Anyone who’s tried a full-contact combat sport like Taekwondo knows that wonderful feeling; a strike out of nowhere, and bam! Not only can’t you breath, a hard blow to the solar plexus will drop you like a stiff corpse for a few very long seconds.
Watch the beginning to see what I mean:
Nevermind the wacky stance for now, that guy got floored! Though the kick wasn’t so hard (sidekick? roundhouse? who can tell), it did have two things going for it: timing, and accuracy. Even a light tap can wind you if it hits the solar plexus region, and especially if you happen to be inhaling at the time. All that “kihaping” your instructor insists on? Definitely one of the reasons.
How about this one?
Oh sure, the kid dropped like a pro, but his sissy wailing is a dead giveaway that it didn’t really phase him. Things would have been very different (more amusing at least) if he didn’t tense his abs first.
