Comment by kstenerud
7 years ago
"when you punch someone you need to pull your arm back, before you launch it forward. If you don’t your hit will be weak."
It's a cute way to think in opposites, but unfortunately as punching advice, it's untrue. Punch force comes from body mass x acceleration, not arm mass x acceleration.
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Bruce Lee taught a martial arts technique that relied on not pulling back first - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-inch_punch
He pulled back, just not his arm but other muscles in his body.
It's also the basic premise of punching in Western boxing.
It’s almost as if it were basic lever physics
The problem with punches is the reaction force. Better to not punch at all.