Expert: Andy Fossett - 10/22/2009

Question
QUESTION: how do you know if your hitting your hardest. I know when you punch you dont just use your arms but your whole body and that you hit like a whip. And is the right a whole lot stronger then your left or does it just have to do with the position your in. Is their any fighting competitions that doesnt require you to use protection like headgear because it bugs me and im not as concentrated. Thats it thank you.

ANSWER: The shot answer is that you can't really know. The thing about a punch that 99% of people neglect to think about when they are discussing technique is that it requires two things: a puncher and a target. The target is literally half of the equation, and you simply cannot estimate the power of a punch unless you factor in the mass, acceleration, and direction of the target.

For example, you can throw the same punch against a target moving toward you or away form you and get totally different results. You can hit the torso or head with the same punch and get different results. Even on the torso, you'll have a totally different power output when hitting center-mass vs. the periphery.

If you want to maximize the power of a punch, you have to master distance, timing, and trajectory in addition to your technical mechanics.

Those mechanics are influenced by a lot of factors too. Your own mass is difficult to change, so the simplest way to increase the power of a punch is to do it faster. This can be achieved by refining the technique to minimize wasted movements and relaxing the musculature to reduce tension. That said, you can attempt to increase the effective mass of the punch with proper body mechanics.

As for left or right, it really depends on you. Do you train with one side forward all them time? Do you train one punch more that the other?

I'm sure there are many fighting competitions that don't require headgear. The entire sports of boxing and MMA come to mind, as do most full-contact fighting competitions.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I've been in boxing and they require you to use headgear unless you become pro, and becoming pro is very difficult, you would have to do about 100 amateur fights witch would take years and i don't have much patience, not to mention wearing that tham headgear, is mma the same way.

Answer
It depends on the league rules. For example, in MMA, Pride and UFC had different rules. Whether or not you wear headgear in competition is a matter of the rules of the particular sporting organization under which your school operates.

I'm sorry that I am not very knowledgeable about the various organizations and their particular rules, but you could probably get the most direct answers by asking the
instructors of MMA schools your were considering training with.