Armlength/Shoulder ratio, What are the benefits?

[Lord Siriuz]

For example:

Short arms/Wide shoulders: I've imagined this being better for hooks

Long arms/Narrow shoulders: This for straight punches?

There's also the short/narrow and long/wide of course.


It certainly depends on the fighter aswell, but there's always a frame for each task.

 

[djacobox372]

Arms and shoulders have almost nothing to do with power.

Core strength and leg strength is what generates power (combined with leverage).

Arm length may enter into it, probably more so with winging punches like hooks. A longer lever will generate more speed at it's tip than a shorter one given the same speed of rotation.

The build of a power puncher is typically a lanky guy with a thick/strong core. It think people get confused because when they think of power punching they think of Mike Tyson, who was actually sort of an anomaly--most boxers built like him aren't power punchers. What Tyson did have was a very strong core and lots of speed, but his one punch power wasn't on the same level of "longer" guys like shavers and foreman.

 

[Got GOAT]

Arms and shoulders have almost nothing to do with power.

Core strength and leg strength is what generates power (combined with leverage).

Arm length may enter into it, probably more so with winging punches like hooks. A longer lever will generate more speed at it's tip than a shorter one given the same speed of rotation.

The build of a power puncher is typically a lanky guy with a thick/strong core. It think people get confused because when they think of power punching they think of Mike Tyson, who was actually sort of an anomaly--most boxers built like him aren't power punchers. What Tyson did have was a very strong core and lots of speed, but his one punch power wasn't on the same level of "longer" guys like shavers and foreman.

Good post. I tried to explain longer levers and the kinetic energy thing just days ago. The thread was about who can punch harder, Mendes or McGregor. McGregor is quite a bit bigger (walks at 170), has been boxing for a very long time (so his technique is much better) and he has long arms for his height (5'8/5'9). They look at Mendes as the harder puncher because they see great speed and a thick trunk with big muscles, even though McGregor packs really good hand speed himself.

I've also seen both hit the heavy bag and McGregor can practically bend the thing in half while Mendes tears it up too but not as noticeably.

 

[faustian]

Depends on how much height you cut

 

[Got GOAT]

Depends on how much height you cut

Carwin is the king of height cutting so it's no wonder he can punch so fukn hard! :icon_lol:

 

[Warraw]

Here how it works:

Make it work. Those who do win.


Anything else is dumb. Theres no ratios, nobody knows.

 

[lowsingle]

I've heard this comparison in nfl linemen for years. Obviously reach is useful but it's easier to be strong with wider shoulders and shorter arms, due to leverage and body mechanics

 

[djacobox372]

This is the build of a power puncher, ridiculously thick/strong core and long lanky limbs:

Conar's average core makes me believe he probably doesn't hit all that hard by boxing standards. But in MMA it's often more about accuracy.

 

[djacobox372]

I've heard this comparison in nfl linemen for years. Obviously reach is useful but it's easier to be strong with wider shoulders and shorter arms, due to leverage and body mechanics

Reach measurements include the shoulders, often guys with a long reach have it because of a very wide torso/shoulders not due to arm length. It think this is why a longer than average reach is so often correlated with power.

core strength is everything, this is why Hendo hit's so damn hard.

 

[Got GOAT]

This is the build of a power puncher, ridiculously thick/strong core and long lanky limbs:

Conar's average core makes me believe he probably doesn't hit all that hard by boxing standards. But in MMA it's often more about accuracy.

Conor hits very, very hard. While his core doesn't explain it, neither does Gennady Golovkin's winspan (only 70") @ 5'10.5/5'11. Accuracy aside, McGregor can clip a guy and hurt them badly. He has the 2nd/3rd fastest KO in MMA history (3.5 seconds). Accuracy and timing can only explain so much of that.

As for Golovkin, his core is pretty strong and thick, but not overly thick, and, as mentioned before, his reach isn't real good. He's still the hardest puncher in boxing at the moment though.

 

[lowsingle]

Reach measurements include the shoulders, often guys with a long reach have it because of a very wide torso/shoulders not due to arm length. It think this is why a longer than average reach is so often correlated with power.

core strength is everything, this is why Hendo hit's so damn hard.

That's what i meant but I didn't word that well. I agree. Chuck Liddell too, huge core, skinny arms

 

[Babba]

^ how does the bro logic explain this body? ...

 

[Bubblun]

there are hard punchers with long arms and hard punchers with short arms, nobody knows what's the ideal fighter's body.
but at the same time body measurements are the main reason some guys have murderous power and some guys have not.
everyone is different, short/long arms, long/short torso, wide torso, long legs, wide hips, narrow shoulders ...

the ability to generate a lot of torque because of leverage is innate and you can't change that.
but you can work out the muscles around your shoulders and hips, the muscles that generate power, and the torso to transfer that power AND obviously the most important thing, the actual skill training, countless of repetitions in the gym that will make your punch faster, stronger and more precise.

 

[TheLuckiest]

David Tua, George Foreman, and Mike Tyson do not fit the "skinny arms" stuff you guys are trying to argue.

In MMA, Carwin is probably the hardest hitter we've ever seen. Nowhere near skinny arms.

Of course core strength plays a part in generating a lot of "power", but KO Power is not exclusive to the measurable power of a shot. It is also accuracy. See Anderson Silva.

 

[MechMA]

Thick arms actually help a lot with power. The added mass makes a huge difference... that said, where in the extension the punch lands and where it lands is far more important. If your arm is still pretty bent at impact it tends to push their head back/around. While this is good for knockdowns and backing people up, it often doesnt transfer much energy into the skull. A cracking punch will send the energy straight to the brain and itll knock them out.

 

[MechMA]

As for the OP question, reach is reach when you punch properly, as shoulder width extending where your arm starts is still inches between your opponent and your face. If you can land and they fall short, you can get a victory with that as the primary factor in theory.

whether broad shoulders with short arms, or narrow shoulders with long arms is better... thats up for debate. You can throw longer straights/crosses/uppercuts with longer arms, since often your torso is somewhat squared with your opponent unlike the jab/lead-uppercut.
id argue longer arms are better, but I may be biased due to having average as hell shoulderspan at 5'9 but still having 70" reach.

sources: pro fighter (not ufc, im not amazing)

 

[PivotPunch]

There have been punchers in boxing and MMA with literally all bodytypes there's little you can tell looking at the body.
Tyson had short arms and was stocky, Tua had the same build, Hearns was long, tall and skinny but with big shoulders.
And then there are short stocky guys who don't hit hard and long skinny guys who don't hit hard you can't tell just looking at someone.

I think skinny tall guys who hit hard just get more attention because they don't look as if they could hit or they are more successful at a high level because they are tall AND can hit but if you go away from elite level in boxing and in MMA then you will find tons of guys with long arms who couldn't squash a fly if they hit it flush.

 

[Got GOAT]

Another attribute that is often overlooked is a very well developed gluteus maximus (buttocks). Shane Carwin's is something that you can't miss. That energy comes from the feet up and through the gluteus maximus and hips through the core and arms to the fist. It probably helped that Carwin had lunchbox-sized fists too, more surface area to deliver the energy.

 

[TheLuckiest]

Another attribute that is often overlooked is a very well developed gluteus maximus (buttocks). Shane Carwin's is something that you can't miss. That energy comes from the feet up and through the gluteus maximus and hips through the core and arms to the fist. It probably helped that Carwin had lunchbox-sized fists too, more surface area to deliver the energy.

In regards to his fist size (and overal thickness), mass x velocity = energy. Of course there is a point of diminishing returns, but I don't know what it is. Look at ButterBean lol.

 

[ithinktheymad]

I think short arms wide shoulders are an advantage when it hits the mat.