A Lesson on Strength and Power from Bruce Lee

FROM BRUCE LEE'S BOOK, "The Tao of Jeet Kune Do" (Page 45-46). Bruce's explanation about Power.

                                                                                    POWER

 To be accurate, the striking or throwing skills should be executed from a body base that possesses enough strength to maintain adequate balance during the action.

To appropriately incorporate momentum with mechanical advantage, neural impulses are sent to the working muscle to bring a sufficient number of fibers into action at precisely the right time, while impulses to the antagonistic muscles are reduced to lessen the resistance - all acting to improve efficiency and to make the best use of available power.

When approaching an unfamiliar task, the athlete tends to overmobilize his muscular forces, exerting more effort than required. This is a lack of "knowledge" by the reflective neuromuscular coordinating system.

A powerful athlete is not a strong athlete, but one who 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.

The athlete who is building muscles through weight training should be  very sure to work adequately on speed and flexibility at the same time. Combined with adequate speed, flexibility and endurance, high levels of strength lead to excellence in most sports. 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.