How to Punch Like Bruce Lee - The Knockout Blow

Bruce Lee was a phenomenal martial artist and his legacy lives on to this day. He was known for both his speed and power - a lethal combination for any martial art!

When he was filmed his punches were too fast to be captured on camera. One of the commonly known facts about Bruce Lee is that his movements had to slowed down so he could be filmed. So how can we learn to punch with such speed? Furthermore, how can we deliver the same power in a blow. Lee was also famous for his one inch punch. From a very close distance he could delivery incredible impact in a punch.

There are no shortcuts to obtaining this level of skill and the fact is it takes years for dedicated training. However, there are some simple principles we can apply to increase the power of a punch by 400% or more with the correct technique.

In street self defence we always start techniques with a scientific foundation. Street self defence moves have to be simple to learn and execute and the Bruce Lee punch is a prime example.

The secret to delivering power in a punch is that it starts in the back foot. By pushing upwards from the foot we create energy and movement as a foundation for the blow. Next we twist the hips inwards. The hips are the largest most powerful joint in the body and martial arts like aikido rely on this secret as a basis for beaten any opponent. The forward motion of the hips adds to the power created down in the foot. Finally the arm swings in driven by the shoulder and adding further power to the punch as it's delivered. Trust me this will deliver an incredibly powerful blow with practise.

A high level of general fitness was one of Bruce Lee's other secrets. Maintain a good exercise regime with running, cycling or swimming to build your stamina levels and increase your muscle over all. Punching leaves as they fell from the trees was one of the daily techniques Lee undertook to increase his delivery and reaction speeds. Which is more important - speed or power? I would argue speed as a rain of blows is very hard to counter for any martial artist.

Whether you are looking to study a martial art like Lee's Jeet Kune Do or to learn to fight a modern street self defence style from DVD's at home the principles of this punch are key to understand.