Punches

Although there are many types of punches in martial arts, for our purposes here we will only concentrate an the three most common. These are the sidefist, ramshead and rolling reverse.

Most martial arts aerobics systems incorporate only thre types of punches and these are typically boxing style punches. There is the jab, the hook, and the uppercut.

In all of these punches the head is ussually held tucked. This has application in the boxing world but not in the world of martial arts or martial arts based aerobics. In boxing this is done because boxers wear such large gloves they can hide their head behind them. The gloves are so massive and padded that they will soften the blow of oncoming punches. Because we are mimickers, we mimick the actions of who we consider to be real world fighters. We bob and weave, tuck the head and bounce up and down. Mimicking who we consider to be tough, makes us feel tough. However, this may not be the most beneficial behavior.

Tucking the head and rolling the shoulders in misaligns the spine. This type of motion is typically used for all three types of punches.It is an unnatural motion for the shoulder and puts a strain on the back. It will also work the deltoids a lot but neglect the pectoralis major.A boxer can develop power in this way but not as much as if the the whole body is incorporated. As with all generalizations, this is not true for all boxers. If you really watch closely, you'll notice that some of the greatest boxers of all time utilized a completely different motion.

For the purposes of creating power and keeping the body healthy, a much different type of motion should be used. One should aways incorporate the principle of centerline. If centerline is used then there will be no strain on the spine. The legs work in conjunction with the spine and form the foundation of power. Of course, if all of the muscles are used for any given exercise, this will give a much more intense aerobic workout.

Ok, so lets learn how to do them