However, if you\u2019re reading this, my guess is that you\u2019re a little impatient, and you want to know how to punch harder right now<\/em>. Am I right? \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n\n\n\n Okay, no more holding back, here are 12 top tips to increase punching power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, you don\u2019t say. It\u2019s a fairly obvious tip, but it\u2019s worthwhile reiterating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Proper technique will<\/u> win out over brute force.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n Ali throws the cross with his bodyweight behind it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve covered the ins and outs of punching<\/a> before, so I\u2019m not going to go over it again now. However, there is one thing you should bear in mind that if mastered, instantly<\/em> increases punching power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Punching is a whole-body movement.<\/strong> It is not<\/em> just an arm movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Think about the mechanics of a punch; you pivot on your toes, push through your legs, tighten your stomach, twist your hips and shoulders, extend your arm, and tuck your head in behind your shoulder. It involves everything<\/em> from head to toe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You have<\/em> to utilize your entire body if you want maximum force. Focus on mastering correct technique and using your whole body, and I guarantee<\/em> you will instantly hit harder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Power punches require you to rotate your hips and shoulders with every single punch<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you throw four straight punches<\/a> (jab-cross- jab-cross), your hips and shoulders should be seesawing back and forth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You don\u2019t spin on the ball of your foot as you do with the hook<\/a>, but there needs to be significant hip-shoulder rotation if you are to generate the torque necessary for quick and powerful punches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Think about swinging a baseball bat to see why this is so effective. If you were batting but someone was to hold your shoulders preventing you from turning, it would be a miracle if you managed to tap the ball further than five meters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, when you combine swinging the bat with swift and powerful core rotation, the torque generated at the end of the bat is enough to knock the ball out the park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s the same deal with punching. Your arm is the bat, and the fat end of the bat is your fist. To generate force, you have to swing your \u201cbat\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the motion is different; wildly coming in from the side or over the top with a haymaker is easy<\/em> to see coming. To be fast and effective, you instead have to swing your hips and shoulders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mastery of this motion will lead to rock-solid punches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To generate power, you\u2019ve got to relax<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I know this tip is difficult to get your head around. When you\u2019re boxing, you\u2019re usually fired up and full of energy and excitement. You may not notice it, but there\u2019s usually a slight (or sometimes severe) tension in your muscles. This is due to you being prepared to hit or get hit<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But tight muscles are less efficient<\/em> than loose, relaxed muscles, and you\u2019re not going to be able to hit as hard when you\u2019re tense<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Punching is a snapping motion, and you only clench your fists the split-second before impact. It\u2019s not like weightlifting, where you\u2019re under tension the entire movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019re therefore wasting energy by constantly being in a state of tension. And wasting needless energy will drain your strength in a few short rounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you\u2019re in the on guard stance<\/a>, you want to keep a tight guard, but at the same time, you want to be loose and flowing. That way, you\u2019re going to be less easy to read, and your opponent will be caught off guard when you throw out a quick punch that has a wicked pop at the end of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is the calmer and more composed fighter who will come out on top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to become more relaxed comfortable in the ring, you\u2019ve got to spar more often<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat??? This ain\u2019t kickboxing. Why the hell would I train my legs?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, remember tip one about punching being a whole body movement? Last time I checked, your body included your legs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Building leg muscle leads to increased punching power<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some boxers won\u2019t do any strength training<\/a>, and the ones that do, often neglect leg exercises in favor of sculpting the upper body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m not advising that you start squatting double your body weight. That would build useless, bulky muscle that only slows you down while requiring more oxygen to feed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But I do think that leg strength is an important element in your punching game<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you throw the uppercut, you push off the ground and drive the punch up with your legs. If you relied solely on arm strength, your uppercut would be nothing more than a tippy-tap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My advice would be to work on increasing leg strength in proportion to whole body strength.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Develop explosive leg strength through kettlebell training, CrossFit, and plyometrics. Or, create a simple circuit that includes exercise like resistance band squats, barbell lunges, and box jumps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Incorporating leg exercise into your training will<\/em> translate into harder punches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having your knees slightly bent is the foundation of almost every athletic position – and for good reason\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your knees are locked, you\u2019re much more likely to injure yourself if you suddenly put load on the knee joint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With your knees slightly bent, your joints are loose, and your muscles have room to expand and contract. It leaves you poised and ready to launch an attack or make a hasty retreat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And when it comes to strength, bent knees can transfer the energy you create from pushing off the ground to the upper body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By keeping your knees bent, you\u2019re more mobile, and you\u2019re geared up for strength and speed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Being a nimble fighter that moves in and out of range is how I like to fight. I like to keep busy on my feet<\/a> during the round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That being said, when I\u2019m throwing, my feet are firmly planted on the ground<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At no point should either foot be off the ground. The Superman Punch<\/a> is the exception to this rule, but as it\u2019s illegal in boxing, the rule still stands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keeping both feet planted is important for three reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Have you found your range sweet spot or are you overextending? (Image: Flickr \/ U.S. Army)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Range is a tricky thing to get right in the beginning<\/a>. Sometimes you\u2019re way too close, and your arm is bent as you connect and you can\u2019t offload your power. Other times, your punches are falling short of their target, and you\u2019re overextending to the point of straining your arm muscles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The trouble with overextending is that you\u2019ve lost most of the power<\/em> the punch started with. Even if you connect, your punch will do little damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Overextending will also leave you off-balance and is potentially damaging to your elbow joint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You need to figure out the sweet spot for your range where you\u2019re far enough away from your target to have time to react to attacks<\/a>, but close enough that your punches have considerable<\/em> force upon impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To give your punches that added oomph, try to punch through your target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you tackle in contact sports like football and rugby, you go through the player if you want to wipe him out. Devastating punches in boxing are achieved in much the same way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stopping just at the point of contact will lessen the force being transferred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The solution is to set your target just a couple of inches further back from the surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I like to imagine that the person I\u2019m fighting has a target painted on the back of their head. My fist is aiming for that target, not stopping at their face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The punch is still a whipping motion and delivered quickly. You\u2019re not<\/u><\/em> trying to push the punch through the body, but you want to make sure all<\/em> your power is transferred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep your punches quick and snappy, but set your aim just that little bit deeper if you want to make sure your punches are really felt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For your punches to be effective, they\u2019ve got to be backed by your body weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The force of your punch is determined by how fast you can accelerate your mass at the target. Or put in other terms:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Force = Mass x Acceleration<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Both speed and mass are vitally important to generate force and one does little without the other. That\u2019s why a fighter that is quick as a whippet but hasn\u2019t learned to put his weight behind his punch is feeble, and why big bruisers can\u2019t punch for shit until they learn how to shift that mass quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Think of the jab<\/a>. It\u2019s certainly quick, but most jabs are weak because they only have the weight of the arm behind it. But when you step forward with the jab, or rotate and really put your shoulder behind the punch, the power is increased tenfold<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to throw harder punches, you have to be able to transfer your weight efficiently<\/em> and engage your entire body<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Get busy on the speed bag (Image: Flickr \/ Peter Amador)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now for the second part of the equation. Once you\u2019ve worked out how to rotate your shoulders so that your weight is behind your punch, it\u2019s time to start speeding up the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The faster you can propel your fist to the target, the harder your punch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s right, the faster you punch, the harder you hit\u2026 as long as your weight is behind the punch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Weight and speed go hand in hand, and you need both<\/u><\/em> to be powerful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to work on your speed, get busy on the speed bag or double-end bag. Punch training with a resistance band or bench pressing with resistance bands will also make your strikes faster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can have the strongest punch in the world, but it\u2019s useless unless it connects with its target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even being off target by a couple of inches will result in wasting your power and energy. Plus, glancing blows can leave you off-balance and exposed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But if you\u2019re able to deliver a loaded punch right on the chin of your opponent, then it\u2019s pretty much good night<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To work on your accuracy, try hitting the double end bag with combinations<\/a> and focus on connecting with your shots when you\u2019re sparring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your fist is the hammer head which delivers the blow, and as such, it has to be able to withstand the impact load.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Knuckle toughness and wrist strength are the two components that make for powerful, sledgehammer fists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wrist strength can be developed by forearm curls and by holding a dumbbell in each hand and rotating them in a circular motion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Increasing the durability of your knuckles is a little bit more creative. Some people will hit the heavy bag<\/a> with knuckles exposed – my preferred option. Every so often I\u2019ll have a couple of rounds on the heavy bag with just my hand wraps on<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve also heard of fighters laying into a bag of rice or a sandbag. It\u2019s a little bit makeshift for me, but each to their own I guess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Muay Thai fighters hit with their shins so they condition their shins<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, some people reading this will be completely opposed<\/em> to knuckle conditioning \u2013 most boxers and trainers are. However, I come from a Muay Thai background where this type of conditioning is normal. To condition their shins, Muay Thai fighters will kick sandbags, banana trees, and roll them with rolling pins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Crazy? Possibly. But Thai boxers connect with their shins, and they need<\/em> to have solid shins that feel no pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whatever methods of knuckle strengthening you decide on (if any at all), make sure you follow proper punching technique and keep your wrists aligned to avoid an injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How awesome would it be if your attacker just crumbled when you punched him? Every boxer dreams of having knockout strength and destroying their opponents with a single punch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some fighters have a God-given talent for knocking people out, but the vast majority of us will have to work on our power. And just like every other part of boxing training<\/a>, developing knockout strength takes time and practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now you know how to make your punches harder, it\u2019s time to take what you\u2019ve learned and put it into action. Knock \u2018em out, Champ.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Knockouts are the holy grail of boxing. Fans LOVE \u2018EM. A punch that connects with venomous and deadly accuracy has crowds gasping in shock and awe, and then erupting as the unfortunate sod hits the deck. We dream of one-punch victories and there\u2019s a part of us that believes we\u2019ve got the firepower to end … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1748,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44,16],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/warriorpunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1747"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/warriorpunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/warriorpunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/warriorpunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/warriorpunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1747"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/warriorpunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1747\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5384,"href":"https:\/\/warriorpunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1747\/revisions\/5384"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/warriorpunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/warriorpunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/warriorpunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/warriorpunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}1. You Can\u2019t Punch Hard If You Don\u2019t Know How to Punch<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Punching](\"https:\/\/warriorpunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Punching-Whole-Body-Movement.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n2. See-saw Your Hips and Shoulders<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
3. Relaxation is the Key to Strength<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
4. Pack Some Muscle Onto Those Chicken Legs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Leg](\"https:\/\/warriorpunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Leg-Strength-Punching-Power.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n5. Knees Slightly Bent<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
6. Don’t Lift Your Feet<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
7. Are You Overextending?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Are](\"https:\/\/warriorpunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Overextending-Punch.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n8. Punch Through Your Opponent<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
9. Put Your Weight Behind the Punch<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
10. Work On Your Speed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Practice](\"https:\/\/warriorpunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Working-the-Speed-Bag.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n11. Deadly Precision<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
12. Develop Iron Fists<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Muay](\"https:\/\/warriorpunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Muay-Thai-Body-Kick.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nConclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n