Black
Belt EssayBlack
Belt EssayThe Tae Kwon-do Encyclopaedia says that through training will certainly result in a superb level of physical fitness. It will not necessarily result in the acquisition of extraordinary stamina or superhuman strength. More important, Taekwon-do training will result in obtaining a high level of reaction power, concentration, equilibrium, breath control and speed: these are the factors that will result in a high degree of physical power.
The theory of power is made up of a number of things such as mass, reaction power, concentration, equilibrium, breath control and speed, some of these have pretty vague explanations so I will try to put it in a more understandable way to hopefully make it clearer to other students.
Mass is probably the easiest one to explain simply we refer to mass as weight but this is not exactly true as the physics meaning is (Mass (physics), in physics, amount of matter that a body contains, and a measure of the inertial property of that body, that is, of its resistance to change of motion. Mass is different from weight, which is a measure of the attraction of the earth for a given mass but we associate better if we refer to it as weight.)
Mass has a very direct effect on the theory of power, but we can’t have a direct effect on mass through training. Students that have a larger mass tend to at an early stage in training e.g. white belt level are able to create more power. This is determined by F (being power) = M (being mass) x V (being velocity or speed) x V (being velocity or speed) so a student of mass 100kg doing a technique at 10 meters per second can produce 10000 units of power.
While a student of 80kg doing the same technique at the same speed or velocity can only produce 8000 units of power. Thus leaving a difference of 2000 units of power between them. But mass only is a small part of the theory of power as if you double the mass you only double the power output (200 x 10 x 10 = 20000) but if you double the speed you get (100 x 20 x 20 = 40000) you get triple the power output. So unless we want to pack on the pounds for only double the results.
Through extensive training in TaeKwon-Do we can understand and utilize the theory of power we can triple the amount of power generated. To do this we must practise the other aspects of the theory of power: reaction force, concentration, equilibrium, breath control and speed.
The encyclopaedia states that every force has an equal and opposite reaction force so if you punch a focus pad with a force of one hundred kilograms of force the focus pad will return a force of one hundred kilograms. If you are sparring an opponent and he/she comes rushing in at you and you aim a slight but quick blow to his/her head the force attained will not only be that of your slight blow but also that of your opponents onslaught. In TaeKwon-Do we try to teach this in the way that we should focus on the extended hand that we pull back to the hip as the faster we can pull that hand back the opposite hand should in theory go out with an equal force due to the fact that every action has an opposite and equal reaction.
The encyclopaedia gives one example of concentration as water coming out of a hose with a large diameter outlet and it comes out slowly and in a large volume with no real power and another hose with a small diameter outlet and it comes out in a small but powerful stream.
In TaeKwon-Do we concentrate in two ways. One is to concentrate all the muscles of the body particularly the muscles of the abdomen and the hip (in theory are slower) towards the proper tool at the time by jerking the hip and abdomen slightly first before the hands and feet (This is the slight backward motion that we do in TaeKwon-Do). The other way is to concentrate on the opponent’s vital spots this why all attacking techniques are directed at vital spots and we use the correct attacking tool in TaeKwon-Do.
Basically means in simple terms Balance it comes in two forms one is dynamic and the other is static stability. Even though they are different they are both closely related and have to work together to create maximum power. Dynamic stability is when weight is 50/50 through the centre of gravity is through the centre of the two legs or through the centre of the foot with the most weight it e.g. In an L stance its through the rear foot and in a walking stance through the middle of the legs
Static stability is when the heel of the rear foot is kept flat on the ground through the point of impact as in all stances in TaeKwon-Do e.g. The rear foot in a side kick to be pointed away and kept flat on the point of impact and the centre of gravity is through the rear foot.
Breath control is very important in TaeKwon-Do we breathe to help focus an attack or block. To also help generate speed and stamina and to help condition the body to receive a blow by tensing the abdomen at the point of impact it makes it harder for your opponent to wind you if he/she manages to land a counter attack. We should also never try to focus an attack or block on an inward breathe as this makes it less effective as it is not focused properly and can sometimes cause the technique to fall be short.
This one is self-explanatory but to increase this one you have to utilise the other aspects of the theory of power except mass.
So if you train hard in TaeKwon-Do and try to use all the aspects of the Theory of power it will be possible to increase the amount of power one can generate so hopefully the above information can enlighten you in an understanding of these aspects of the theory of power.