Method for driving an apparatus for notching, wherein the apparatus comprises - a frame with a stand and a headpiece; - a plunger coupled to the headpiece and movable along a punching axis oriented along a y axis; and - an electrical direct drive for driving the plunger, wherein the direct drive comprises an electric machine, a drive shaft drivable by the electric machine and carrying an eccentric and a connecting rod coupled to the eccentric and coupleable to the plunger, wherein the drive shaft is rigidly connected to a rotor of the electric machine, and wherein the eccentric is coupled to the connecting rod via a bearing for the connecting rod, and wherein the method comprises the step of: rotating the drive shaft of the direct drive of the apparatus to effect linear motion of the plunger, characterized in that the step of rotating comprises, for realizing a pendular operation of the plunger, a step of rotating forward the drive shaft and a step of rotating backward the drive shaft, wherein when rotating forward and when rotating backward, a punching stroke for punching a notch each is performed, - wherein in the step of rotating forward the drive shaft is rotated about a first portion of a full revolution in a first rotational direction, to move the plunger from a top reversal point via a lowest reversal point back to the top reversal point, and - wherein in the step of rotating backward the drive shaft is rotated about the first portion in a second rotational direction opposite to the first rotational direction to move the plunger from the top reversal point via the lowest reversal point back to the top reversal point; wherein in the step of rotating, following completion of a punching process, the drive shaft is rotated to a predetermined rest position starting from a current position, to move the plunger to a topmost reversal point, which effects an upstroke of the plunger, to enable the workpiece to be supplied or removed. - a frame with a stand and a headpiece; - a plunger coupled to the headpiece and movable along a punching axis oriented along a y axis; and - an electrical direct drive for driving the plunger, wherein the direct drive comprises an electric machine, a drive shaft drivable by the electric machine and carrying an eccentric and a connecting rod coupled to the eccentric and coupleable to the plunger, wherein the drive shaft is rigidly connected to a rotor of the electric machine, and wherein the eccentric is coupled to the connecting rod via a bearing for the connecting rod, and wherein the method comprises the step of: rotating the drive shaft of the direct drive of the apparatus to effect linear motion of the plunger, characterized in that the step of rotating comprises, for realizing a pendular operation of the plunger, a step of rotating forward the drive shaft and a step of rotating backward the drive shaft, wherein when rotating forward and when rotating backward, a punching stroke for punching a notch each is performed, rotating the drive shaft of the direct drive of the apparatus to effect linear motion of the plunger, characterized in that the step of rotating comprises, for realizing a pendular operation of the plunger, a step of rotating forward the drive shaft and a step of rotating backward the drive shaft, wherein when rotating forward and when rotating backward, a punching stroke for punching a notch each is performed, - wherein in the step of rotating forward the drive shaft is rotated about a first portion of a full revolution in a first rotational direction, to move the plunger from a top reversal point via a lowest reversal point back to the top reversal point, and - wherein in the step of rotating backward the drive shaft is rotated about the first portion in a second rotational direction opposite to the first rotational direction to move the plunger from the top reversal point via the lowest reversal point back to the top reversal point;