I'm not actually a boxer, (more of a martial arts practitioner) but since boxing specializes in punching and I saw another old post here on how to improve your power, figured I'd post here. There are a few methods I wanted to ask about that I've thought of. I first thought maybe lifting weights would help, but I've gotten some feedback that it isn't really the best way to go, since punching is a snapping motion and weight lifting is pushing. We have a punching bag downstairs and I was thinking of two different methods. 1. Simply throw lots of punches consistently. Say you did with each arm 1000 jabs a day in a session, or 2. Again throw 1000 fast jabs, just this time with a small dumb- bell/ weight as well. Does anyone know what muscle it is that actually extended your arm outward, that would seem to what you'd need to work on, of course punching with it would exercise it, that's what I want to focus on right now. Can you hurt your arm/yourself using a device designed to measure your punching power? I was told Mike Tyson was never allowed to take a test to see what his psi was, I'm guessing this was the reason.
Alright, I'm one of those that ignore the "don't feed the ___" signs the Park Rangers put up for good reasons... You need to spend about a week searching the archives here...specifically go back a couple of years 'cause I remember some really good threads going on at the time regarding the physics of effective punches. And for god's sake, whatever you do, don't say you're 'self-taught' as there is a rather nasty cannibal in this neck of the woods that's developed a taste for selfers,,.,. BTW, consider giving it back.
In sport the way you get better at doing something is by doing that thing. To get better at punching a resisting object (like a human body) you have to practice against a resisting object (like a pad or a bag). That way you will develop strength and coordination in the muscles as they are meant to be used.
That only works under correct instruction. You don't develop strength by repeatedly punching the bag.
I was assuming that was a given. If you look at high level sports people of coarse they spend time in the gym to maintain a base level of strength and fitness. However basic gym work has diminishing returns, once you get to a certain level the way you progress in strength and fitness is by practicing your sport. There is a good documentary about the Bengals training camp. In the first episode one of the players says something like, "now's the time I see what shape I'm in, I've been in the gym, but there's gym fit and training fit"
You don't need weight to hit hard. I know people who weigh a good 10-15kg lighter than me who can hit me just as hard as I can hit them. I'm not going to say that weight cannot play a part, there's a reason why there are weight divisions, but extra weight and muscle does not equate into extra power without the technique, speed, and a good understanding of the basic fundamentals to back it up.
If you want to learn to hit harder find a boxing coach and get him to teach you. You can tell him your not interested in boxing but just want to improve your punching power. I trained submission grappling at an MMA gym and spent time with one of the boxing coaches learning how to punch correctly. It helped my power a lot. My boxing still sucks but at least I can hit hard.
You need to be throwing punches correctly for max power. Are you turning your hips into your punches consistently? Do you know to pivot off the opposite foot when throw a hook? You need to talk to a fighter or coach who can teach you all that.
You make it sound as if he is going to lose his speed or skill if he puts on weight. He won't. If you hit just as well as those people that are lighter than you you would hit harder than them. It is simple physics. Mass x Acceleration = Force.
I don't see how anything I stated makes it sound like this at all. Not one part of my post references this at all, not one bit. You seem to think I don't understand that weight plays a part in how hard a hit can be? I make this quite clear in the second paragraph when referencing weight divisions. Hell, the first few words alone make this abundantly clear! What I am making clear is that technique, speed, and basic fundamentals are far more important, and putting on weight is not necessary, to develop strong punching power.
You are down playing how much weight factors into how hard a person can hit. I made a simple and factual statement that if he puts weight he will hit harder. That doesn't take away any importance from technical skills, speed or any other attribute. However when you make statements like the following it does make me question if you really understand how force works. "but extra weight and muscle does not equate into extra power without the technique, speed, and a good understanding of the basic fundamentals to back it up." Extra weight and muscle DO equate to more force. As I said before Mass x Acceleration = force. If the only thing he were to increase was his muscle mass/weight and all other factors stayed the same he would hit harder. I don't see how it is possible to add weight and not hit harder if all your other attributes stay the same.
What? :bang: What I am saying is that learning how to use the weight you already have (as well as developing the correct muscles properly, which comes in time) is far more important, and beneficial, to developing punching power than just putting on more weight to make a sloppy punch hurt more. For some people putting on extra weight isn't even an option.
Where did I say anything about throwing sloppy punches? What I'm saying is that adding weight will add power regardless of how skilled your punches are. Someone who weighs 280lbs and has good punch will hit harder than someone who is equally skilled but only weighs 105 lbs. All things being equal the person who weighs more hits harder. You are saying that mass isn't that important and that it's effect on how hard you can hit depends on largely on skill rather than having a direct effect on punching power. Unless you can explain how someone can add mass and not hit harder without losing any other attribute, I'll have to disagree with you. Simply put as I originally said, if he puts on weight he'll hit harder.
Well. you pretty much just did... Though I never said you said that in the first place. It was in reference to the same concept though. Mass isn't important, even more so when you compete and weight has to be fairly equal. Where is mass important then? Both fighters are then on pretty equal footing and cannot rely on a weight advantage. It is a factor in how hard a strike can land, that isn't even being denied or disputed so I don't know why you are trying to argue otherwise, but it is not an important part in developing a powerful punch. Development of a powerful punch relies on using the proper techniques, basic fundamentals (like footwork and should/ hip movement), speed, and proper muscle development, and perfecting them. That is much more important, and to be quite honest I don't see why that would ever be disputed. Adding or losing weight should really be focused on after (unless you plan to fight in a specific weight class) as you'll likely naturally develop a little extra weight anyway as your muscles develop (unless one was to start out as a hulking fat slob and needed to lose weight). It is not a requirement in any form whatsoever to develop a powerful punch, because adding extra weight won't magically make a punch a better one. Buakaw is a good example (though more for kicks than punches). Look at the strength of his kicking, then take into account he is just around 70kg (that's a good 15kg lighter than me). Could his kicks hurt more if he was heavier? Sure. Does he need to put extra weight on to have strong and powerful kicks that devastate his opponents? Absolutely not.
"because adding extra weight won't magically make a punch a better one." It isn't magic. It is science. And I never said that adding weight will make the punch better at least not from a technical stand point. It makes punch more forceful because well I've posted the equation several times already. "Mass isn't important, even more so when you compete and weight has to be fairly equal. Where is mass important then? Both fighters are then on pretty equal footing and cannot rely on a weight advantage." It can't be both not important and restricted to be prevented from being used as an advantage. If it really didn't make much of a difference then we wouldn't have weight classes. We also wouldn't have fighters working hard to be at the top cut off of their weight class as opposed to the bottom. "It is a factor in how hard a strike can land, that isn't even being denied or disputed so I don't know why you are trying to argue otherwise, but it is not an important part in developing a powerful punch. Development of a powerful punch relies on using the proper techniques, basic fundamentals (like footwork and should/ hip movement), speed, and proper muscle development, and perfecting them.*" You said that it does not equat more force in a strike. You've stated several times that mass is not important in how hard you can hit. I've shown you that this is mathematically false. " Moreover I only said that if the op adds weight he will hit harder. That is a fact. I never said it was the only way or that it is a requisite for hitting harder. It is just one way and I brought it up because no one else did. I honestly don't know why you are taking such issue with what I posted. And you still haven't answered my inquiry.
It isn't, how you use the mass you have is. However I have never stated once that weight/mass (whatever) isn't a factor in how powerful a hit can be. I have never said that weight doesn't make a difference either. Actually I have gone out of my way to make both of these points abundantly clear multiple times. What I stated is that mass isn't as important to developing a powerful punch as it is to develop the ability to do so. I don't know how many more times I have to repeat myself. Or how many times I need to make these very statements clear to you over and over again. You are arguing an irrelevant point because the benefits of weight have already been noted by myself in the very first post I made regarding the subject. I don't have any issue whatsoever. I just disagree with the suggestion to gain weight to develop a powerful punch. Gaining weight should never be a requirement to develop strong striking skill. It's a benefit on top of your ability and with that there is a difference.
"It isn't, how you use the mass is." And if he adds 15 lbs of muscle he forget how to punch, right? "You are arguing an irrelevant point" No the only point I've argued is that if he adds weight then he will hit harder. I am sorry but as I've shown you that this isn't just my opinion, it is a mathematical fact. You are the bringing up other irrelevant points. Yes improving techniques/speed/timing will improve his punching power. However that has absolutely no baring on the FACT that adding mass will also make his punches more forceful. As I said before, it is not a requirement but simply one way to reach a goal and it can be used in conjunction with improving your technique, speed etc and all the things you mentioned. If I had the choice of just having perfect technique or having perfect technique with an extra 30 lbs of muscle, I would always pick the later choice.
Ahhh...the married life. But there's a fellow a good 20 stone who came in to the Academy a while back; they bent the rules - always put him with me (76 kg) 'cause next to my pillows, he had the weakest punches. After going through conditioning he began to peel off the fat and the weight, of course. THEN, his punches began to acquire some power. The excessive weight had been inhibiting proper body mechanics.
