A little test I like to perform when a new student walks through the door is something very simple – a short question is all it takes “if you were going to hit me as hard as you can.....how would you do it?” Understandably this is sometimes followed with awkward shuffling and wringing of hands. It’s not an idea or a concept people are comfortable with, but if you turn up to a martial arts class it is very relevant I’d say.


Talk to any of the poor people that have to suffer my lessons and they’ll tell you many things, especially how I seem to say the same things again and again. One of my fundamental principles is to put someone out of action in as fewer hits as possible – preferably one.

A common myth or misconception is that to defeat someone you must hit them all over using as many different attacks and body parts as possible. I blame the movies for compounding this notion that a roundhouse kick to the face is as practical as it is cool. In truth what people really need is “point theory”.

I explain this theory with a simple rather sexist analogy. If I kick you in the balls (sorry ladies please use your empathy here) where is the last place in the world, you want me to strike you again? Yep. Square in the knackers is the right answer.

If I break your ribs with my first punch, why wouldn’t I keep hitting them and push the shards through your internal organs? It won’t take much, it’ll put you out of action, and I’ll get to walk away. If you cover the first wounded area then this will of course leave your head or another “hotspot” exposed.

It may seem obvious to you now, if you hadn’t considered it. But often this comes as a revelation to many. Perhaps they simply haven’t had the scenario or impulse to consider something so socially reprehensible, but as a martial artist it is essential to be honest and truthful about things no matter how stark or uncomfortable they may be.

One other thing of note from the question posed to new students about their “hardest punch” is the fact that 99% of people perform some form of boxing style straight. Often they pick their front hand, not the much more powerful cross with the support of the hips and added distance off of the back hand just to insult the question I asked a little more.

Usually this is because of a lack of confidence or fear of “doing it wrong” and is perfectly normal. However it also seems that people know boxers hit hard (bloody hard, as my head will attest to) and thus this must be the most powerful way a person can hit. Not entirely unreasonable but there is one major flaw with this truism.

Boxing is not natural, it is not innate it is a very powerful art and to punch correctly is a skill learned and practiced. You need the right co-ordination, timing and muscular input to make these punches work. Furthermore these strikes are not easily compatible with the stance, theories and practice of Wing Tsun. Teaching someone to box before they can even learn WT is no good. Although a person might find it handy it is not useful in their pursuit of kung fu or self defence.

What I give students is lovingly referred to as the “hammer blow”. Using the natural alignment of the body, gravity and momentum it is a devastating strike, easy to perform and completely intuitive. It is also high applicable as even a newbie can secure their opponent by grabbing them with their weak hand and pummelling them with this devastating move!

Take your strong hand and raise it above your head, fist clenched, make sure your feet are evenly spread and your weight distributed. Throw the arm down and forward allowing the arm to “whip” your fist into your target as if throwing a ball. At the same time drop your centre of gravity through the legs. Make contact through the base of your hand in line with the wrist and ulna in your forearm as if you were performing a chop with your fingers clenched.

Practice on a pad and you’ll soon feel the natural swing of the movement and the raw power behind it. Remember to drop through the legs or you waste so much potential force it is untrue. Once comfortable this can be practiced in the air and on pads to build strength and coordination. If you feel confident loop the hit back across the body as if performing a back-fist in a figure of eight motion. This increases the damage done and teaches great hand-eye coordination and offers very good exercise if performed vigorously for a few minutes.

The hammer blow and subsequent back fist offer two very deadly strikes that do not require raw power or muscle just some simple balance and willingness. Take five minutes of your time everyday and try them out on both hands, you’ll soon reap the martial and fitness rewards!