Biomechanics is the science that studies and quantifies human motion using the principles of mechanics. Its application to martial arts is not frequent, particularly for Kung Fu movements. The present paper proposes a model to obtain a space-time function for a Kung Fu strike. To validate the model, a high-speed camera at 1000 Hz filmed three strikes from three individuals. The importance of using instantaneous velocities and accelerations on the study of movement is very clear in the present paper, which shows an application of theses concepts to a subject interesting for students in general. The results show that the resultant muscle force is constant during the Kung Fu strike and that different analysis of the same data can produce different results.
biomechanics; force; Kung-Fu; physical analysis
