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This punch is largely and extension of the Lunge Stance in that a quick straight punch is delivered from the rear hand, complete with a 1/4 turn of torque.

Starting from the neutral bow, the forward foot pivots from a 45° to a 90° (with the toes pointed at 12:00) while at the same time the trailing foot pivots in the same way, with the heel of the foot rising upward creating a near 90° to the floor as the knee of that trailing leg bends to accomodate the position. The weight stays evenly distributed over the balls of the feet throughout the entire maneuver. When striking with the rear hand, the lead hand should come up to a check position at approximately the same level as the shoulder as the torso turns naturally with the stance change allowing your shoulders to square with your target. There is a combination of torque from both the turning of the torso as well as the 1/4 turn of torque in the arm as the fist turns from a ready position to the strike. The retraction of the fist should be immediate, hence the name "straight snap".

• This is one of the more commonly used strikes in the I.K.C.A. Kenpo system.
• Sifu demonstrated how the rising of the heel actually increases the forward reach of the hand strike by the length of the person’s foot, emphasizing the importance that the position of the rear foot to be as close to vertical as possible.
• When practicing this maneuver several times, the stance has a tendency to widen because the rear pivot foot wants to slide backwards when you return to the neutral bow position. Sifu states that we should be mindful of this and simply make corrections as necessary when it occurs.
• One of the sayings I have heard repeatedly about strikes is that they "should come back as fast or faster than they went out". Of course, this is true with the lunge punch as well.