Form, Power, and The "Snap"

Whether you are training to spar, to compete in forms, or for self-defense, part of mastering a technique is to generate power using good form. And the snap is a crucial.

But what is the snap? At it's most basic, it is a whip action, a very quick motion to finish a technique that creates the same kind of crack that a whip would. In many martial arts demonstration videos, you can hear the sound of the snap (real or added) at the moment of impact of a punch, kick or block.

First, let's say that the snap is on the level of a more advanced technique - something you should shoot for, but may not be successful at until you become more advanced. Part of the reason that the Tae Kwon Do belt structure rotates through learning, and then repeating different kicks, blocks, stances, and hand techniques is that your learning goes in phases:
- Learning the basic move (often your form will not be great)
- Mastering the basic move
- Learning a more advanced style
- Mastering the advanced style
- Refining your control, timing, form and power

Since you need flexibility and strength to complete any technique, in the beginning, the focus is not on form as much as trying to build up your ability to complete the technique. Later, when you have more strength, flexibility, and awareness of what the technique is about, you can refine your form.

The "snap" is critical refinement which affects your power, your form, and success as a competitor. You will eventually find that every technique can and should be done with a snap. In a forms competition, the sound and look of a technique executed with a snap will score higher; in sparring, the snap may make the difference between scoring a point or not, because the "snapped" kick will make a louder sound on your opponent.

In practice, a snapped kick will deliver more speed and power, and set you up better for your next technique in many cases.

How do I snap? The snap is different for each technique - for punches and blocks, the snap involves a twist of the wrist and hand at the end of the technique. For kicks, like the front kick and roundhouse kick, the snap is created by what happens after impact, i.e, your lower leg quickly retracting back to its position before impact.