Hitting harder: physics made easy
Introduction Most martial artists share the goal of “hitting harder”. This is usually expressed in colloquial terms as hitting with “more force” or “more power”. But even a basic knowledge of physics will tell you that “force” and “power” are not the same thing. Which is it that makes you hit “harder” – force, power or both? And is it more helpful to talk in terms of something else such as momentum? Understanding force Many people think of “force” in very nebulous terms (perhaps explaining such misappropriations as “The Force” in Star Wars). So what is “force” as understood in physics? Force is something that enables you to cause an object with mass to accelerate . In other words, it is Newton’s famous formula: f = m x a . Using this formula people commonly argue that in order to hit “harder” they need to – 1. maximise their mass; and 2. maximise the acceleration of their attack. For the most part this is true: if you have a big mass and accelerate that mass well, you will maximis...