non-telegraphic movements & proper body mechanics

[MMA Apostate]

As I was working today. I tried to formulate how I would ask this question to make it understandable for you JKD practitioners to answer.

Here it goes...
What are the guiding principles behind training for non-telegraphic movements while still haveing the proper body mechanics to deliver the most amount of power?

I look forward to the replies

You guys have a great day

[thtackett]

Work on no preparation. You can come up with a lot of drills for this.

[MMA Apostate]

Work on no preparation. You can come up with a lot of drills for this.

I don't quite know what you mean by "no preparation." Pleas explain

[m_calingo]

There's actually a thread similar to this from an earlier date:

http://www.defend.net/deluxeforums/showthread.php?t=20975

I'd like to add that relaxation is a big part of the technique. Perhaps relaxed anticipation is a better way of phrasing it. The punch has to be thrown such that the arm is relaxed until moment of impact, at which point the arm tenses, and immediately afterwards the arm becomes relaxed again.

The mechanics of the punch differ from the so-called one inch punch in that the fist travels further, more like a foot or so, depending on the length of your arm. Body weight is used to add to the impact of the blow to compensate for the reduced mechanical travel of the arm. This is achieved by shifting your weight forward at moment of impact by "dropping your weight" on your lead leg. This is something better demonstrated than described, and I leave that to someone else.

Another key point is to make sure that at the moment of impact your arm is completely extended. It is vital that the fist is still accelerating at moment of impact and has another few inches of travel to allow the maximum amount of kinetic energy to be transferred to the target.

When done correctly, the net result is a punch that appears to flick out with the speed of a cobra's strike, and has the effect of explosively rocking the shoulder of the partner who is holding the focus mitt.

There are two examples of the non-telegraphic punch Bruce Lee demonstrates in his own movies. If you have a copy of Enter the Dragon, Bruce squares off with evil henchman O'Hara, played by Bob Wall. At the start of the bout, both men touch wrists in the ready position. Bruce Lee throws two unanswered lead vertical punches.

In another film, Return of the Dragon, Bruce faces off with Chuck Norris in the Coliseum. The scene comes up where Chuck starts to imitate Bruce's footwork, and throws two unsuccesful side kicks with his right leg. Chuck attempts to throw a third kick at which point Bruce steps in, "intercepts" the attack and throws a lead vertical punch which hits Chuck before his own kick lands.

Well, one can say that these were both movies, and of course scripted so that Bruce Lee was guaranteed to look better than the bad guys. Certainly, but that is not the point here.

Look at the speed of the punches. I remember when I first saw these films many, many years ago, those punches were blur fast. I couldn't see them. That is how fast you want your lead jab to be.

[thtackett]

Mike's answer is right on. One of the 2 main reasons for the hammer principle is to get rid of your preparation in the straight lead punch.

[MMA Apostate]

Thank you for the replies. Oddly enough the two movies you wanted me to check out are the only two Bruce Lee movies I own. Looks like I have some researching to do.