Physics of Martial Arts

1
Physics of Martial Arts

• By Enrique V. Zepeda

2
Introduction

• Many martial arts techniques were developed under
  the basis of physics.
• Everybody possess potential energy depending of
  the size, muscle strength and health.
• Hard style techniques punching, kicking,
  chopping.
• Soft style techniques blocking, take downs, arm
  locks.

3
Hard style

• All hard style techniques are follow conservation
  of mechanical energy
• E KU gt K-U
• Where K is the kinetic energy (½ mv2 ), and U is
  the potential energy which can be due to gravity
  or the work produced by our muscles, or both.

4

• Martial artists concentrate all of their energy
  in a very small contact point to reduce the area
  so that the force produced will not spread
  throughout a large area. This pressure produced
  can be calculated
• PF/a, where F is the force of the hit and a
  is the area.

5

•  

6
(No Transcript)
7
Soft style

• The main physical principal is conservation of
  momentum.
• When blocking, martial artist re-direct the hit
  controlling the direction of the attackers
  momentum so that it goes at an angle. Since the
  strike is now on an angle, the defender can use
  less force.

8

• Another way to use conservation of momentum is
  when the defender takes down the attacker using
  his/her own momentum.
• The initial momentum of the attacker becomes the
  angular momentum of both the attacker and
  defender. PL/r
• And since the defender moves along with the
  attacker, the defender applies little to no
  torque at all.

9

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vwlmAoQ5HYTk

10
References

• http//entertainment.howstuffworks.com/karate2.htm
  
• http//www.phys.ttu.edu/cmyles/.../Physics20of2
  0Martial20Arts.doc