Expert: Alan Kahn - 3/3/2004

Question
hi allan could you please tell me how to increase my punching power when in the ring because am not a really big hitter an its sumthing i think i need to further my career in  the amatuer boxing game.  manythanks                                                        yours in sport  paul duggan  

Answer
Hi Paul.

Punching Power can be increased in several ways. First, by punching faster. Power is directly related to speed, distance and mass. Not to get technical but Physics, like the second law of motion, will explain the concept better.

there are some great articles about this online, some from Karate. here are a few:

" force equals mass multiplied by acceleration squared or force equals mass times acceleration squared. In other words, to increase your force, you must increase your mass or acceleration. To increase the mass behind an attack, one must relax. Relaxing the muscles has the same effect as increasing mass.

See whole article at: http://www.wckfc.com/article/speed/speed.htm
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"The faster the mass of the body is moving when the technique is focused, the more power that will be generated by that technique."

Three of the most common examples of linear motion are the jab, front leg side kick and stepping punch.

The Jab

The jab is the simplest example of linear motion applied to punching. In its most basic form, the rear leg pushes the hips and body toward the target, while the front knee and ankle bend in the direction of the target. The edge of the body supporting the punch is pushed toward the target. The forward hand snaps straight to the target with the body weight. The rear leg provides the force, with the front knee and foot pointing at the target.

JAB for Power

...To cover more distance, the front foot moves toward the target. To cover even more distance the front foot and then the rear foot move forward. The most common error is for the body weight not to be moving when impact is made, or for the body to be moving, but not toward the target."

See whole article "THE MECHANICS OF POWER" at:

http://www3.baylor.edu/BUKarate/articles/mechanics.html
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Another article can be found here:

http://www.rossboxing.com/thegym/thegym20.htm

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so work on getting your weight into your punches faster. Start the punch from your feet. If you can not move a further distance, make the punching action travel a further distance up and out of your body. But remember that we very seldom punch ONCE with full power. Most people do combinations, and you probably want the power to steadily increase as the combination unfolds.

Second, to increase power, Getting stronger in the main punching muscles would help. A stronger muscle can create and release more energy.  Third, is learning to relax. I really believe you will punch faster if you relax and only use the necessary muscles. don't tense your whole body when you punch. When a whip cracks, the tip breaks the sound barrier, creating the "pop" sound. Only the tip is going that fast, the rest of the whip is relaxed. On the other hand, the end of a stick will never break the sound barrier, because it is to stiff.

So, I would say the best way to increase punching power is to punch faster. We are probably talking minute increases of your movement, but it all adds up in the ring. I hope this helps you out, Paul and good luck in your training efforts. Thanks for the question and please do not hesitate to ask again if you feel I can help.

sincerely,

Alan Kahn
author, The Speed Bag Bible