punching power

[powerac]

hi

was wondering what kind of exercises can you do to increase your punching power? iv been training as a boxer for a few years now and been looking for ways to increase the power of my punch. as far as technique goes am fine. just need add some power on top of it. any input would be much appreciated.

powerac

[Emmet]

There's a vid here on http://www.rosstraining.com/articles/hardcore.html

there's one movement where he has the barbell wedged against the wall. I found it helped alot for punching power

[Omar]

If you want power then i suggest squatting and deadlifting. These will develop your leg and core strength tremendously which will increase punch power loads! Rememmber the faster you can hit something the more power you will generate, so focus on punching faster rather than harder!

..and always make sure you get a full rotation of the hips to maximize the power in your punch.

[Justin Hurley]

Power comes from your legs.

If your on your toes, with little contact on the floor, power comes from arms and shoulders only. Big hitters will plant their feet flat as they punch, using the floor for leverage to get more body weight behind the punch. Also be committed to a punch if your afraid to get hit, you don't committ properly and lose power. Go into a fight knowing you got to take punches.

Like Omar says, punching power comes from speed. Velocity is more important than mass. Velocity is distance over time. So the faster you throw a punch over a shorter distance the more powerful it will be.

Get in close and throw a fast punch with a good solid footing.
I remember Prince Naseem, big legs, wide stance with a solid footing, only a light fella but he was a knockout specialist.

[Doc D]

There's a vid here on http://www.rosstraining.com/articles/hardcore.html


Some of the stuff there impressed me immensely - especially the manual leg curls with a weighted vest and only a slight assist to begin the concentric and full-range roll-outs wearing a vest. Tough little fella.

[Sam1]

Hi Guys

I have been doing the following circuit myself and with some of our fighters and it's making a great difference to there punch power.

Kettlebell Snatch 20 Secs
Sledge Hammer 20 Secs
FCT x5 each side
Weighted Throws x 5 each side
Horizontal wood chops (With Axe) 20 secs

Complete once and repeat twice more after 1 minute rest!

Remember less than 20% of your power is generated from your shoulders and chest, its all legs, glutes, hips and core!

Cheers

Sam

www.kettlebelltrainer.co.uk

[KevM]

If you like a westside inspired routine:

http://defrancostraining.com/ask_joe/archives/ask_joe_03-09-05.htm#question02

[CarpeDiem]

hone your technique and hit the heavy bag.

[Sam1]

Hi

I would advise:

Snatches
Cleans
Kettlebells
Squats
Deadlifts
Mil Press
Bench Press
Pullups
Plyos

& Strongman stuff such as

Sledgehammer
Axe Wood Chop
Weighted Throws

Also see above for the circuit I reccomended. Remember only 20% of your punch power comes from your shoulders and arms! So hammer the Legs and core!

Cheers

Sam

www.kettlebelltrainer.co.uk

[Stuart C]

Earnie Shavers recommended hitting a truck tyre with a sledgehammer.

And who's gonna argue with him ?

[Sam1]

Earnie Shavers recommended hitting a truck tyre with a sledgehammer.

And who's gonna argue with him ?

Shavers also chopped wood with an axe and threw hay bails as he trained on a farm.

He only weighed 218 and was the biggest puncher of all time!

Cheers

Sam

www.kettlebelltrainer.co.uk

[ballyhacket bull]

train for speed and the power will come think of your hand as a 2pound hammer and the differance between it hitting the target at 30mph or 100mph witch do you think would be more efective.

[LiamGTR]

I tried some of his methods with dumbells and barbell today, didn't fin it too bad actually

[bufftechnician]

Landmines.

[TAT 70]

Try gripping the canvas with your toes through your trainers
as yoy throw the punch.
If u can imagine this then it`s a tip from Enzo Mc &
he can hit a bit :)

[MattGriff]

Most of it is covered above, speed is far more important a factor than brute force, aim through the target and the power should come from your feet upwards as the other guys mentioned.

I remember watching a Nas upper finish a fight, it was reminiscent of a Tyson left hook, you often don’t see the feet or focus on them as much, but when they connected, it was so fast and generating so much explosiveness over the distance their feet actually both came of the ground.

Just remember when you fight though, don’t try to K.O someone with one punch, if it comes great it’s a brilliant feeling, but if it doesn’t and you were expecting it, it can be disheartening. Don’t expect a KO rather work on fast punches and keep setting him up with your left, get the heavy rights and hooks in when you can, think of them as a bonus.

[punchy]

ur aim is just as important as anything. hitting the chin in the right area is just as important as the speed of the punch. lots of practise punching the heaviest bag u can find helps alot. turning the foot, exploding from the hips and tucking ur chin under ur shoulder is a must when throwing all ur shots.

[Matt M]

ur aim is just as important as anything.

Too right, I've seen guys hit people 20 times, and hard, but never connect with the jaw, and they are still standing.

One of the main reason for my success over the years has been a very hard and accurate right cross, one punch and it's over.

Now I am talking about normal fighting not boxing, but if your looking to end it fast then you have to be on target.

[Boar]

great thread !! reminds me of when i went boxing and i wished id been better.

although I could probably still give matt a run for his money....... if i could get my invisibility cloak working , and my gun.

[MattGriff]

Too right, I've seen guys hit people 20 times, and hard, but never connect with the jaw, and they are still standing.

One of the main reason for my success over the years has been a very hard and accurate right cross, one punch and it's over.

Now I am talking about normal fighting not boxing, but if your looking to end it fast then you have to be on target.


Guys on the street etc are a little different from trained fighters who as said above will likely have their chin tucked in the top of their chest.

The fable of the jaw and the best place to punch is always stated, there is indeed a sweetspot, right on the mouth, under this there is a nerve that if compressed correctly will shut down the brain temporarily, however to KO someone with one punch to the Jaw, is the exception rather than the rule. The Jaw bone itself is one of the three hardest bones in the body, along with the forehead and sternum. Statistically it is more likely to KO someone with a blow to the side of the head than to the Jaw. (also statistically speaking every person in the country male and female has at least one testicle)

Twenty hard punches to the head will puff up and often break the bones around the eyes, and seriously fuck up the equilibrium of the brain, your balance centre is easily effected through the eyes and the ears, forget the sweet spot on the jaw being a big target, if you are in a ring against a trained fighter that is trying to do the same to you and isn’t some guy sticking his chest out in a effort to be macho it is very very hard to pick it out. You see a target, you hit it as fast as possible. Not withstanding that if a fighter did take 20 straight punches with force in the scoring zone without returning anything the ref should have stopped the fight.

This brings me onto the best punch in anyone’s arsenal: a decent jab. How did Lewis beat Tua the Samoan club hammer swinger, he kept that club hammer away with an effective left hand. The Jab scores the points, the jab sets up the heavy punches and the jab can nicely close someone’s eye. It is very difficult to throw the ‘one punch and it’s over’ blow when each time you move your hands slightly a fist is in your face, even if not landing heavily etc, you still cannot see what you want to hit, thus your howitzer cannon all of a sudden is firing 20 degrees off and blowing up sod all that’s important, just wasting ammo.

It is a common mistake for newer fighters to go out for the KO, it does feel great when it happens, I know, I have a few on record myself, but you can’t go looking for it. What do you do when you do happen to meet the proverbial Iron Jaw, or the guy on the street who isn’t going to be KO’d with one punch. They are always out there and there is always someone bigger and harder (unless your first name is Lennox). Stick with speed, both hand and foot, it is the most annoying and difficult thing to fight, and the most effective way to score points, which after all, wins the match more often than not. I am a convert to speed, I was known as a heavy hitter with a hard head, (now more of a heavy shitter who doesn’t want to be punched anymore lol), I won a few fights, I lost a few in this way, I did KO a few people, but each and every time I lost it was to a quicker guy with a better left hand, que training and a bit of learning, if you can’t beat em, join em, after this my record improved (I had 7 losses in total, 5 of which were in my first 10 bouts). I fought in the ABA’s once, and the guy who beat me (to be fair annihilated me) was with super quick punches, I did not know where they were coming from, each time I tried to move, back up, hug etc there was another punch, nothing that hurt me, but it prevented me from effectively fighting back.

I stick to my guns, when it comes to ringcraft, speed over power any day, speed can lead to power, but the other way round is an uphill struggle.

[Matt M]

Very nice post, but I disagree strongly about hitting the jaw, I have had many, many KO's hitting the jaw just to the side of the chin, about midway down the jaw bone.

[punchy]

id argue that many places on the jaw are open for kos. i regularly drop people at work with a hook, near the ear on the upper jaw. when i faught in ring i always aimed for around the throat area, if u miss the throat u still hit the jaw. so its a plus plus. disagree about the jab tho, its not too good for street or mma. solid right cross and hooks are far better.

[MattGriff]

id argue that many places on the jaw are open for kos. i regularly drop people at work with a hook, near the ear on the upper jaw. when i faught in ring i always aimed for around the throat area, if u miss the throat u still hit the jaw. so its a plus plus. disagree about the jab tho, its not too good for street or mma. solid right cross and hooks are far better.

I did mean the jab in relation to boxing, didn't word it very well. I agree that with MMA and on the street it is a different ball game.

its not the jaw that is the spot then, its the ear, as I said it fucks up peoples balance etc, and when this happens so can blackouts or falling like a TKO.

My absoloute fav area fo a KO though is not a true KO I suppose, has to be to the body! The most satisfying KO's (TKO's in the ring) are from body shots, hearing the wind blast out of him as he gasps for air and just crumples under the punch. Ahh memories lol (I would last about a min in a ring now, my lack of cardio would surley tell)

[punchy]

i agree when ur controlled and focused body shots are really satisfying, but when angry, got fear, things like that in ur head and ur banging away a good ko is thrilling to finish with.

[reggie123]

I'm new here but have some knowledge in this area. To be honest most of the heaviest hitters I've ever seen steered well clear of a lot of weight training - probably more boxing snobbery than anything else but there you go. Modern fighters like Sugar Shane Mosely actively use powerlifting and believe it increases explosiveness and gives them more power due to faster punches. The one tip I would give is to put all the equipment away and stand in front of a mirror. Shadow-boxing is the number 1 most under-rated exercise of all time. Not only will it help you with speed and fluidity, but by watching your (whole) body and how each part moves you can greatly increase punching power before testing it on the heavy bag.

Make sure you have a good stance. You should be solid on your feet and perfectly on balance. Keep on the balls of your feet for the most part. Take each punch separately and imagine your feet are nailed to the floor. Let them pivot while you punch. This is very hard to explain here but watch the greats - Sugar Ray Robinson (a beautiful boxer who could drop down flat footed and knock you out with either hand), Sugar Ray Leonard etc. These guys will show you exactly what each punch should be like. One thing they have in common which the other guys have mentioned here - it ALL comes up through the legs. Also, doing this in front of a mirror shows you when you are leaving areas exposed e.g. you've thrown that right cross but is your shoulder guarding your chin as it should ?

To increase power you want your torso or core to be strong and fit so twisting exercises can help with this. It's essential to maintain flexibility here. Like the others said - speed is the key. Have a look here at a video which illustrates this:

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While maybe not a perfect form punch, this shows clearly that a lighter object moving fast is way better than a heavy object moving slow in body mechanics at least.

One tip I got from an old pro was how to use the 'falling step'. This is basically what it says - as you move forward you 'fall' onto your leading foot and launch your punch at the same time. Basically just a way to explain the body mechanics of shifting your weight but done correcly you will see a terrific increase in power. Some famous boxing trainer (I forget who) said in that when punching you should visualise 'snapping' out to touch a flame and then pulling back like you got burnt.

Again I agree with the guy above about the jab - a good enough jab will beat any fighter when used correctly because even if they can hit like Tua they will never get set to throw those bombs. This is the first punch you should perfect. It's far from the wimpy punch that people seem to think - in his heyday Sonny Liston could knock opponents out with just his left jab. I have witnessed it being used sometimes in the street, but as punchy says the best punches for this situation is the hardest and fastest. Hit first and hit hard.

I would also disagree with the jaw not being good for KOs. I've witnessed many guys in the gym and in the street being sent to Sleepy land with one hit to the point of the chin. Cus D'Amato taught Tyson to target points like the temple, edge of jaw just below ear and point of chin and you can't argue with that really.

Just my opinion but hope this helps in some way.

[Matt M]

Welcome to the site Reggie, nice post, :)

[punchy]

disagree with the shadow boxing, i believe skipping and shadow boxing are over used. i always did more sparring and pad work also 1to1 work in muaythai and mma are very important. shadow boxing doesnt do much for u when someone is banging ur head!