What's the correct way to punch with the hip?

Question

I know two ways. One is to mainly rotate the waist first and snap the arms into the punch.

The other way is to generate power from the ground by swirling or spiraling the power from the feet at the start, then legs, then torso and into the arms.

Which is the correct or better way?

Answer 1

i dont understand this spiraling thing in you feet...

but you basically twist your hips forward so you can get the most distance/power out of your punch.

no one can truely tell you how to do it because they dont know what you are doign wrong unless they see you in person.

Answer 2

Either way will be too slow to be effective in a fight anyway. When you're in a basic fighting stance if your throw a punch with your back fist then you square your hips and rotate your back foot so you don't bust your knee. Do not bring the fist back to add more power or make a wide swing (hay maker), these things only slow the punch down and decrease your accuracy and lower your chance of hitting your target. For a basic punch, you throw your fist straight forward. To be able to use hooks and other advanced strikes in a fight you need training.

Like Komits said, I can't tell what you're doing wrong unless I see what you're doing.

Answer 3

Sensei Miller has actually already given a good explanation but here's my tip anyway.

The biggest element in generating force in a punch is the proper use of the hips. The hips are the connection with the largest and strongest muscles, which are contained in the lower part of your body. Without proper use of your hips, you are punching with less then half your available body mass. It is a fairly easy concept to understand but requires a great deal of practise to make effective.

The punch begins with your hand in a chamber position. Palm up and tucked along your hip or under your shoulder, depending on your style. The palm up position helps maintain contact between your latissimus dorsi, or back muscle, and your shoulder. The elbow extends straight back and is pointed at the ground. Think of the chamber position as a rubber band, the tighter you pull it, the more velocity is created when you let it go.

To initiate the punch, you use your legs to push your hip forward on the same side of the punching hand. The hip will be connected to your shoulder through your latissimus dorsi driving your shoulder forward. The shoulder in turn drives the elbow forward, which pushes the fist. Do not lean forward. Your upper body should remain upright throughout the strike. You are merely rotating around a central vertical axis running through the middle of your body.

The arm should remain as relaxed as possible other than aiming the strike. The more tension, the slower the punch, thus reducing one element of the equation. The best analogy I know of is those little drums with the beads on a string that you roll in your hand except instead of the string (your arm) flying out to the side, it is guided straight forward to ensure no energy is wasted.

As the arm is driven out, the hand remains palm up as long as possible. This ensures continual muscular contact between your fist and your legs. Also, the elbow should remain pointing at the ground throughout the punch. This is very important to ensure maximum force is directed towards the target. As the fist approaches the target, it rotates to a palm down position.

Lastly, your wrist must remain perfectly straight. If you are able to generate all the force this punch is capable of, you could easily injure your wrist if it buckles. For this reason, when striking something solid, begin slowly to ensure your wrist is properly aligned and strong enough to absorb stronger blows.  

Answer 4

To deliver the punch, it is important to keep your body

relaxed. All of your muscles, especially your waste should be ready to move in unison with your arm as you deliver the punch. Do not tighten or clinch your fist until the moment of impact!

At that moment your fist hits the target you should tighten your fist, and PUSH THROUGH your target in a snapping action. The more your muscles work together to snap through your target the more "explosiveness" the punch will have.  

Answer 5

It's actually a combination of the two. Actually, the first one is part of the second one. The second one is the complete motion.

It doesn't matter what you do with your feet, whether you pivot them or not. The center of all your movement is your "koshi". All your techniques are guided by your Tanden (Dantien in Chinese). Your Tanden is between your hips. Koshi means waist.

Take a look at the power generated when you use your "koshi" properly - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DEVYxsih...

Another great reference is the Shinjinbukan. There are some video on their website.

bujinkan non-ja, - again you have shown that you shouldn't be answering questions here.

Answer 6

When you punch, your hips should turn into the punch.  This is part of your power.

I'm not following you on the spiraling thing though.

One rule of boxing is to never show your oppenent your back.  So when you punch you should not be moving past your centerline.  So, unless you are doing a spinning back fist, I can't see many situations that you would actually spriral around.

Answer 7

Try this: Stand in front of a wall and rotate your hips as far as you can, without moving your feet, and extend your fist straight to the wall until it touches it. Move back until your fist touches the wall at your farthest reach. Now move back two inches and raise your heels slightly off the floor and fully rotate them so they extend your fist to the wall. The result should show you that the proper method of executing a punch is to snap the waist into the proper position to execute the strike, rotate the heels to achieve maximum extention of the strike and extend your fist in a straight line to your target. Your should also rotate the heels for circular strikes like the backfist, which takes a little more practice. Keep in mind that the method Martial Artists use to execute any strike is very different from any street fighter. If a more detailed explaination is needed send me an email.