August 24th, 2012
A recent study performed by British researchers compared the punches of two different groups of martial artists. The first, a group of a dozen black belt karate masters. The second, a group of martial arts novices. The results? The group of black belts were able to produce stronger punches through increased coordination between various body components.
Most martial artists already know that the key to a good punch involves a lot more than just a big bicep. Successful coordination between the hand, wrist, shoulder, and even hips are what turns a 'How ya doin'? tap' into a 'Nighty night punch'. But where's the science?
Upon studying the brains of the two test groups, scientists discovered that the black belts actually had greater changes in their white matter, which is responsible for helping transmit brain signals for processing. What's all that mean? More training = More white matter = Super punch masters.
It's an interesting study that sheds a little more light on the mysteries of the brain and its link to the martial arts. Check out the original article through the link below.
(via NY Daily News)
