse you (whether physically or verbally). Everything starts from the mind, and it flows to the way we present ourselves to others. Confidence begins from your mind.
If you think that you are one of the women who supports the Mission and Movement of the group, please come forward by messaging me on my Facebook account : Urban Street Defense
Thank you for reading my blog thus far.
This blog is written on: 7th July 2016 (Transferred from my old blog website)
LAW OF FRICTION
If we understand the physical principle of how we can walk and run, then you will understand the need to have proper footwork & strategies in any self-defense situation, whether to attack, defend or to escape from an attack “EFFECTIVELY”.
Our body moves according to the Friction force and action-reaction principle. We can’t walk on the ground fast if there isn’t any friction force.
FAST AND POWERFUL PUNCHES ARE INEFFECTIVE IF….
I don’t care how fast or how powerful you can throw a punch, if your legs don’t move, you can’t use that speed and power effectively to the target.
The faster your legs move, the faster your hands can move and the faster you can escape from a dangerous situation. The more you tensed up your legs, the more restricted your hands & movement will be.
FOOTWORK AS YOUR VEHICLE
Footwork is like a vehicle, it delivers you from Point A to Point B. Without footwork, it is as if you have started your car engine and your legs are always on the brakes, therefore your car won’t move, and you won’t be able to get to your destination at all.
THE DELIVERY
If your posture is restricting or minimizing your movement or footwork. Then the only way to deliver your fast and powerful punch is when your opponent steps into or near to your zone. In other words, the only way for you to meet Point B, is when Point B comes to your destination. However, during a street an attack, you may not be facing only a single opponent. What if there are multiple opponents wanting to attack you at the same time. Are you able to launch an effective counter attack to multiple person at the same time? Are you able to move quickly to an angle whereby you can face one opponent at one time? Are you able to effectively escape?
QUESTIONS RAISED…
Some of my previous students asked why are their footwork & techniques seemed to be so restrictive, slow and making the same mistake repeatedly.
My answers to them are:
Everything begins with your mindset. The more tensed you are mentally, the more tensed your body will be. If you are in a hurry to learn something, your body will automatically be tensed up, therefore restricting your learning curve.
SET YOURSELF FREE
When you set yourself free, then your mind will absorb like a sponge, and you will be able to freely express yourself through your movements & skills. (To understand further, read my article titled: Relaxation = Power)
TECHNIQUES PRACTICE IS A DAILY ROUTINE, IT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT IS DONE DURING A WEEKLY LESSON.
Practice is a daily routine. How much time you spent on your daily practice will reflect on your skills. We don’t come to classes to practice what we have learnt last week, instead we come to classes to learn new things. Practice should be done at our own time after the class. When we were in school, teachers give us lessons during class, and give us homework to “practice” “at home”. Students do not do their homework during class, as this will slow down their progress.
Learning is a very personal experience, one needs to experience themselves through practices in order to find their way. Once we have acquired a skill-set, nobody can take it away from us.
For More questions related to the above article or other inquiries, kindly contact us via our Facebook page at this link: Urban Street Defense FB
Three States of the body before, during & after a combat
In the Western world, most fitness programs, culture and sports focus on developing your muscle strength and stamina to increase performance. The bigger your muscles, the stronger you are. However, there is something missing, which is the inner physical state -relaxation.
A WHIP
If you know how a whip generates power, then you will start to realize there is a much more efficient way to increase power in your punches, palm strikes and kicks. Same goes to a rubber band, when we were kids back then, we like to use rubber band to inflict pain upon other kids. How can such a small and “seemed” harmless rubber band cause pain to someone? If you understand the theory of elasticity, you begin to realize the more elastic your hands and feet are, the faster and more force you can generate.
We have come to the most interesting part of this article.
Before a person performs an action (e.g. Get ready to Punch or kick), the person’s body will force itself to be in “a state” or “a condition” whereby it can inflict maximum damage to the opponent.
That “State or Condition” will be explained in 4 different states.
THE FIRST STATE
The First State is Tensed & Active, where the muscles are all tensed up and ready to perform a certain action at any point of time. This can happen, before an attack, during an attack and after an attack is launched. When someone is in this state, they may feel that their actions are often restrictive(by their own body), easily tired and lack of explosive energy.
THE SECOND STATE
The Second State is Relaxed & Inactive, when there’s no actual physical need. E.g. after launching a powerful attack, a person feels tired, and have no more intention to attack. OR when the person is standing on their ready stance but have no intention to attack.
THE THIRD STATE
The Third State is Relaxed but Active, this is a higher physical state, the potential release of power in a relaxed body. In this state, someone appears to be in state two, relaxed, but has explosive ‘nuclear’ action at his disposal. This is a state of alertness. Getting to this state of mind & physical readiness means you need control and understanding the first two states first. The good news is, everyone can be in this state before, during or after an attack. Before: Getting ready to explode the energy on the opponent. During: Performing an explosive punch or kick on the opponent. After: After launching an explosive attack, we are back to the Third state means we are ever ready to launch another explosive attack anytime, feeling less restricted our body, less tired, and less energy being used.
Most people are stuck in state 1 and 2. In state one, too much tension and restriction blocks the free flow of energy. You are unable to move or perform your punches, kicks or footwork efficiently & effectively. But it’s not going to be like “Tofu/豆腐” either.
In order to train yourself to enter the Third State, a lot of practice is needed. You need to train your muscle when to relax and when to tense and return back to the relaxed state again in a split second.
Although relaxation is the key to generating power, your ultimate goal is to prepare your body for a state of alertness.
For More questions related to the above article or other inquiries, kindly contact us via our Facebook page at this link: Urban Street Defense FB
