Relaxation: Power Unlocked

By Leeonna Johnson

When teaching students to punch, one tells them that they need to stay relaxed.  But also, throughout their training, they are taught that they need to punch with power.  In a student’s mind this may cause some conflict. 
This may seem like a contradiction.

So, how do we “punch with power but stay relaxed?”

It is harder to pick up a sleeping child, than it is to pick up one that is awake.  It seems as though the child has more mass because it is relaxed, heavier in a sense.  Now, if a practitioner relaxes while they are awake and uses that “relaxed-heaviness” to hit with, that force will cause a lot of damage to the opponent.

So, how can you relax and hit hard without being comatose?

First of all, you must picture standing in your stance.  Now to punch you need a way to move your arm.  Use energy!  Where can you get the energy?  The energy comes from the stance, which draws it from the ground.  The energy comes up through the ground through the body, into the arm, and out through the hands.  Do not punch with the hand, but with that energy.

Analogy: when putting out a fire, we do not try to put it out with the hose the water comes out of.    It is not possible we would only succeed in melting that hose in the fire.

Tension in the hose is manifested as a kink.  One cannot, again, soak the fire with nothing coming through the hose.  Therefore “tension,” or not being relaxed, hinders any progress.

If the hose has a clean, un-kinked path from the source of the water all the way through to the object, we can put the fire out.  Any other method would be futile.  The same is true of a punch.  If there is any tension between the stance and the end of the fist, the energy cannot get all the way through to the target. Therefore, one cannot punch successfully, or powerfully while tense.

This principle may be applied to life as well.  Throughout daily life, many things hinder relaxation.  You have now learned that being relaxed gives you power.  So, being relaxed in a stressful situation, or in any other kind of situation would rob you of the power to look at that situation with a clear head, and a powerful mind.  Relax and you will be able to overcome many obstacles that are thrown at you any given day.  Realize that in any fight you will get hit.  So, it is true in life.  But you have to always hit back.  But in throwing those punches, relax or your own punch may end up hurting you more than your opponent. If you are tense it doesn’t matter how many times you hit him, your opponent will feel nothing.  Being tense, scared or worried  profits a man nothing.

About the author.
Leeonna teaches at the Wing Chun School in Orem Utah. And has currently developed a Wing Chun course for children.

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