• Strike – A strike is performed using a weapon or your body.  It’s performed to affect their opponent or to cause harm to them.  There are different kinds of strikes.  One is an attack using their fist which is referred to as a punch; using the leg or foot is called a kick; using the head is called a head butt.

Principles of Striking

In martial arts, strikes are performed with your body.  Martial artists learn them through constant repetitions being trained by an instructor.  The instructor must be qualified to do this.

Here are some of the principles of striking that martial artists employ for themselves:

• Breathing – A shout works to tighten the muscles at the beginning of impact.  This works to scare the opponent.  Strikers will exhale once they get close to their opponent.  Controlling your breathing is used to get your body relaxed during a period of not attacking.

• Footwork – In order to balance your body, you need the right footwork.  This helps to support a mixture of strikes and start strikes from the right area.  This is not the easiest part of striking.  You have energy coming from your legs and taking the advantage to throw combinations.  When you’re doing this, your footwork must be in exact form.

• Muscular Tension – As a striker, your muscles get tense while you are trying to relax during the strike.  Your muscles are tense during impact, and then they relax again to withdraw the striking.  When you relax, the strike is allowed to get as much speed while it’s traveling.  There is the highest transfer of force during impact.

• Combinations – In order for strikers to get strikes to impact their opponent, they can use different techniques to do this.  The attacks are aimed at different parts of your body.  The strongest force uses a certain technique.

• Penetration – Strikers should shoot for getting at least 4 – 6 inches behind the surface of the target.  This helps to bring the maximum energy to it.  When a striker is in combat, they should try to strike through the target and not just the surface.

• Focus – Strikers can force through an attacker’s body.  However, make it a small area of the body.  When you as a striker, focus on that, you can get penetration and enlarge the impact damage.

• Gravity – Gravity helps strikes that start upward and come downward and elbows that come downward and stomp kicks.

• Summation of Force – Muscles use a certain sequence to get as much force as possible.  Strikes can be done by moving body weight that will hold up the blow.  This is different than an arm or a leg that strikes.

• Timing and Rhythm – The memory of muscle, along with repetitious moves are use to begin strikes.  The momentum has a flow and there is a knowing that there will be some type of action.  The striker can have an edge if the flow is interrupted.

• Telegraphing – This is when the striking body is moved before the blow occurs.  This lets the opponent know that the strike possibly won’t be effective.  The weapon that is striking should be the first to move.  Then the body should move after it.  For this to be effective there has to be precise footwork and distancing.

• Deception – Distractions are used to throw off how strikers are going to attack.  They will use things such as noise, hand movements, switching guard positions, etc.  These gestures help to trick their opponent and they end up letting their guard down.

• Attack Level – The level of attack can differ.  If can be a kick to the ribs or the opponent’s head getting jabbed.  When strikers use various levels of attack on their opponent, the opponent’s guard is let down.