Acting States of Force

Principle of Transmissibility of Force

Forces of equal magnitude and direction applied along a straight line will produce the same effect, no matter where they are applied along the line. If an opponent pushes you in a certain direction, you should pull or push him or her in the same direction. The force you apply will have the same effect whether it is applied as pull to the opponent's hand or as a push to the opponent's elbow, as long as it is applied along the line of the push and in the same direction as the push. When executing a punch, forces from different parts of the body are applied along a straight line through the fist to the target, e.g. the forces of the dropping mass of the body and the arm muscles are applied along the punching arm.

Summation of Forces

Many muscle groups are involved in the execution of a Taekwondo technique. If all the involved muscle groups contract at the same instant, the final force would be limited by the weakest muscle group. However, if each muscle group contracts sequentially, their forces are added sequentially to produce the strongest final force. The strongest muscle group should contract first and the other groups should contract sequentially down to the weakest group. Each succeeding muscle group should contract at the moment of greatest velocity resulting from the preceding contraction. This coordination of muscle contractions is accomplished by repetitiously performing a technique during years of training.

Composition of Forces

This is the combining of forces to create a greater force. You may not be able to pull a much larger opponent down or resist his or her push, but, if instead of pushing back against a pushing opponent, you pull, then your pulling force will combine with the opponent's pushing force and result in a combined force you may use to pull the opponent down.