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Martial Artists' Moves Revealed in "Fight Science" Lab
They can crush a stack of concrete slabs with a bare fist, walk
with catlike balance on a bamboo pole, and generate deadly kicks and
punches at lightning-fast speeds.

Real-life martial artists have long defied what many people would
think is humanly possible, and their seemingly superpowered abilities
have inspired generations of movies and television shows.

But where do the true skills end and the special effects begin? Maybe
Hollywood magic doesn't enter the equation as soon as you think.

For the upcoming television special, Fight Science, researchers used
high-tech equipment to put real martial artists to the test. The
feature will air on August 20 on the National Geographic Channel.

(National Geographic News is a division of the National Geographic
Society, which is part owner of the National Geographic Channel.)

The action took place inside a specially designed film studio that is
part laboratory and part dojo, a school for training in the various
arts of self-defense.

Here world champion martial artists from diverse disciplines were
pitted against a customized crash-test dummy outfitted with impact
sensors.

The sensors—along with infrared, high-speed, and high-definition
motion-capture cameras—allowed scientists to measure and map the
speed, force, range, and impact of the fighter's techniques.

The result is an unprecedented look at how martial artists generate
the power and speed behind each move.

Inside the Dojo

Randy Kelly, vice president of sales and business development for
Robert A. Denton, Inc., knows a thing or two about crash-test dummies.

His company is one of the world's largest suppliers of sophisticated
force-measurement devices for vehicle safety tests.