The Role of Effective Mass and Hand Speed in the Performance of Kung Fu Athletes Compared with Nonpractitioners
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Journal of Applied Biomechanics, 2007; 23:139-148. © 2007 Human Kinetics, Inc. The Role of Effective Mass and Hand Speed in the Performance of Kung Fu Athletes Compared With Nonpractitioners Osmar Pinto Neto,1 Marcio Magini,1 and Marcelo M. F. Saba2 1Universidade do Vale do Paraiba and 2Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais The main goal of this article is to quantify the Chinese martial arts (wushu) have a history contribution of effective mass (me) and hand- of thousands of years. They were developed out speed (shi) on the palm strike performance of of the necessity of the Chinese people to defend kung fu athletes (kung fu group) compared with themselves from the harms of nature and attacks of nonpractitioners (control group). All subjects other humans (Chow & Spangler, 1982). Through were asked to strike a basketball. Hand and history, various warriors developed different tech- ball speed (s ) were determined by high-speed bf niques (styles) of self-defense with particular sets video analysis. The value for me was determined by an equation that does not depend upon post- of movements and ideas (Despeux, 1981). The impact measurement of the hand speed. The yau-man style of kung fu was developed during the results show that kung fu athletes had greater Ch’ing Dynasty (1644–1911) with the purpose to help Chinese revolutionaries in the war against the shi (6.67 [SD 1.42] m/s), p = 0.042), higher me (2.62 [SD 0.33] kg, p = 0.004), and greater Manchu invaders, and, for this reason, its main focus sbf (9.00 [SD 1.89] m/s), p = 0.004) than the is efficiency (New Martial Hero Magazine, 1972). nonpractitioners (5.04 [SD 0.57] m/s, 1.33 [SD A strike performed in the yau-man kung fu differs 0.19] kg, and 5.72 [SD 0.44] m/s, respectively). from other fighting styles, such as karate or boxing Comparing the average values obtained for m e punches, among other factors because the striking and hand and forearm mass (m), it was found hand begins closer to the target (30 cm on average), that for the control group m is statistically equal e the striking arm is slightly adducted throughout to m (p = 0.917), whereas for the kung fu group motion, and the the motion is terminated before full me is significant greater than m (p = 0.003). It is suggested that for impacts against heavier extension of the arm (Pinto Neto et al., 2006a). objects, the effective mass would be the main Over the last decades, several studies have factor to distinguish a martial arts–trained from been conducted to further the understanding of the an untrained subject. biomechanical aspects of karate and boxing (e.g., Wilk et al., 1983; Smith & Hamill, 1986; Walilko Key Words: biomechanics, motion analysis, et al., 2005). However, only a very few articles in kinematics, exercise performance the literature discuss the biomechanics of kung fu (e.g., Pinto Neto et al., 2006a, 2006b). In general, Pinto Neto and Magini are with the Instituto de Pesquisa e these studies were concerned with the enhancement Desenvolvimento, Universidade do Vale do Paraiba, São José of performance and extending the understanding of dos Campos, Brazil, and Saba is with the Departamento de Geofísica Espacial, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, injury risk. São José dos Campos, Brazil. 139 140 Pinto Neto, Magini, and Saba Wilk et al. (1983) suggested that the hand Although boxing is not considered a martial speed right before the impact was the primary art, it also deals with punching efficiency. In the factor contributing for the greater impact force of study done by Walilko et al. (2005), seven Olympic a karate martial artist strike compared with that of boxers from five weight classes delivered 18 straight a nonpractitioner. However, they did not verify this punches to the face of a Hybrid III dummy. Their suggestion in their study. Walker (1975) suggested reported average hand speed before impact was 9.14 that another important variable, the effective mass (SD 2.06) m/s and effective punch mass was 2.9 (SD of impact (me), could vary in different forms of 2.0) kg; they also reported a slight linear association karate strikes and affect the impact force; how- of the effective mass with the weight of the boxer ever, he did not report values of this variable. The (r = 0.484, p = 0.042). Walilko et al. (2005) were effective mass of impact is a measure of a body’s the first to suggest that the effective mass could be inertial contribution to the transfer of momentum linearly related to the body mass. during a collision. In the case of a martial art strike, One limitation of the methodologies used in the the effective mass can be seen as the mass of an past to determine values of effective mass (Smith imaginary rigid body that could replace the striker & Hamill, 1986; Voigt 1989; Walilko et al., 2005), and with the same speed as the hand speed before in view of using untrained subjects, was that the the impact produce the same effect on the collision striking surfaces used in the experiments were either as the striker would. Blum (1977) suggested that too heavy (punching bag) or too hard (dynamometer an adept karate practitioner achieves a “high mass” and Hybrid III dummy) for a untrained subject be by tightening all the appropriate arm and upper able to hit it with maximum hand speed without body muscles at the moment of impact, but further having a serious risk of getting injured. Addition- insight into this theory was not provided. Smith and ally, if a untrained subject were asked to do so, he Hamill (1986) were the first authors to investigate or she would probably do it with fear and this fear this suggestion. They measured the fist velocities could interfere in the results. This idea is supported from karate athletes of different skill levels and the by a study conducted by Vos and Binkhorst (1966). relative momentum of a 33-kg punching bag. The They reported that beginner karate students did bag momentum was greatest for the highest skilled not have the courage enough to strike bricks with subjects compared with the lowest skilled punch- their maximum force. Currently, there is a need ers even though their respective fist velocities were to further understand the varying contributions approximately the same, 11.03 (SD 1.96) m/s for all of effective mass and hand speed to trained and subjects. Smith and Hamill (1986) suggested that untrained subjects, which subsequently requires the the increase in bag momentum was due to the skilled development of methodologies that employ lighter boxer’s ability to generate a greater effective mass and softer surfaces. This paper presents the applica- during the impact than the lower skilled boxers. The tion of biomechanics to a novel situation in order estimated average effective mass for the highest to quantify the effective mass of yau-man “palm” skilled boxers was approximately 4.1 kg. Because strikes performed by subjects trained and untrained this value is greater than the mass of the hand, the in martial arts. The investigation’s primary goal is authors believed it reflected the ability of the athletes to quantify the contribution of effective mass and to link the mass of the arm into the punch. They hand speed on the performance of kung fu athletes did not report implications of a greater effective compared with nonpractitioners. mass with respect to injury risk and concentrated their analyses on only the performance aspect of Methods the matter. Voigt (1989) analyzed punches from 10 well-trained karate students and found values of Experimental Setup effective mass significantly smaller than did Smith Seven adept practitioners of kung fu yau-man (the and Hamill (1986). He reported average hand speed kung fu group) and five individuals with no martial before impact of 9.5 m/s and average effective mass, arts experience (the control group) were selected to obtained using data from a punching dynamometer, participate in the experiment. All 12 subjects were of 1.4 kg. Effective Mass of Kung Fu 141 Caucasian physically active males. The subjects and in the elbow (100 degrees), drawn toward the from the kung fu group had on average 12 years body with the wrist semiextended (Figure 1). Both of martial arts training time. The subjects’ average forearms are pronated. The movement consists of a height, mass, and age were 1.72 (SD = 0.07) m, fast rotation of the upper body that sends the striking 68.59 (SD = 9.4) kg, and 25.1 (SD = 6.6) years for hand forward and inverts the position of the arms. the kung fu group, and 1.69 (SD = 0.09) m, 68.62 The upper body ends in a position symmetrically (SD = 21.2) kg, and 22.2 (SD = 6.0) years for the opposite of where it started (Figure 2). During this control group. The subjects in the control group all strike, the lower body remains static in a standing had previous athletic experience. The body mass position called yau-man ma-bu. Target contact is of the subjects was obtained using a digital scale made with the heel of the hand. (Model UL-PH; Digi-Tron, Brazil). During the experiment, the striking hands of the Each subject was asked to strike a basketball at subjects were placed approximately 30 cm from the rest on a table five times with maximum force using basketball. The mass of the basketball (mb = 0.594 the yau-man palm strike (Pinto Neto et al., 2006 a, kg) was obtained using an electronic precision scale 2006b).