Bruce Lee did not have "superhuman" strength

"Wired" article on Bruce Lee

 Photo is of Stephen Hwa Ph.D. using "Neijin" to fend off 3 people

Regarding the "Wired" link and video, Tom Kostusiak said:  "I came across this. As a physics nerd, I enjoy the explanation. I am curious of the other formulas."

Since Tom "tagged" Stephen Hwa and myself Jim Roach with the Facebook post I decided to pass it on.  I contacted my teacher Tai Chi Master Stephen Hwa and asked him about the "formulas.  

 Stephen Hwa:  "The writer correctly points out Bruce Lee used his body momentum with his punch to deliver the power. The writer calculates his body momentum force with his punching force. So, it is not strictly a Fajing move, if Fajing has to use internal force as I described in my Youtube video, Fajing 1 & 2.."

 

 Dear Master Stephen Hwa , thank you for the response and deciphering of the writer’s equations. I keep having the thought however that the Physics Professor who wrote the article may have at the very least a lack of caution. How does one not physically see the use of momentum force in these videos? My gosh, Lee’s body (foot) leaves the ground. “A flying body can knock you down” comes to mind in regard to momentum force.

 

 Calling momentum force “superhuman”? I guess those 12 year olds in my ancient Tae Kwon do class are now "Supermen".  I guess the fascination with Bruce Lee will continue and even color the thinking of even the most educated. This brings to mind what I personally like about your teaching and that is its understanding can be attained at a High School level.

Liked on YouTube: Push Hand Movement minus partner to teach push and form

Push Hand Movement minus partner to teach push and form
Uncovering the Treasure by Stephen Hwa, Ph.D. "Paradoxically and contrary to common belief, practicing the seemingly soft and gentle Compact Form Classical Tai Chi develops internal energy and power while practicing the martial art of push hands and sparring should develop sensitivity and finesse." My link above is of Master Hwa and Ike Schultz pushing hands. My suggestion for one and all is to watch, follow and do the movements that just Master Hwa is doing. Of course, I recommend doing this without a partner. That's why I call it Push Hands 1/2. Just do what he is doing, body, shifting weight, back and forth, extending arms, etc. but minus a partner. You see these back-and-forth movements in the Classical Tai Chi Form in early training of "sit back," "lean forward" and this drill will help. I had someone visit my class early at Buffalo State University. He told me he wanted a martial art where he could "kick the butt" of those who disrespected him. I said, "...but what if you get close to them and cannot physically know what they are doing..." "Also, if you can't know yourself, how can you know them"? He looked puzzled, and I said, "...if I put my hand on your shoulder and you don't even sense a light touch, how can you react to a fast, stronger touch..." I demonstrated the touch on his shoulder,, upper chest, and back. In all three cases, a gentle movement of my hand using a very slow internal motion of my core moved him like a rag doll. He said, "...that seems like a lot of power; how do you do that..." I first developed internal strength and power through "Form" and finesse/sensitivity through push hands training with a partner. I concluded by saying, "...those skills have to develop in that order, "Form" first, then "Push hands". To make a martial application, one has to have neuromuscular control. If it is, a punch or a gentle push, one has to "hit the target," not miss, and the same holds for other applications. However, I have seen some gentle push-hands that are painful to watch; because students forget the fundamentals of the Form. So you say, "...but I never did push hands before..." I say, "as in the form, so in push hands, as in push hands, so in the form". What you have learned for good or bad rubs off on the other.
via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOkHF1yC_o4

Push hands 1/2 training

 

1/2 Push Hands Video

Uncovering the Treasure by Stephen Hwa, Ph.D. "Paradoxically and contrary to common belief, practicing the seemingly soft and gentle Compact Form Classical Tai Chi develops internal energy and power while practicing the martial art of push hands and sparring should develop sensitivity and finesse."

My link above is of  Master Hwa and Ike Schultz pushing hands. My suggestion for one and all is to watch, follow and do the movements that just Master Hwa is doing. Of course, I recommend doing this without a partner. That's why I call it Push Hands 1/2.  Just do what he is doing, body, shifting weight, back and forth, extending arms, etc. but minus a partner. You see these back-and-forth movements in the Classical Tai Chi Form in early training of "sit back," "lean forward" and this drill will help. 

I had someone visit my class early at Buffalo State University. He told me he wanted a martial art where he could "kick the butt" of those who disrespected him. I said, "...but what if you get close to them and cannot physically know what they are doing..."   "Also, if you can't know yourself, how can you know them"? 

He looked puzzled, and I said, "...if I put my hand on your shoulder and you don't even sense a light touch, how can you react to a fast, stronger touch..."  I demonstrated the touch on his shoulder,, upper chest, and back. In all three cases, a gentle movement of my hand using a very slow internal motion of my core moved him like a rag doll.   He said, "...that seems like a lot of power; how do you do that..."    I first developed internal strength and power through "Form" and finesse/sensitivity through push hands training with a partner.   I concluded by saying, "...those skills have to develop in that order, "Form" first, then "Push hands".  

To make a martial application, one has to have neuromuscular control. If it is, a punch or a gentle push, one has to "hit the target," not miss, and the same holds for other applications. However, I have seen some gentle push-hands that are painful to watch; because students forget the fundamentals of the Form. 

So you say, "...but I never did push hands before..." I say, "as in the form, so in push hands, as in push hands, so in the form". What you have learned for good or bad rubs off on the other.

Video and discussion of “left hand” round form

 Link to video of “left hand” round form 

The Left-Hand Form

"The movements in the I08 Long Form are mostly non-symmetrical in regard to the right and left side of the body. We generally call the normal Form the "right-hand Form". It is purely a name-not necessarily meaning that the right side of the body is more emphasized. Because of the nonsymmetrical nature of the  Form, It results in unbalanced development of the body when one practices this way day in and day out.

When one can play the right-hand Form with ease, it is time to teach oneself to play the mirror image of the Form, so-called "left-hand Form". It is a very beneficial exercise. One can gain considerable insight into ones' Form playing. Students who have gone through this exercise have reported that they sense the weakness on the left-hand Form initially indicating that they have already built up robustness on the right side. Eventually, when one plays the Form, one should alternate between right and left Form to ensure balanced development."

Paraphrase and excerpted from Page100:  Uncovering The Treasure: Classical Tai Chi's Path to Internal Energy & Health Paperback – May 12, 2010

by Stephen Hwa (Author)

 URLhttps://www.amazon.com/Uncovering-Treasure-Classical-Internal-Energy/dp/1449917895/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=uncovering+the+treasure&qid=1593450066&sr=8-1 

"Tuck" is not "frozen rope"

 

"Pulling the body forward and back."

This movement teaches the student or patient how to bring the body forward and backward. These pictures are a segment from a sequence of movements called "Tai Chi Walk." The starting posture, see Picture 1-1, is with the feet parallel at shoulder-width. Now the derriere (buttocks) need to be "tucked in" (euphemistically). It is not a frozen "pelvic tilt"; one needs to stretch the tailbone downward by engaging the lower abdominal muscle.

 Stretch the head using the neck muscle; you want to feel a stretch and tuck in the chin very slightly. Now bend the knee and take a step forward onto the heel of either the right or left foot; see Picture 1-2. Note in Pictures 1-2 that the hips face ahead with the body facing exactly forward. In pictures 1-3, the toe goes down, but the body weight stays on the back foot; this is very important that no body weight "leaks" into the front foot from just putting down the toe. In pictures 1-4, you will pull the body forward using the front foot; note that you do not push with the back foot. 

Using the exact timing as you bend the knee, you "energize" the core (abdominal) muscles and pull the body forward. This "energizing" of the core is a euphemism for a somewhat sharp contraction, a pulling inward of the abdominal muscles below the navel. Pulling the body backward uses the same technique, see Picture 1-5 by pulling with the back foot while you "energize" (sharply contract) the core. One will repeat the pulling back and pulling forward using the core muscles in conjunction with the pull, over and over, forward, back, forward, back, etc. In the forward position, it looks like one is tilting slightly forward; in the backward position, it looks like one is about to sit in a chair. The contraction inward of the core stimulates all the internal organs, the blood flow, and lymphatic flow, becoming a very healthful movement for the internal organs. Another great benefit is stretching the spine by tilting forward and sitting back. When one learns to use the core to energize the movement, it takes much of the workload from the legs, thus relaxing them in the process.

One can Push Hands or do the Classical Tai Chi Form. In either case, one is transitioning between moving forward or sitting back. At a seminar, I heard a student ask: "Is the tuck a pelvic tilt"? The tuck is what is called a pelvic tilt. A while back, Master Hwa started using the term "stretch the back down" to describe what he had called "tuck." Tuck the derriere does require the press in or contraction of the lower abdomen. As a student improves, however, a student can discover that the neural signal to "stretch the back down" will result in an abdominal contraction. 

We have established that the nervous system in Classical Tai Chi learns by discerning the difference between even the smallest of sensations. Therefore, students develop the ability to tell the difference between one sensation and another, first on a macro level, e.g., the difference between the pelvic tilt and stretching down the back, then later, more subtle differentiation. However, a downside can also be an extreme disadvantage with a pelvic tilt. It freezes the ability to turn the waist by making that area static, whereas stretching down the back keeps the ability to turn fluid and dynamic.