The Three Quarter Twist Centerline Punch

 Gennō-ryū karate uses a three quarter twist centerline punch, rather than the fully twisted over, horizontal fist centerline punch of traditional Shotokan karate, or the vertical fist of arts such as Wing Chun.  The reason is because we feel that the three quarter twist punch is more biomechanically sound, and has the advantages of the full twist horizontal fist punch and the fully vertical punch, with fewer to none of their disadvantages. 

A partial twist is kept in the punch, rather than simply using a vertical fist, because the twist does help generate some penetration power at impact.  Additionally, it helps to recruit the latissimus muscle.

The centerline aspect of the punch, with the target kept at a height anywhere between the solar plexus and floating ribs, uses the pectoral and latissimus muscles more, which generates the most power and shoulder support, but not much deltoid at the top of the shoulder because that would increase shoulder rise which would leak away power and be less supportive of the shoulder girdle. As someone with a past major shoulder injury, one can feel right away the difference in shoulder safety and support, and the increase in power generation ability while punching with a weakened or injured shoulder when using this method.  Gennō-ryū karate uses technique similar to the Sanchin kata for teaching this method, wherein the elbow is also kept pointing downward, and the arm is in constant contact with the side of the body as it slides forward during the punch.

Like the vertical punch of Wing Chun (or of Classical Pugilism for that matter), the three quarter twist keeps elbow pointed downward, because the three quarter twist is the farthest that the fist can twist while keeping the elbow point downward.  Any more twist, and the elbow must begin to rotate towards pointing outward to allow the movement.  An outward pointed elbow is not as biomechanically sound, and allows power leakage out of the strike at the elbow joint. 

Additionally, with the fist twisted only three quarters of the way, the radius and ulna are kept in a flat plane relative to each other and to the knuckles.  It also keeps them from crisscrossing and keeps them equalized between the interosseous membrane, the flat film of tissue spanning between the radius and ulna that keep them from separating over much, which helps keep force aligned with the two largest knuckles of the index and middle fingers that are the striking surface used for karate punches.

The article "Pure Punching Power: Karate-do Punch vs Karate-jutsu Punch" by Chris Thomas, he talks about the biomechanical advantages of the three quarter twist and also why it is also more traditional:

https://www.usadojo.com/karate-punch-vs-karate-jutsu-punch/

From the article, the following quote on the traditional three quarter twist punch...

"Matsumura seito shorin ryu, the style descended from Hohan Soken, uses a three-quarter-twist punch, as does the  shorin-ryu lineage of Chotoku Kyan and the Ryukyu kempo style taught by Seiyu Oyata. The vertical-fist punch of isshin-ryu, the style developed by Tatsuo Shimabuku, is in fact a three-quarter-twist punch. All these styles are old-fashioned karate. Their methods are closer to-if not the same as-the original karate that was developed in Okinawa."

In addition to this article, one can find information for proper muscle recruitment and centerline biomechanical advantage in the Sanchin Kata book, by Kris Wilder.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Be the Hammer, Not the Anvil

Image
The Philosophical and Tactical Theory of Gennō-ryū Karate: A Gennō is a Japanese hammer, used in blacksmithing and carpentry. It is one of the symbols of our tradition, and hint at our tactical approach to self-protection. The Japanese characters for a Gennō ( 玄翁)  can also be translated as "the spaces between the feathers", because old birds have gaps in their feathers, so it is also a euphemism for an old man and hence Gennō can also be translated as "thin old man" or "mysterious old man". This reference hints at the quality of wisdom that is necessary for the proper application of the skills imparted by the study of karate. Humorously, Gennō-ryū can also be translated as "Old Man Style", with the implication of "work harder, but also smarter". Gennō is also the name of a Buddhist monk of the Zen Shin sect who subdued an unruly fox spirit who lived inside a large boulder and was making people sick.  He used his hammer to break...
Read more

Kata-Based Ranking

Image
They say that the black belt isn't the end.  They say that it isn't the summit of the mountain.  They say that it is the base of the mountain.  They say that all of the previous belts have only led you to the base of that mountain.  They say that the black belt is only the beginning. The black belt is indeed not the end, but nor is it the beginning.  The beginning of the journey is that first step you take into that first training hall. Rank is a myth.  Rank means absolutely nothing outside of the specific organization or school that gave the rank.  What is black belt for one school is mid-kyu in skill for another and midway up the dan ranks in a third, and having the ability to physically defeat any certain individual or group of individuals means nothing. Otherwise, when a person becomes too elderly to defeat those younger than them, they should be demoted to a rank lower than the person who defeated them. In our style, we have altered t...
Read more