Knock out or signature moves

In fighting games there are unique signature moves assigned to each character. These moves aren't likely to be used often as they require more energy or the opponent has left an opening giving the opportunity for these moves to hit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJc6Ns57c6w – heavy hay-maker (7-14 seconds)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sS2mWXNs88 – flying knee (13 – 30 seconds)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHI4jhoHQh8 – superman punch (10-15 seconds)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj3xL9zoY1M – spinning hook kick ( 7 – 11)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKeGWKi4m7w shows 10 special moves in video game

I will be doing two of these signature type moves. The two that I have picked is the Superman punch and the flying knee. I tried attempting these moves but found them difficult to pull off so I used reference footage online following a tutorial on how to perform these knockouts.

Superman Punch

FightTips with Shane Fazen -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrxEe0Hxtyc  – superman punch

Following the steps form the tutorial on how to perform the superman punch. I froze the video footage for moments I thought were key positions in this move. by doing this I was able to move the rig into positions and shape according to the reference footage while adjusting the time line so that the animation ran smoothly.

Here are the key frames I took from the footage that I thought needed to perform the knockout.

Fight stance

  

 Preparation before the punch

lift off

Punch

Land

Back to stance

To perform the superman punch it comes across as a jump but in fact it’s more of a push because you’re pushing your body into the opponent. And the force is generated from the push of the ground and also the thrust of the opposite foot to give it power.

Comparing my animation to the video referencing I find them very similar in the way they move which has made this a successful animation. There were some issues with popping joints but using the graph editor and changing the tangents levels I was able to create shaper and fluid movements to help me achieve this knockout punch.

The end result animation of my superman punch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-e0nFhFex0&feature=youtu.be

Flying knee

Carlos Condit's Flying Knee - MMA Surge, Episode 42 video reference

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvHgpUB0DYY  - flying knee

Using this video footage I was able to create the flying knee. I tried to get self-footage but was unsuccessful as I couldn’t pull of this move correctly. So how is the flying knee performed?  

From your left fighting stance you throw your right foot forward bringing the right knee up. Once the knee reaches the highest point you jump bringing your left knee up and drive it forward towards the opponent.

Breakdown of important key frames to perform the flying knee

Pose 1

 Pose 2

Pose 3

Pose 4

Poise 5

 Pose 6

Pose 7

Pose 8

With constantly looking at the reference video stopping and at key moments to try and capture the form of the body while he performs the flying knee was difficult but it turned out really well. Here are the finished videos of the flying knee showing one from the side and one from the front.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ez2IMUIsOA  - flying knee front view

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zBdRZDQxGc - flying knee side view

the most difficult part with working out this movement was to establish where the models hands were going once the model was in the air I kept them balanced but natural as possible. using the graph editor i was able to fix some of the popping from the joints which also made the animation run smoother. One of thing I am not sure of was the landing in the flying knee but overall it appears to look like the reference footage which is what I wanted to achieve.