How to Do the Upper Cut in Kung Fu

According to legend Kung Fu was instituted by the godlike Yellow Emperor Chin Shi Huangdi who was known as a powerful general and wrote several treatises on the subject. When we think of Kung Fu we imagine very florid and elaborate moves requiring a great deal of gymnastics and contortions. But these are typically showy techniques made and used primarily for exhibition purposes. Kung Fu is based on combat techniques that work, regardless of whether they are pretty to watch. Many of the Kung Fu basics are short and direct. In this guide you will be taught how to throw the basic yet brutal uppercut taught in Kung Fu.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Practice room
• Sparring partner or practice dummy

1. Face your opponent squarely. An uppercut must be thrown from a very short distance, so you will have to be standing no more than two feet from your opponent. For this reason its best to use an uppercut as a preemptive strike or a finishing attack.

2. Bend deeply at the knees and reach down with the arm you intend to punch with.

3. Focus on a point about an inch behind and six inches above the tip of your opponent's chin. When you punch you must make sure to follow through, so this visualization will ensure that your attack does not glance off the edge of your opponent's chin.

4. Drive down hard with the muscles in your legs and straighten your knees as if you were about to jump. Bring your arm up in an underhanded swing and twist into the blow with your body. What you are doing is channeling all the force you can muster from your body into a single knock-out punch. The strength of your lower legs, upper legs, waist, abdomen, chest, and arm is all coming together to drive one strike up into the bottom of your opponent's jaw.

5. Your fist should impact with your leading knuckles well into the flesh under the jaw. This will cushion your hand from the bony parts on the end of the chin and prevent you from hurting your hand. At the point of impact your hand and lower arm should be aligned and completely vertical.

6. Don't stop driving after the initial contact, keep pushing. If the punch doesn't put your opponent down your driving will knock him off balance and leave him open for another attack.

Tips & Warnings

• It's particularly hard to perform this move if you are taller than your opponent. The trick is to dip your shoulder lower than the level of your opponent's neck. It means you have to crouch deeper and also generate greater force than a shorter person would.
• Do not drive a full force uppercut into the chin of a sparring partner or opponent unless you intend to do the person real harm. This punch can break the jaw, cause your opponent to bite off his tongue, and cause neck and spinal damage if enough force is used.
• An uppercut that's poorly aimed can drive into the opponent's throat, crush the trachea and kill him. Using a practice dummy will allow you to throw uppercuts normally and will prevent you from developing the habit of pulling your punches.

Resources

• Video of Throwing a Kung Fu Uppercut

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