Fight Like a Physicist: The Incredible Science Behind Martial Arts

by Jason Thalken

Fight Like a Physicist provides an in-depth, sometimes whimsical look into the physics behind martial arts for sport and self-defense. Whether you are an experienced martial artist or a curious enthusiast, this book can give you an "unfair advantage" by unraveling the complex science of effective fighting techniques and examining the core principles that make them work.

In addition to breaking down the principles behind the punches, Dr. Thalken, a computational physicist with a long history of martial arts across various styles, applies the mind-set of a physicist to a number of controversial topics in the martial arts:
-Making physics your "unfair advantage," in the ring and on the street
-Examining center of mass, pi, levers, wedges, angular momentum, and linear momentum for martial artists
-Protecting the brains of fighters and football players from concussions
-Reducing traumatic brain injury in contact sports
-Exposing the illusion of safety provided by gloves and helmets
-Overturning conventional wisdom on compliance during an assault
-Busting Hollywood action myths
-Giving the mystical side of martial arts a much-needed reality check

Dr. Thalken invites readers to take a scientific approach to training and fighting, and provides all the tools necessary to get the most out of their experiences and make their training count.

Genres: Martial Arts, Nonfiction, Science, Sports, Physics, Amazon

128 pages, Paperback

First published September 7, 2015

About the author

Jason Thalken has a PhD in computational condensed matter physics from the University of Southern California, and bachelor’s degrees in physics, mathematics, and philosophy from the University of Texas. He is the inventor on eight patent applications for data science and modeling in the financial services industry, and one patent application for protecting the brain from trauma in such sports as boxing, MMA, and football. Jason has studied and competed in numerous martial arts styles since 1995 and has a black belt in hapkido under Grand Master Ho Jin Song. Jason Thalken resides in Austin, Texas.

Reviews

[Colin Darby · Rating 2 out of 5]

I went into this book hoping to like it.

I was, instead, deeply frustrated by it on a number of levels.

First, about me, and why I found it disappointing. I have a master's degree in engineering and have been a licensed engineer for five years - meaning I've been practicing engineering even longer than that. As engineers go, I consider myself to have a very poor background in mechanics. I am also a deployment veteran, have also been practicing sword and shield fighting for three years, off-and-on rifle marksmanship for twenty, and way back in the day I had about five years' worth of martial arts at ten hours a week. I am therefore familiar - but not an expert - with both fighting and the physics of material behavior, also known as mechanics.

This book disappointed me because it failed to go into any depth on either field, and some of the things that it said in physics terms - like the importance of momentum while neglecting force, because "momentum is conservative," never mind that force and energy are also conservative - were downright wrong-headed, especially given that not three pages after dismissing force as a consideration, he plots out a force-versus-time plot. Momentum is important, yes, but considering the importance of acceleration in brain injury, it is difficult, at best, to say that force (commonly expressed as mass times acceleration) has no impact, pardon the pun. There was a very brief description of what happens when a punch lands, but it was too brief to be useful; saying "fight like a physicist" and never once developing a free-body diagram to describe the moment of impact and the transfer of kinetic energy from the fist to the face, the dispersing effect of skin and material on the energy transfer, and the result of rigid-on-rigid contact between knuckle and bone, and WHY it hurts both parties... this is a pamphlet and a decent first draft effort for a paper, but it is not a book.

Which brings me to my second reason to dislike it - the author's personal style. For the first half of the book, it is exceptionally informal and almost "cute," as if he's trying to say "now, don't be scared, physics is your friend!" Well, you know, it's fighting, two of the rules of fighting are that everything takes time, and all other being equal, the shortest path is the fastest delivery. It is as if he was attempting to write down a class series, and forgot that spoken and written communication are different; what is acceptable spoken is a stylistic sin written, and vice versa.

There is a third reason why I dislike the book. He talks quite a bit about blocking, but very little about redirection; again, if he had bothered laying out a free-body diagram at some point, he could very easily have discussed why minimal forces can be used to redirect attacks that direct stoppage takes a lot of work to do. Imagine, for instance, a punch or a rapier thrust, which comes along a fairly straight axis but has no resistance whatsoever to a redirection off that axis. All of his discussion of defense assumes a hard block or a static defense, rather than a redirection, which would have been a tremendous opportunity for discussing physics in fighting. The missed opportunities and logical outgrowths are maddening.

Now, on to the good - the discussion of padding, helmets, and the characteristics of protective gear are EXCELLENT. He is clearly a subject matter expert on those subjects, and had quite a bit to say that I had to think through regarding sword work on that regard (I came to the conclusion that a ten-pound helm that's spaced half an inch off my head, for which the common dynamic assumption of roll-no-slip was invalid, was probably sufficient for resisting rotation-induced injuries - but I had to evaluate each of those steps based on his research). I could've done without the professional dismissal of engineers - who, despite Dr. Thalken's dismissal, are not trained to solve specific problems, but to solve problems using physical principles - but his points about conscious development of your fighting technique were excellent.

Summary - it's not worthless, but it could have been so much better that I cannot in good conscience even give it my "yep, I read that book" rating.

[Christy Guthrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very disappointed in this book. Most of the book was spent on comparing different fighting gear, helmets, fist pads etc, and concussions. I expected more on the strategy behind fighting; footwork, body posture, position, etc.

[Chi Chi · Rating 4 out of 5]

My brother wrote a book! I especially enjoyed the chapters about CTE and guns/knives.

[Andie · Rating 4 out of 5]

To quote another reviewer, "Interesting and slightly useful." You don't need to understand math or physics to be able to use the concepts, so don't be intimidated by that. (Also, despite the fancy equations and symbols, most of it boils down to basic arithmetic.)

More than the author's expertise, I appreciate his emphasis on not taking his word for things, testing things for yourself, and the fact that he's not the be-all end-all on the subject. In my experience, "I don't even know anything about this anymore" is the mark of a true expert.

I found the sport safety aspect very interesting. But the most useful info I got out of the book was the parts on momentum vs. energy and their respective uses, and the striking areas of various types of strikes. These are of interest to me because I am a small person and can't rely on sheer size or strength. I have to fight smarter, not harder -- which is why I picked up this book in the first place.

[Lachland Larbey · Rating 2 out of 5]

the book spends more time focusing on art vs science, hollywood acting, cte in american footbal, rather than the actual physics of fighting. While I did like some of it overall there were too many tangents.

[Andreia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to know more, MORE!

[M R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and so helpful in constructing fight scene.

[Chris Esposo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun book that characterizes certain close-quarters (mostly hand-to-hand) combat systems within basic mechanics, and explains using simple concepts like center of mass, momentum, energy, and force, why it is recommended actions within those systems work the way they do (or don’t, or superfluous in some cases). The first big concept that is leveraged from physics the center of mass, and the author shows how identifying the center of mass is key in grappling actions within many combat systems, and how correctly understanding this notion can lead one to easily disable their opponent (by literally sweeping them off their feet, or applying correct force with respect to that center to again do so).

The author follows up this topic with an interesting basic analysis of various punches and jabs, and convincingly shows why the canonical ‘haymaker’ is an unsound punch using the concepts of angular momentum, and a cost-benefit analysis on haymaker vs other more efficient jabs (by efficient more likely to disable your opponent allowing you to extricate yourself from the combat situation). I especially thought this section was very useful. Will have to meditate and think about these as well as see the principles in action in practice to make the knowledge stick. But it definitely *feels* at this point, that they are a good starting point to understanding the elementary principles.

After going through this biomechanical analysis of body forms and moves within a typical combat system, the book proceeds to analyze why certain things like brain-damage can occur during combat (again here angular momentum is the key with respect to the twisting contortions induced a punch) .There’s a lot of material here on the uses of gloves or helmets and other protective gears in both sport combat and street combat, all explained using basic mechanics. The last section covers combat with small-arms weapons, and the impact of projectile wounds on the body, and the basic logic of combat in these situations.

It should be pointed out that this is a “basic” or elementary read on this topic. For those who probably have spent a few months in training for a combat system, this may all be remedial. I think 3 kinds of people will find this book helpful: 1. Those who watch sport-combat (boxing, football, classical wrestling, martial arts, MMA etc.) and want to understand deeper what is going on, why certain combatants may do what they do, and how those choices are founded on our understanding of basic physics 2. Those who may be thinking of self-defense training, but have not yet started (or who are still fresh in their training), and want a book to read (and re-read) to build a “theory of the case” for why they are doing the practice they are doing 3. Those who are intellectually curious in general and want to see notions like physics applied in domains you do not ordinarily think about.

Whichever the audience you may be, I think this book is a great introductory asset. It’s well-written and as easily understandable (not always the case for books that invoke kinematics/mechanics equations even if they are basic ones). I think it’d be great to see a follow up book or an expanded edition. I would find interest in executing some of these examples in a simple physics simulation with a rag-doll library in computing. I will have to re-read this at least one more time, as I’m sure I’ve missed a bunch the first quick read. Great and smooth reading. Recommended.

[Geoffrey Pascoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Overview of How and Why Martial Arts Techniques Work, or Don’t

This is a really good book that covers basic application of physics to martial arts and self-defense techniques. The math is quite easy for anyone with high school algebra. The author also covers protective training equipment and protection against CTE, as well as a little psychology.

I was introduced to this book by a physician friend of mine after I was explaining in class the tradeoff in energy transfer between a high velocity strike where the body mass is mostly not connected to the strike and a lower velocity strike with the body mass connected to it—energy increases linearly with mass, but with the square of the velocity. I’m an engineer and have been practicing martial arts for almost 30 years, most of the last 20 practicing Yin Style Baguazhang. As I was reading I was adding notes somewhat of the form, “Yes, this is exactly what we do in Bagua. For example, technique X...” In fact, I’ve become even more convinced of Bagua’s efficacy compared to other arts and I think the author would be astonished by how much Bagua techniques simultaneously combine many of these principles and I’d love to talk with him.

While I completely agree with his view of some of the pseudoscience aspects of Qi, I would also say that there is something real here—not a “life force” or anything mystical. But, the human body and mind are complex with deeply entangled pathways and feedback loops. My own hypothesis is that the Eastern concept of Qi is, when stripped of the pseudoscience, one or more emergent phenomena involving circulation, breathing, neuromuscular coordination, tension, relaxation, body structure, and the like.

One very minor disagreement I have is concerning the efficacy of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in developing real fighting skills because of the elimination of certain techniques allows full power sparring. While that does have advantages, the disadvantages are far greater. If you practice not to expect or use certain techniques because they’re dangerous, then you are not prepared for a real fight with no rules. Here is where I think the distinction between a fighting art, martial art, and sport is useful. A sport with rules is, by necessity, going to reduce the types of techniques permissible and train you to not expect certain things in a fight. A martial art is similar, but not as constraining, with ritual and tradition. A fighting art is exactly that—training to fight and is most pure in that respect. Many fighting arts evolve, over time, into martial arts, and then into sports. They lose a lot in this process. Today, Yin Style Baguazhang remains a fighting art that is still tested in no-rules challenge matches in mainland China.

Overall, this is a great book that every serious martial arts practitioner, or someone training for self-defense, should read.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been taking boxing and muay Thai lessons for almost a year, and my trainer had mentioned this book to me somewhat early on, because just like many other areas of life, I am over analytical (to my detriment) when it comes to learning new moves. I find it much easier to figure out how to move a certain way and/or deliver a desired effect when I understand the why behind the motion, so I was very excited that a book existed that broke down the way my mind works when it comes to learning combat sports.

Really only the first few chapters of this book had these lessons that I was looking forward to reading. The rest of it was analysis of the effectiveness of helmets in preventing injury, or a really weird chapter about guns that seemed tonally inappropriate for the current political climate. I would have liked more information about how to effectively strike and react in different situations with more illustrations breaking down fight choreography. I did learn a few things about stance and balance from this book, and my trainer noticed a difference in what I was able to do as a result.

[Paul Childs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book that mixes the interests of Martial Arts and Physics. I preferred the first half of the book more as it went into the reasons and importance of some of the things that have been taught to me since I started Martial Arts. Some of them things I kinda understood, like the importance of your center of balance and using your whole body in order to punch harder. Others topics were brand new ways of looking at the differences in kinds of punches from a physics perspective, such as the differences between putting more energy vs mass into a punch.

The second half of the book was also interesting, but it dealt more with the physics behind CTE injuries, how to disarm someone with a knife/gun, and the questionable value of "qi" in martial arts.

It is a pretty short book, so it didn't take long to get through, and it isn't very math heavy, so it is understandable by people with an appreciation of physics even if they don't have a great math background.

[Gabriel Santos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book is ok. I am just rating it with 3 stars because of its second half. It starts very interesting and provide some useful information on hot topics like center of mass, why you should remain relaxed rather than rigid in a fight, and things like that.
It also sheds light on how to use momentum and energy to strike better.
However, I feel like the author kinda digresses on the second half of the book. He kinda becomes long winded and it gets a lil boring sometimes.

In summary, it is a good book and if you are an extensive reader, like me, will definitely extract some good from it. What’s more, I would say that’s a great resource to understand some basic boxe techniques from a physical point of view.

[Dustin Blanton · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author takes on a daunting challenge; the application of physics to the martial arts. Readers who are interested in or practitioners of the martial arts may find some concepts helpful, but the writing style is a bit too informal for the scientists and perhaps a bit too elementary for the martial artists (who will be able to physically intuit many of the complexities the author explains, in the same way a person does not need to be able to calculate a parabolic trajectory to throw a ball through a hoop).

As a result, it's a good popcorn read, but is fairly sparse in terms of ideas that can be put into application.

Recommended for those people who lie in the Venn diagram overlap between reads of popular science books and reads of martial arts books.

[Phil · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was underwhelmed. As someone who practices martial arts, I was expecting more instruction on how to actually leverage (pun completely intended) the physics concepts in the book. The book served as a good introduction to leverage, momentum, and general forces associated with physical contact, but didn't have much of the "how to" information that I was looking for.

The large portion of the book that was dedicated to concussions was interesting. And I learned that shots to the head that cause rotation of the head are more damaging than straight shots. But for me, too much of the book was dedicated to the concussion topic.

[Shawn Mcvay · Rating 5 out of 5]

True to the title

This book advocates something I try to do, which is the reason I chose to read it. While Martial Arts are indeed arts, they are also techniques to make you a better human, if only by improving how you move and resist injury. Any technique should be tested for possible improvements and validity. This book gives a scientific approach to testing from a source who is both physicist and martial artist.

[Jarrod · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an alright book.

Felt that only 1/3 of the book was actually about the topic that I bought it for.
I'm not really sure what I was expecting, but none of the content actually told me anything new. I guess I'm not really an amateur with fighting experience, and have some basic fundamental grasp of physics and the like.

Not saying anything was particularly bad, I just did not find it that insightful

[Anna Exford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for a class and it was actually so interesting. It gave me a lot more insight into the topic of protecting myself than I expected, and lots of tips I plan to share with my loved ones. Sometimes it got random but I think it's because my professor had us read chapters out of order. Overall recommend for anyone who wants to teach themselves some basic martial arts skills to protect themselves, it definitely helps to act things out as you read!

[Andrew Luce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent analysis of fighting from a scientific perspective of measurement. Covers momentum v. energy of striking as well as what causes KOs and microconcussions. The author goes over studies and comes up with a 97-99% chance of survival in an armed assault by straight up running away, and gives stats that it is better to resist in threatening situations.

[Dr. Awkward · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little more basic on the physics than I'd hoped, but there's a lot of great info in here -- and he encourages further investigation, which is always great! Definitely a great primer for any fighter or martial artist.

[Helfren · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title sounds so hyped but don't be fooled about physics and the application of it in the real life. The content are series of related physics and a little bit martial arts. Not going to lie, a little bit disappointed but still a good learning experience.

[Jeremy L. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Doesn't tell you anything you don't already know.
Took a really negative turn at the end on a "qi is fake" tangent.

[Jenna-Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being read by someone who isn't at all scientifically-minded, this wasn't that bad. Coming away from it I can't say if I enjoyed the fighting or the physics more.

[Lacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having no experience in fighting whatsoever, this book helped me to better understand how to break an opponent’s posture and why.

[Muhammedkh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing, I liked the application and adaptation of the laws of physics in combat and how to benefit from them efficiently. It requires you to activate the brain and focus.

[richard.bjorklundgmail.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting perspective.

[Jared W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not exactly what I was looking for but not useless either.

[Bernie Gourley · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I saw this book’s title, I imagined a bloodied and battered Poindexter in a bow-tie--a professorial type dying in a puddle of his own bodily fluids as he calculated the Bayesian probability of winning given that initial beating. After all, physics is a highly cerebral activity, and being cerebral in a fight is a certain path to a beat down. However, Thalken makes a good point with his explanation of the title (and the book’s theme.) He’s suggesting that one use tactics and techniques that are supported by evidence and rooted in a sound understanding of the science of combat—as opposed to mindlessly doing whatever your sensei tells you or--worse yet--just muddling through on a combination of instinct and ignorance. In short, be skeptical, but inquiring. It turns out that there is a time for a fighter to be cerebral, but it’s when they are making decisions about how to train.

The book is divided into two parts. The first part explains how classical mechanics can help one to be a better fighter. There are four chapters in this section that deal with center of mass and its crucial role in a fight, the differences between high momentum and high energy strikes and how each is achieved, differences in circular versus linear paths and where the advantage in each lies, and what simple machines (i.e. levers and wedges) can do for a fighter. This section is what one would expect from such a book. Unlike the second section, which deals largely with sport fighters, the advice on offer in the first section is as applicable to those involved in self-defense or other real world combative situations as it is to fighters in the ring.

The second section examines the issue of concussions and brain damage in some detail, including consideration of the degree to which gloves and headgear do—or don’t—make one safer. The reader gains great insight into the mechanics and neuroscience of a knockout. While the majority of the section offers advice for those engaged in combative sports, the last two chapters take a bit of a turn. The first of these two deals with the myths perpetuated by Hollywood—which, let’s face it, is the source of most people’s information on what combat is. Debunking the notion that a person who gets shot is always and everywhere instantly incapacitated is a central theme this chapter. The last chapter deals with the issue of pseudoscience in the martial arts, and the insanity of believing one can defeat an opponent with chi (also qi, or—in Japanese Romanization--ki) or mind power alone. These last two chapters seem like a turn from the main theme of the book, but they do stay under the umbrella of the martial arts through a scientific lens.

While this is a book about science, it’s readable even for an educated non-scientist. All the math is put in boxes that the reader can opt to skip, or to follow, depending upon his or her comfort level with equations. There is no complex jargon, nor any incomprehensible concepts. The physics is largely high school level Newtonian mechanics.

Diehard believers in the supernatural or pseudo-scientific conceptions of the universe should be warned that this isn’t the book for you unless you like your sacred cows flame-broiled. You won’t learn about chi (qi) in this book except to be reminded that it’s a make-believe concept.

I’d recommend this book for those who are interested in how science can be applied to the martial arts or human movement more generally. It’s short, readable, and offers some interesting food for thought.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Martial arts can seem like an illusion.

Take, for instance, the competition I saw at the U.S. Open in 2007 in Orlando. A martial artist, a black belt I presumed to be in his 40s, lifted up a plank full of nails and punctured a bottle of water with it. As the water spread out on the floor, he put the plank down and stepped on it. I cringed as I watched the nails all but pierce his feet while he demolished a stack of bricks as tall as a child.

Neither act - standing on nails or breaking bricks - is as strenuous as it seems, says Dr. Jason Thalken, author of his first book, Fight Like A Physicist.

Regarding the bed of nails, he says that “any person is capable of performing this trick right now with no training.” He explains how surface area distribution prevents the nails from piercing the skin. Turning to the bricks, he says it wouldn’t work if the bricks were spaced incorrectly. He details how bricks are broken due to how they are bent.

This is just one example of how Thalken breaks through martial arts mysticism.

The meat of the book, in my view, lies in the middle. Thalken discusses the issue of how brain damage occurs from sparring and MMA fights, and even suggests that, in some cases, the more protection we think we have from head injuries (through the use of face cages, for example), the more we may actually be at risk for them.

Just because Thalken is a new author doesn’t mean he lacks knowledge. The Ph.D., holder of three bachelor’s degrees, and holder of eight patents has filed a patent for a new type of headgear to protect against brain injuries in the hopes of preventing chronic traumatic encephelopathy (CTE), also known as “punch drunk syndrome,” in martial artists and fighters. CTE is caused by repeated blows to the head, and autopsies of athletes in boxing, football, and pro wrestling have revealed evidence of CTE.

The only other book I’m aware of that discusses science at this much depth in a martial arts book comes from The Secrets of Judo, but that book doesn’t address head injuries because that’s not the purpose of judo. Activities like boxing, sparring, and MMA all include the head as a target, and even a prime target.

Despite his expertise, Thalken says “you don’t need to be an expert if you can fight like a physicist.”

[Peter Huston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting, well-written book. The author uses interesting analogies and explains complicated ideas very well. My advice to prospective readers, however, is to read the index and chapter headings carefully before purchase to decide if the book is for you. The book is divided into a couple broad sections. The first part is on the physics of different blows and martial arts techniques. The second, in my opinion, could itself be further divided into two different sections. The first half of part two was on the physics and effectiveness or lack thereof of saftey gear for sparring such as helmets and boxing gloves. The second half of part two was on science and martial arts. Chapter 8 is entitled "Guns, knives, and the Hollywood Death sentence,." and deals with the reality of violence versus the Hollywood depictions of violence. It, like the rest of the book, is well written and well done. Chapter nine is "Qi and pseudoscience in the martial arts." This is a special interest of mine (I've written on it myself a wee bit and read much on it) and I recommend it highly. (In fact, I recently submitted a flattering review of this book, focusing on Chapter nine, to The Skeptical Inquirer, a magazine that deals with pseudoscience, where I described this chapter as "a gem" and "must-read" material.)

[Sunflower · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book and wasn't sure if I would like it or not. I was astounded as to how great it really is. It's easy to read, so don't be afraid to jump right in. I'm not much of a martial artist, I take some tai chi, but I was really interested in the author's ability to make it plain to understand how physics and martial arts go hand-in-hand. I also liked the diagrams, math boxes and photos. One of the diagrams that intrigued me was how the "force of a punch over time"...really great diagram...and how the applied force continues after the impact. And I also like the explanation of the "haymaker punch." It's not all punches. There is a lot to learn about concussions, helmets and boxing gloves. It's the type of book that you will be glad to have in your library for reference.