..what the h**l was this?

Question

I saw a relatively short Asian guy in a bar fight a while back.

He wasn't overly-muscled, just more toned than anything else.

What I didn't understand was this.

He was fighting a much larger opponent, who probably outweighed him by at least 40-50 lb,

The larger guy threw a couple of torso punches which didn't seem to do anything surprisingly, but the shorter guy suddenly sidesteps, coils and punches the guy in the face, and there's a distinct "CRACK" noise. The larger guy goes down and both his lips look like they exploded.

My point is this: How the h**l did someone distinctly smaller and less muscled end up with so much more power? It looked like an amateur lightweight vs a pro heavyweight matchup that went very wrongly.

Is there some kind of specific martial art that focuses on sudden, ridiculous strikes like these? It was just one punch...

Answer 1

He used Chi.

Answer 2

Okinawan karate is supposed to have the ability to end a fight with one technique. Many martial arts if trained correctly can do this from boxing to kung fu.  

Answer 3

technique, baby! what we asians lack in size we make up for in brains, accuracy & technique. he wouldve punched the guy in a particular point in the face that is extra vulnerable, at an angle that wouldve caused more damage

Answer 4

Well keep in mind that you were in a bar where the people get drunk. Therefore, you could assume that the guy who got punched was heavily intoxicated....maybe.

Answer 5

It actually sounds like Kung Fu or Wing Chun. With the sidestep and the way the punch was executed it it sounds like something Bruce Lee does with his jab and he did Wing Chun. Also the stance he went in is found in most martial arts, where you face the opponent sideways. Either he trained really hard on punches and is a black belt or he knows how to use Chi. If he really knows how to use chi, the punch would be believeable. Also if you have noticed none of the Shaolin Monks are "ripped" or muscled. So he may know kung fu.

Its also not that hard to believe that the smaller guy could beat the stronger. First of all one might be intoxicated, otherwise would a sane, civilized person would pick up a fight? that could make a big difference. the other one could be that the taller guy doesn't know any martial arts like most people.

Answer 6

That was the infamous, monkey punches large oaf in face style kung fu.

Answer 7

...it's not even a guarantee that the little guy trains in anything or has any sort of technique. If he 'coiled' then punched, it sounds to me like he haymakered the other guy in the face.

But otherwise, any striking art should teach somebody how to hit hard.

If the guy he fought died, though, it's possible that the asian dude practices Steel Dragon Fist -- the deadliest of all single-punch styles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9uTBXZZd...

And as for asians being small but making up for it with other attributes. No... not necessarily. Some american asians are frickin huge. It's all about diet and genetics. And all that other stuff is far from a given.

Answer 8

Technique- Athleticism-Speed = power

As Tank Abbot said while commentating the Belfort Ferrozo fight,"You can push straw through steel if it moves fast enough"  I don't know how much that applies here but I sure like quoting silly Tank Abbot comments.

Answer 9

Michael Yon killed a much larger, agressive guy in a bar fight with four punches to the face.  Yon had just finished green beret training.

Answer 10

Any striking art does.

Boxers, for instance, have devastating punches.

Answer 11

any martial art that teaches you to hit properly will do that.

boxing is known for teaching hand punching power you can start there.  ANY ART SHOULD BE TEACHING THAT KIND OF PROPER PUNCHING POWER GENERATION OR THE TEACHER IS c**p.

and the "big" guy was throwing punches to his chest he probably left his face WIDE open.

EDIT: any striking art that is....

Answer 12

maybe the smaller guy had technique and good form with his punches, and the bigger guy was just an uncoordinated brawler...thats all i can think of.

Answer 13

Yes there are specific styles that focus on taking and giving punches like these, but I wouldn't put too much stock in them. Like everyone else said, every striking art should be teaching how to hit like this. If someone has to "create" a style to focus on striking, chances are it's a scam.

Look, if a wooden ball measuring in 50 lbs, but only had the dimensions of 6" radius was flying at your face at about 20mph. Would you think that ball could easy break right through your face, completely breaking every bone in your face.

Both of these fighters you mentioned had about 75lbs per square foot of destructive power at their disposal. But the the little guy probably did allot of hand conditioning to build the bones and ligaments up to take such punishment (what ever destructive power you strike with the striking element [hand, foot] must be able to take. Otherwise it breaks). The bigger guy's hands couldn't take such abuse, so he couldn't hit as hard.

On top of that, the bigger guy hit the little guy in the body, which if he was a trained fighter, was conditioned to take blows.  And last but not least, the little guy, who obviously had training, knows how to put not only his body, but shear force behind his strikes, while the big guy couldn't match.

Answer 14

katana is right. Any art can do this. But xing yi ,okinawan karate, and boxing specialize in KO hits/