Twist

In a full-twist martial arts punch, the punch begins with the fist at the hip with the palm upward. The fist then drives forward, centered in front of the body. As the punch extends, the fist rotates 180 degrees, ending with the palm downward. In the three-quarter-twist punch, the fist also begins at the hip with the palm upward. As the fist drives forward, instead of being centered in front of the body, it is aimed slightly inside the line of the shoulder. As the punch extends, the fist rotates about 135 degrees, ending with the thumb side tilted slightly upward.

Background of the Twist

Some martial art styles use the full-twist punch, some use the three-quarter-twist punch, and in some, the full-twist punch is taught to color belts and the three-quarter-twist punch is taught to black belts. The reason for these differences is because the full-twist punch is more traditional, while the three-quarter-twist punch is more practical.

Some researchers believe the full-twist punch was created to make it safer to train young people. When the martial arts began to gain popularity and more children began training, some instructors tried to tone down the more dangerous techniques, so they used the full-twist punch and reserved the three-quarter-twist punch for the advanced students.