Weight vs. power

[obsessed]

I hear so many people talking about "kicking someone elses's ass" in college, and they tend to all want to prove something ... badass complex.

They all bench and weightlift like gods but when it comes to actually fighting they don't seem to cut it

My question deals with bruce lee. Many people seem to think that size = strength, but look at him. He was what, 5'6 and he could hit harder than anyone. Why do people naturally assume that being small means that you can't hit hard?

[Tom Yum]

I hear so many people talking about "kicking someone elses's ass" in college, and they tend to all want to prove something ... badass complex.

I guess it depends on which college you go to, but yeah I follow.

They all bench and weightlift like gods but when it comes to actually fighting they don't seem to cut it. My question deals with bruce lee. Many people seem to think that size = strength, but look at him. He was what, 5'6 and he could hit harder than anyone. Why do people naturally assume that being small means that you can't hit hard?

Without training, size has a whole lot to do with the ability to hit hard.

With training, it still does to a noticeable extent, but smaller guys can generate KO power. I've seen welterweight boxers lay out big, bad dudes on speed and technique - so I see what you mean!

There are alot of fighters between 160 and 200 lbs who are fireballs of explosive power. There are yet smaller guys, 140-150 lb ers who can hit hard too.

Bruce Lee was simply obsessive about his MA training, especially conditioning - which is why he could hit so damn hard.

[DickHardman]

Why do people naturally assume that being small means that you can't hit hard?

why do you care? unless you too wished that people thought you were tough.

[obsessed]

Just curious. People talk alot about it. I'm not small, but I'm not ginormous either.

[obsessed]

I guess I mean that people live their lives thinking they are such a bad ass, many of which have never entered a fight. Until they get their ass kicked by someone smaller and skilled (notice how I said skilled rather than more skilled, which referrs to the jock type of kid in high-school/college) they believe they're the shit.

[Thai Bri]

Bruce tried to become bigger. I wonder why...............

[HERQ454]

Then he went smaller.

[elliotNess]

It depends of the difference in size. 20 or 30 pounds may not matter but when you get into a size difference of over 40 or 50 pounds then being on the receiving end of those larger punches or kicks may have a suprising affect. Remember Bruce Lee was an actor who lived in a different day and age. Martial arts and fighters have evolved since the days of Bruce Lee.

[John McNabney]

I guess I mean that people live their lives thinking they are such a bad ass, many of which have never entered a fight. Until they get their ass kicked by someone smaller and skilled (notice how I said skilled rather than more skilled, which referrs to the jock type of kid in high-school/college) they believe they're the shit.

Well I think it falls in the line of "We are always right, until we are wrong and find out" kind of thing. If a person uses structure and are relaxed, anyone can gererate massive power for a moment.

[Tant01]

I have seen countless Ko's Been KOd and KOd a few guys myself.

In my own observations over the years it seems that size and strength have less to do with results than a bad attitude and GOOD TIMING.

When you develope the confidence in your ability to KNOW WHEN to throw that punch. The rest is easy.

Seriously. Power is crap, timing is everything...

[WuChi]

Its all about hitting in the right place. If you hitthe jaw while the mouth is open, it will more than likely break. If it is closed it will be harder. If you can see a strike coming you have a time to prepare, if it hits you without warning then its a different matter. Concussive(bouncing the brain inside the skull), requires acceleration of the skull. IOf we look at a heavy person, they can produce more inertia(resistance to change) because of a heavier hand. I personally believe that the middle weight fighter are most powerfull, because the have a mix of speed and ability to throw there entire body weight, rather than just there arm. Chuck liddel and Mike tyson, are exeptions rather than the rule. As power is VelocityXspeed, speed and weight are equal, so once you begin throwing your entire body weight, you need to work faster. As it is easier to get faster than heavier, also the correct use of knuckles or contacting points has to be considered. Throw your weight so that it focuses on your knuckles, producing more FORCE(area of contact). Remeber this is a tricky subject, as an arrow traveling does not have much weight, but it concentrates the speed and mass on a tiny point, thus producing large Force.
Once you get fimiliar you become more confident, and any real KO striker will tell you that, you begin to look more at fast accurate striking(ones your opponent cannot see) rather than all-out, as the hardest strike on a tensed chin, is not as effective as a quarter of the contact on a open and unsuspecting mouth.

[Tom Yum]

Momentm favors the heavier fighter. Momentum = mass x velocity

If the heavier fighter hits the lighter one, the lighter one is going to go get jarred or knocked back farther than the larger one. Think about Ernesto Hoost vs. Bob Sapp...Sapp sent Hoost into the corner and kept him there. Both guys are pretty big, Hoost is 240 and Sapp is like 360-ish, but Sapp sent him flying back each time.

Power favors the more explosive or faster striker. Power is the rate of energy transfer (damage) and has less to do with size. Think Kokalai vs. Mo. Kokalai's first kick sent Mo to the canvas. Kokalai is 170-lb dripping wet.

But fighting, as tant put it has more to do with alot more things than power.

[Thai Bri]

Right.

Who here would be any worse if they were given 30 lbs of functional muscle?

Coz I for one would be a lot better!

[Juicefree]

Two things ;

No. 1 The point about Timing is 101 % correct. As a serious Martials Artist this represents skill and technique, what we are all trying to improve. I would suggest beyond everything else this should be where you should focus your improvement, with regards to alife long study of martials arts.

No. 2 Simple physics. Big guys will hit harder and more importantly hit smaller guys harder. Try throwing a basket ball at a basket ball, watch how they move, then throw a tennis ball at a basket ball, and then a basket ball at a tennis ball !! It's not just about the person hitting but also the person being hit.

On a final note, Bruce Lee developed expert timing (as Carl Douglas would say) this accounted for a large part of his success ... the Way of the 'Intercepting' Fist.

[WuChi]

You have to remeber that without proper Acceleration, a heavy hitt is just a push, and a push doesnot casue largwe Compression or force. If something big hitts something small it moves, and when it moves it cancels out some of the impact. If you walk in or stand your ground, the impact will be greater. I would rather get hit by a slower fist that causes me to move, than a fast one that bursts my face open because I have no time to cancel out the blow. If you are hit by a straight punch, your movement should be backward, etc, that is why if you train on the heavy bag properly, the aim is not to move it, the aim is to hit is hard and Accelerate it. In the same way a dart peirces through a object, your fist should do also. If something moves, some of the farce has been canceld out, granted however is the fact that most fight injuries happen when someone is knocked over a hitts the ground with their head. And as someone said earlier about the BASKET, BASEBALL etc, would they be damaged though, from the contact its self?, or would it just be moved. If you his the basketball with a projectile the same suface as a tennisball, moving fast it would destroy it(like a rubber bullet), Speed and weight are equal when producing inertia and power. The smaller man however may have more problems will keeping a straight line, and not breaking the structure of his body.