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JOURNAL
OF
SPORTS SCIENCE &
MEDICINE
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Research
article
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THE EFFECTS OF HEIGHT AND DISTANCE ON THE FORCE PRODUCTION AND ACCELERATION IN MARTIAL ARTS STRIKES |
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Richard P. Bolander1, Osmar Pinto Neto2 and Cynthia A. Bir1  |
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1Wayne State University, Biomedical Engineering Center, Detroit, USA, 2Universidade Camilo Castelo Branco and Instituto de Pesquisa e Qualidade Acadêmica (IPQA), São Paulo, Brazil. |
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© Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (2009) 8(CSSI-3), 47 - 52 |
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| ABSTRACT | |||
| Almost all cultures have roots in some sort of self defence system
and yet there is relatively little research in this area, outside of a sports
related environment. This project investigated different applications of
strikes from Kung Fu practitioners that have not been addressed before in
the literature. Punch and palm strikes were directly compared from different
heights and distances, with the use of a load cell, accelerometers, and
high speed video. The data indicated that the arm accelerations of both
strikes were similar, although the force and resulting acceleration of the
target were significantly greater for the palm strikes. Additionally, the
relative height at which the strike was delivered was also investigated.
The overall conclusion is that the palm strike is a more effective strike
for transferring force to an object. It can also be concluded that an attack
to the chest would be ideal for maximizing impact force and moving an opponent
off balance. Key words: Sports, acceleration, Kung Fu, law enforcement, combat. |
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