WHY DONT KARATE PUNCHES SNAP BACK LIKE THE KICKS?
They do. Initially punches are practised only as a thrust so as to develop kime or focus. Focus is the ability to generate a hydrostatic shock to your opponent’s system and involves bringing your punch to a “dead” stop so that all your energy is transmitted into your opponent. If your blow is poorly focused your punch may end up being more of a push. Alternatively if you snap back too soon, you may end up reabsorbing some of the energy. Once you have developed a certain amount of focus you will learn the snap punch (or “jab” as it is known in boxing). Remember that unlike kicking, punching carries no imperative to snap back. If you are kicking and your leg is caught you may be in a great deal of trouble. However the techniques taught in the Academys fighting system, Wu-Wei Dao, anticipate your arm being grabbed and even enable you to use this to your advantage. Furthermore snapping punches back in no way increases their outward speed. Lastly, not all the kicks snap back. There are many
