Fight Like a Physicist : The Incredible Science Behind Martial Arts

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 clichés

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.