“A Straight Talk about the Straight Punch: Technique, Principles & Usage”
Originally published in Kung Fu Tai Chi Magazine.
This is a long, in-depth and powerful article, and one of the most thorough presentations of the Kung Fu approach to basic principles ever published in the English language.
With his usual clarity and wit, Sifu Hsu outlines all the major key points in throwing a straight punch, the Kung Fu way. Read a beautifully lucid analysis not based on just how hard a punch is thrown, but what a punch is for in the first place (and it won’t be so obvious.)
Adam Hsu is the type of teacher who, even if you walk away with some reservations, reminds you that it is a pleasure to engage in something like a dialogue with someone who actually cares and does not grab the first and simplest explanation at hand. After decades of involvement in the art, I can only say that articles like this—which re-examine what everyone “knows”—are the ones that can alter a viewpoint in a moment—as fast as any punch.