Speed vs. Power

"The stronger swordsman does not necessarily win. It is speed! Speed of hand, speed of mind."

-Abbe Faria (Alexandre Dumas)

 

"A fight is not won by one punch or kick. Either learn to endure or hire a bodyguard."
-Bruce Lee

In martial arts it is a common argument of preference whether it is speed or force which is the deciding factor.

In truth, there are actually three arguments concerning this, not two. It is actually speed, power, and technique. The last of which is perhaps the most important. I will only go into that briefly as the main focus on this piece is speed and power, and their relation.

I have noticed that if I do a technique as best able, with great power behind it, though slowly, the same affect can be generated if I do the technique as best possible (correct form) with great speed, but little force. To me that demonstrates that without technique, the argument of speed or power is moot; little affect can be achieved without the technique itself.

It's kind of like asking which is better to punch harder or faster, and then asking, what difference does it make if there is no punch at all to channel those elements.

Now that being said, concerning speed and power, which is better? The argument can be made that speed triumphs power because one can strike the other more if the opponent is slower, but the argument can also be made that one incredibly strong strike can do as many as multiple less powerful strikes.

Power is generated by the force put into a technique to create an impact and affect. Speed is generally how quickly the technique can be utilized in its mechanics. Speed often also refers to one's reaction time.

To me the argument is moot; without speed no technique can occur, and without force there is nothing to drive the speed of the technique, so they are interrelated.

The speed of a technique is determined less by the physical makeup of something (though that is very important) but moreso by how quickly one can think. The faster one can think, the faster the mind can cause the body to initiate the strike, and the faster one can therefore move. The goal of a martial artist should be between 5-8 hand techniques per second.

The power behind a technique is determined primarily by the mass of the part of the body being used to strike with, but also the added force generated from the body's momentum and the technique used to combine that momentum and mass of the body through the technique to impact. One can bulk up through exercise and rigorous training, or one can hone their technique to allow it to better sync with, and channel the energy the body's produces.

 

I would prefer this to have been without spacers, but I could not find such a video.

I would argue though, that if much faster than your opponent, the likelihood of getting struck is much smaller. And considering pressure and vital points, with proper technique light touches can become destructive.

I opted to utilize quotes from Bruce Lee so prevalently in this article because he frankly puts it best in my opinion.

“The athlete who is building muscles though weight training should be very sure to work adequately on speed and flexibility at the same time. In combat, without the prior attributes, a strong man will be like the bull with its colossal strength futilely pursuing the matador or like a low-geared truck chasing a rabbit.”

“A powerful athlete is not a strong athlete, but one who can exert his strength quickly. Since power equals force times speed, if the athlete learns to make faster movements he increases his power, even though the contractile pulling strength of his muscles remains unchanged. Thus, a smaller man who can swing faster may hit as hard or as far as the heavier man who swings slowly.”

-Bruce Lee