subject: Take A Punch And Walk Away With A Smile By Doing A Single, Simple Exercise [print this page] Take a punch is something every ring fighter or martial artist has to do. Only a simpleton would think that he could walk away from a karate match, or a taekwondo contest without taking a punch. In this article I will tell you how to survive getting hit.
It goes without saying that you are going to need good body conditioning. This can be achieved with very specific conditioning, but if you attain that good condition then you will know if you can take a punch. This conditioning will cover the body and the head, as they are the targets in any fight, be it an MMA match or a street fight.
You should focus on body calisthenics such as sit ups, push ups, dips, and that sort of exercise. Truthfully, you should be able to do hundreds of those suckers, and with no effort. If you can do these exercises without breathing hard, your body is going to be taut and able to absorb punches with ease.
The head is a different subject, as there aren't any many exercises to 'strengthen' the skull. But one can survive if they know what actually happens to the skull when it gets struck. Understanding the 'impact process' will enable you to take punches by practicing a single, simple exercise.
When the head gets hit the brain bounces around inside the skull. The trick, then, is to position the head so that it doesn't move much. The way to do this is to strengthen the neck muscles.
The way to make the neck muscles stronger is to hold a tennis ball under the chin while working out. This not only makes the neck stronger, but it leans the head forward, which is good for bobbing and weaving and ducking under a strike. Furthermore, when one does get hit the impact energy travels down the neck, instead of making a 'whiplash effect' in the head.
When one is doing Karate or kenpo or that type of martial art, one should be fighting more from a distance, using the legs, and keeping the head safely out of the fray. However, as the fighting distance closes, one should duck the head into a more 'bull like' posture. Then you can slip the punches, and even cause them to be deflected to the shoulders.
To finish, do a lot of basic body conditioning exercises like sit ups, push ups, dips, and that sort of thing. For the head, place the tennis ball under the chin to make the neck muscles stronger. Whether it is an MMA ring, a street fight, or even a karate kumite match or kung fu contest, it's not a pleasant thing to get struck, but with a little work you will be able to take a punch and walk away with a grin.
