How to Develop Martial Arts Hand Speed

JimMayor007 · 06-27-2007, 02:09 PM

What makes a martial artist fast? Are they really that fast? Or is there something else that makes them appear fast?

Any trained martial artist will tell you that knowing your opponent is more important than the speed of your attacks. If you already know what your opponent is going to do, then you can react before they fully initiate their move. This will make you appear to possess lighting fast speed.

Guide to Develop Martial Arts Hand Speed

Hand-Of-Fate · 06-27-2007, 02:45 PM

As for the guys who claim to hit 25 times a second...

As a former Kenpo Student (1st Degree Blackbelt), I can tell you...they hit fast, but not hard. Useless imo.

jamison · 06-27-2007, 02:58 PM

Hand speed is overrated if against a well trained Thai fighter or mma fighter. Hand speed is useless if you can be walked down and taken apart. People should learn about technique and the speed will follow.

jamison · 06-27-2007, 02:59 PM

[QUOTE=Hand-Of-Fate;16027029]As for the guys who claim to hit 25 times a second...

Those guys are tools. I would love to fight them.

philong · 06-27-2007, 03:03 PM

You will never to be able to develop speed that is faster than the innate ability that you are preprogramed with genetically. Some people are born with faster speed / reflexes and some aren't.
You can train yourself to maximize what you are innately capable of through training. Muscle memory and your nerve synapses can be maximized through repetition. As mentioned knowing your oponent (which is why I've cross trained in so many different styles) lets you predict what he'll do and intercept it, thereby giving the appearence of faster speed. Guard position helps. If your guard is in the correct position you will have to move minimally to counter an attack that has to travel a longer distance, if I only have to move 4" to deflect your strike that has to travel 30" I can react much slower and still be "faster". Deception helps, if I fake a low strike and then go high and my oponent hesitates deciding what to defend I will be "faster". Distance plays a role, if I am 4" out of range my oponent has to make a partial move to get within range before he can strike me. If I attack as soon as he makes this move he is in range and has not yet started his attack so I am "faster".
These, and a lot of other variables, go into "speed" and not just the ability that you are limited to by genetics.

Anurux · 06-27-2007, 03:04 PM

maybe he's punchin clown at that speed?!

jamison · 06-27-2007, 03:27 PM

Hand speed in MMA is extremely OVERRATED. What is more important is REACTION SPEED and that is mental. Here's a drill to my prove my point. pick a partner and grab a pair of mitts (focus mitts), Work some quick hand drills with your partner to warm up, then tell him your going to thow combinations at him (with the mitts on) relentlessly, and he can only strike back with the appropriate punch when you're done hitting him.
EXAMPLE. Your partner covers up having know idea what you're about to throw. You throw a 2,3,1,2, 3 (cross, hook, jab, cross, hook) or any combination you want. as soon as your done, hold out the proper pad's for him to throw a 3,2, back at you, or any other combination, he wont know what he has to thorw untill you hold out the pads. If he is not well trained, you will see it take's them upwards of a second or more (a long time for reaction) to go from uncovering to striking back. This is much more important than hand speed. Hope this makes sense.

skippyzippyjoe · 06-27-2007, 05:39 PM

Stick fighting like that in many Filipino martial art systems greatly improves reaction time and hand speed.

Gungnir · 06-27-2007, 05:43 PM

Technique > All things, including speed

Fast is good but power is necessary. Best way to develop speed is punching speedily. First thing to know about learning to do something is to do it.

fennway4414 · 06-27-2007, 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamison

Hand speed in MMA is extremely OVERRATED. What is more important is REACTION SPEED and that is mental. Here's a drill to my prove my point. pick a partner and grab a pair of mitts (focus mitts), Work some quick hand drills with your partner to warm up, then tell him your going to thow combinations at him (with the mitts on) relentlessly, and he can only strike back with the appropriate punch when you're done hitting him.
EXAMPLE. Your partner covers up having know idea what you're about to throw. You throw a 2,3,1,2, 3 (cross, hook, jab, cross, hook) or any combination you want. as soon as your done, hold out the proper pad's for him to throw a 3,2, back at you, or any other combination, he wont know what he has to thorw untill you hold out the pads. If he is not well trained, you will see it take's them upwards of a second or more (a long time for reaction) to go from uncovering to striking back. This is much more important than hand speed. Hope this makes sense.

I wouldn't say hand speed is overrated, but I would DEFINETLY say that reaction speed is underrated. Hand speed can't hurt to have, but reaction speed is far more important.