General
Bruce Lee is well known for his one inch punch. He demonstrated it at the Long Beach International Karate Championships igniting the crowd and spreading his reputation as a martial artist. Using his one inch punch, Lee sent his opponent sliding backward into his chair (Life, pages 145-146).
The Science
This technique highlights Newton’s Second Law of Motion which states, “Force = mass x acceleration.” Here the punching force increases with Lee’s incredible acceleration of his fist, arm, and body (Straight, page 13).
Force = mass x acceleration
Lee used the terms “Power,” “Strength,” and “Velocity” when describing this process. He said that punching power is not only based on strength but also on the velocity. He defined strength as producing great force and power as using that strength as quick as possible (Art, pages 149-155).
Power = Strength x Velocity
Demonstration on the Conan O’Brien show
Watch this funny demonstration of the One Inch Punch by Steven Ho on the Conan O’Brien show.
Resources:
The Art of Expressing the Human Body, John Little, Editor, Tuttle Publishing, 1998. Volume 4 of the Bruce Lee Library, commissioned by the Bruce Lee Estate. Includes workouts, circuit training, weight lifting, and stretching. Put together by John Little, Bruce Lee historian.
Bruce Lee: A Life, Matthew Polly, Author, Simon & Schuster Publishing, 2019. Highly rated biography of Bruce Lee.
The Straight Lead: The Core of Bruce Lee’s Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do, Teri Tom, Author, Tuttle Publishing, 2005. A detailed breakdown of the straight lead punch under Jeet Kune Do.
Long Beach International Karate Championships, August 2, 1964, Bruce Lee Enterprises, LLC is the exclusive owner of the use of Bruce Lee’s name, image, archival footage, and writings.
AI Narration provided by elevenlabs.io.