Jason Thalken

“Use your brain to knock out your opponent. Now that we have a basic understanding of diffuse axonal injury, the obvious next question is, “How can I use this knowledge to become a better fighter?” Sometimes the right visualization of the process is all it takes so give your training a significant edge. When you throw a punch, think about how your punch will rotate your opponent’s head. If you give your opponent a linear palm strike to the face, you will probably do a lot of damage to your opponent, but if you can strike and then move your hand up and over, forcing your opponent to look up at the ceiling, you will probably have a better chance of knockout from that strike. Another way to adjust your training is to practice hitting something that can rotate. Some heavy bags or double-end bags can rotate when you hit them, or you can try out the Quest Training AllStrike, which functions much like a focus mitt in the shape of a human head for fine-tuning your targeting, but it also provides realistic rotational feedback. If you can start understanding when you are spinning a head versus when you are pushing it back, you are on your way to being a better knockout artist.”
― Jason Thalken, Fight Like a Physicist: The Incredible Science Behind Martial Arts

“These measurements are important to us because a larger surface area reduces localized tissue damage. As we learned back in chapter 2, the energy of a strike can be spent on structural damage to the surrounding tissue, and the momentum of a strike determines how much you can move your opponent (or your opponent’s head). Surface area has no effect on momentum, but it is incredibly important when it comes to dispersing energy.”
― Jason Thalken, Fight Like a Physicist: The Incredible Science Behind Martial Arts