Fight Like a Physicist: The Incredible Science Behind Martial Arts

Jason Thalken
$24.65 $29.00

An in-depth look into the physics behind martial arts.

Whether you are an experienced martial artist or a curious enthusiast, this book gives you an "unfair advantage" by unraveling the complex science of effective fighting techniques and examining the core principles that make them work. Did you know?



  • Momentum is for knocking people over

  • Energy is for breaking bones and causing pain

  • A haymaker travels 3.14159 times farther than a jab

  • You are only an "object" when you are rigid


Fight Like a Physicist blends inquiry, skepticism, and irreverent humor--all while punching holes in myth and mysticism. Highlights include



  • 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

  • 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 up Hollywood action clich?s


Fight Like a Physicist reads like a manifesto on the rational practice of martial arts. It's intelligent, fun, and dangerous--and nothing short of iconoclastic.




Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: YMAA Publication Center
Published: 08/06/2024
ISBN: 9781594394362
Pages: 128