Great Fights of Cinema: The One Inch Punch
Published by Joel October 10th, 2006 in Fighting, Movies. Share ThisIs it possible that the “One Inch Punch” is legit? This seven-minute documentary about Wing Chun sure thinks so, but using clips from Kill Bill and Bruce Lee movies doesn’t exactly bolster their argument.
(Thanks, Shane!)
The one inch punch is legit. My good friend had it demostrated on him (through some padding) by a Wing Chun Instructor in NYC.
I think the big point is that the power comes through the hips. Which is why you can only have your fist “one-inch” away from your opponent. In Kill Bill it looks like you uses your hand/arm for all the power, which is wrong.
totally legit… There is a tai-chi one inch punch where you direct your chi flow through the tips of your fingers and generate power by closing your hand into a fist, at the same time as you twist your wrist and move your elbow forward. Even without the chi suff this still hurts like hell.
The one inch punch is legit, I’ve had it demonstrated on yours truly by a 60 year old former marine turned karate tacher and it knocked me down. The key is in your hips. To get an idea how it works stand about a foot from a door with your left foot back, put you right fist on the door at a little below shoulder height. Now push with your fist as you bend your left leg, as if taking a knee, while pushing with your hips and shoulder.
Legit but rarely done correctly. And certainly don’t try to use it in an actual fracas.
The one inch punch is legitimate though misunderstood. I’ve taken Wing Chun and see it for what it is: A demonstration of the Chinese approach to applying true power in a fight. Relaxation and joint coordination are stressed for real power versus approaches in other styles on hard muscle building. The hips need not be involved. Coordination of the shoulder, elbow, and wrist alone will generate a lot of power. Don’t use it in a fight. It merely demonstrates that Wing Chun fighters don’t need to pull back their fists all the way to the shoulder after a punch. They can still generate tremendous power while travelling a shorter distance.
Elliott’s got it right, Ive been studying Wing Chun for nearly a year and I dread practising the one inch punch. You definately do not use your hips, the power comes from the the strength of the structure of the punch (the allignment of your fist, wrist, elbow and shoulder).
When training we use pads, held infront of our chest with our hands and the force is still sufficient to cause you to loose breath.
The traditional wing chun punch actually uses the “one inch punch” as the finale. We practise around 400 punches at each class, starting off slowly (to ensure the structure is correct) then speading up.
You are relaxed right up until the point of contact, when you squeeze your fist for a split second, then release tension (and often open you hand immediately, into a guard hand). By being relaxed you can move faster with less effort.