Keep On Punchin’
For many, 1,000 punches a day might seem a little extreme. For the Wing Chun practitioner, however, it is both essential and practical.
Because the art requires a relaxed explosiveness in its actions, every action we take means that we must be devoid of all muscled-type of movements. But without relying on brute strength, how do our attacks actually generate hitting power? From relaxing and then quickly contracting just enough to use speed as the catalyst behind the power vs. powering through with brute force.
This is the type of power that can be applied well into old age, too. Since it does not rely on muscle size or strength, age will actually help us because we get more relaxed as we get older. Sure, many attributes of aging will see a decline in our abilities, but that is par for the course of all physical activities. At least with this type of punching, we can effectively use our skills for defense throughout the duration of our lifetime.
So where does the 1,000 punches fit in with all of this?
For starters, it keeps us relaxed. With so many punches, we cannot rely on physical strength because we simply wear out. But as long as we focus on correct mechanics and being relaxed in order to push through the exhaustion barrier, every punch takes us closer to performing the full 1,000 punches at full-speed and with full power.
With so many punches, it also improves our conditioning. Anyone who does just a few hundred punches knows how tiring it can be, so imagine what 1,000 punches will do. The chest, back, arms, abs, etc., are all being conditioned with each and every punch, and the more we do it, the more in-line with Wing Chun and fitness we become.
For those new to working so many punches every day, I recommend starting with a couple hundred a day for a week or two in order to get used to it. Start with slow punches, too, to ensure that you do not hyper-exted the elbow. Once that happens, your punching days are severely limited until you heal the injury.
After a couple of weeks, increase your punches by 50 – 100. Now with approximately 400 punches a day, maintain this for another couple of weeks or so, and every 2 weeks, increase the amount by 100.
During this time frame, you are getting in better shape by burning calories, conditioning the upper body, and also gaining a valuable fighting skill in Wing Chun. Your body is overcoming the stress it experiences with repeated exhaustion, too, which assists in your overall training.
Within a very short amount of time, your 1,000 punches a day will tremendous gains in your fighting ability, not to mention an improved fitness level.
And all with just punching. Go figure.
montyhendrix
August 31, 2008 at 3:22 AM
For rizzle.
I’d say if you 1000 punches a day and 500 kicks you’d really be ready to tear up most people in a “kickboxing” type sparring match. Actually 1000 is the magic number on kicks too but that takes a long dang time.
How long does it take you to do your 1000 punch routine – 8-10 minutes?
MH
awca
September 3, 2008 at 4:44 PM
Hi Monty,
For 1,000 punches, it’s really just a few minutes, about 4 or 5 total. It depends on how fast I guess, but for us, it’s about 4 minutes.
The easiest way I have found is to count in 10′s, like this: “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10… 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 20… 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 30…” etc. If you do about 2 punches per second, you will zip right through.
I always recommend to first start out with the hundreds. 100 until it feels good, then 200, etc. The last 25 punches of each session, punch as fast as you can while ensuring that the punches are straight vs. arcing. It’s always “quality” or “quantity,” even with fast punching such as this.
Chain-punching is a mainstay of Wing Chun for every attack. Whether we are initiating the attack or we’re blind-sided, chain-punching immediately puts us on the offensive and the “opponent” on the defensive. From there, it’s anyone’s game, but at least we have an immediate reaction to drive from.
Sifu
montyhendrix
September 8, 2008 at 4:06 AM
It’s funny you mention the chain punching b/c this is something I figured out for self-defense along time ago. In fact that is why WC makes so much sense to me is that the techniques emphasized are all things I had figured out for self-defense, then when I started researching WC and saw what the emphasis was, it really felt “good” to me.
Now getting to learn the drills and actual art is awesome. But the emphasis just makes sense. The mid-range really is the smart spot for so many reasons but it is great that WC covers teh otehr ranges as well!
mrsticky005
June 11, 2010 at 5:54 AM
Hi, I think the 1000 punches per day would be a good goal…but sadly I’m a pretty weak guy (5 foot 11 140 pounds.) I hate exercising cause I hate things I’m bad at. But I also hate being weak. I mean I’m 21 and I probably could get beaten up by most 15 year olds. Not that I plan on fighting 15 years (or really anybody for that matter. I don’t want to get stabbed or arrested) but it’s pretty lame, you know?
So anywho, enough of all that, I decided to go and try and punching
for exercise. I just started about a few days ago. I do 100 jabs with each arm (200 total) and 200 alternating punches (punch with left, pivot, punch with right, repeat. So 100 punches with each arm.) It takes me a while and my punches aren’t that strong. Like I said before I’m a weak guy.
How often should I update punches? Would increasing the number of punches by 10 everyday be a good idea? Also any other advice
would be helpful.
awca
June 11, 2010 at 10:13 AM
Hey mrsticky,
I know what you mean. Even if you weren’t weak, trust me: this amount of punching is not without difficulty. It can take months of training to build up to 1,000 punches and still feel good about it vs. wiped out.
You are on the right path with your 100 punches each side, and think about working that for a week or so before moving up. 10 or 20 additional each week is a good way to slowly build up the reps and increase your strength.
And don’t worry about power. Power comes in time as you get more relaxed. The more relaxed you get, the less stiff and tense you are. It is that stiffness that slows down the speed, which in turn slows down the true hitting power. But the more relaxed you are, the faster you will punch, which in turn translates to a more powerful hit.
For now, focus on quality and building up gradually vs. releasing power. The power will come in time, and when it does, your body will be mechanically sound to deliver your full power at will.
Si-fu
mrsticky005
June 13, 2010 at 2:26 AM
Thanks for the advice.