Gaining speed: Fast twitch and slow twitch fibers???

Ive been reading on this before and never found what I needed. Whats the best way to get some intense crazy speed with a punch, kick, and just about everything. My hook is a little slow, is that just me? I am asking for some advice on the subject.

 

Fast twitch glycolytic fibers are often converted during endurance training into slow oxidative fibers. Fat people (or those who do absolutely no exercise) have more fast twitch fibers than almost anyone else because that's how the body reverts. So do nothing, and you'll get super fast.

 

try doing more explosive exercies at the gym.

 

And to actually be helpful, this is probably the most appropriate behavior. Do explosive exercises with freeweights with the hands. Clapping pushups are also not bad if you have no equipment.

 

pucnhing bag/ fous mitt/thai pad drills. plyometrics

 

if you do all that and use a nice set of heavy gloves (I use 16oz since you fight with smaller gloves or no gloves depending on the situation).

Also, I don't know for a fact, but it seems to help...I sometimes hold weights in my hands (nothing major I think the most I every used was 12lbs) and shadowbox. It reminds me of when baseball players put the donuts on their bats when they are taking practice swings (don't know if it really helps though because last time I checked baseball players do this every time they are on deck). If nothing else it seems to work my arms are really good.

 

Train fast. Seriously, just go wherever you train, find the proper bag, and do some rounds focusing on speed. Focus on speed, and determine whether that speed is fast enough, and whether you are hitting accurately and hard enough.

That would be the first step, we'll call it the "diognosis".
If step one is diognosis, step two is treatment.

Treatments

Too slow: shadow boxing (3 lbs. max), bag and pad work emphasizing QUICK combos w/ jabs and teeps to transition them(at least a medium pace, you dont want to throw a combo and then wait 10 secs then throw another combo).

I would do the above exercises until you are done, then do explosive tricep/wide/closegrip pushups, explosive sit ups, jumping squats, all in reps of about 10.

Lastly, you need to run. Run minimum 2 miles and sprint on other days. If you do it, you'll understand why it helps. Loosens you up, allows airflow for serious striking combos, etc.

Fast enough w/ accuracy/power problems: Keep training. Focus hard when doing drills and become accurate at your top speed. Power requires accuracy, so worry about that when you are fast and accurate.

 

Yeah 16 oz. helps me get quick.

 

I've read shadowboxing w/ weights is not beneficial. It can cause joint damage. Also, you train your hands to DEcelerate, because you are not hitting anything.

 

Do you think this is true with gloves and pads?

 

I think shadow boxing with weights is a bad idea also. I read about a girl who ran with weight on her wrist and it messed up her elbow, but ill try everything else on here.
Thanks for the info.

 

Let us know how it goes.

 

Let us know how it goes.

 

this is what ive heard as well

 

Punching with weights is a waste of time. The direction of force from the weight is perpendicular to the direction of force of the punch. And you have to deccelerate a larger mass which means you'll have to do so earlier in the motion, which means the strike will have a lower final velocity than without. So you are training to punch slow. It helps shoulder endurance but that's about it.
Plyometrics and ballistic upper body exercises will increase speed. Actual specific punch training concentrating on speed is the most effective i.e. pad work.

 

On the college track team we use to have to do plyometrics and other speed stuff when we were dead tired from running. Since I was a highjumper, explosiveness was #1. My coach would have us run two 400 meters, then two 200 meters, then 4x 100 meters at almost top speeds, then do plyometrics, like setting up low hurdles and having us jump over four in a row x two footed hops. Like boing, boing, boing, boing! stop. or jump up 3 stairs, pause, down 2 and as soon as your feet hit, back up 3.

If you lift, I'd do something similar, like hit the bag 20 times in a horse stance or (vary the stance) as fast as you can. Make contact, but don't worry bout power. Do this when you are dead tired from an arm workout, and do a few sets.

I'm speaking in generalities. Come up with something that practices speed, and focus on bing fast while you do it. Even just punching a bag think fast insead of hard. When you train, strength comes easier than speed or endurance, whenever you add new muscle, it needs to be trained to be fast and tireless.

 

Get a good coach and do more explosive type training.

 

Wouldn't it make more sense to do CNS intensive stuff like plyometrics when you are fresh? Rather then fatiguing yourself then doing it.

 

Maybe, we did both, but it seemed to help me the most doing it when I was tired, because you had to force the speed, but you were doing short, fast movements. Jumping up and down on a box had a whole different feel from say, running 200 meters uphill. It is not nearly as fatiguing, so we could go right to it with just a little recovery time, and it made you focus on doing the movement with speed in mind, and seemed to have the most effect. Mind you, we did tons of stairs, sprints, lifting, skipping, stairs, etc, but I added 4 inches to my vertical in a year.

 

This is a great thread, good answers everyone.