Hand size punching power

[Michael13]

Yes. People will say no, and point to guys with small hands that have big power or guys with big hands and small power as evidence.

But physics is physics and those guys with small hands and big power would hit even harder of their hands were bigger, just as the guys with big hands and small power would have even less power if their hands were small.

More mass at the end of the striking object means more momentum. Period. That's why baseball bats get fatter at the end and taper at the handle. Hard to hit a home run with a broom stick or a two by four.

There's an upward limit, of course, because before you gather momentum you need to fight inertia and get the hand moving... but we're probably talking about a freakish and impossible 20-30 lb hand before that happens. Even an impossible 10 lb hand, while it would take a bit to get going, would deliver a wicked KO blow at the end of the arm of a professional fighter.

Most of the world understands these things and has for most of history. That's why ancient clubs have balls at the end and modern gun makers market larger caliber guns that are harder to use, but worth it for their increased stopping power.

But all of that is ignored around here because somebody once heard of someone being killed with a .22 and someone else getting shot with a .44 and walking away.

Sherdog gonna Sherdog.

This may the most thought out, intelligent post I've ever seen on these forums.

Well done, sir.

 

[clift]

Believe it or not, in terms of actual damage it would much more devastating to have small hands. The power would be concentrated more in one area and given the same punching power would be worst to be hit with.

The big hands thing has less to do with punching power and more to do with the actual size of the person. Guys with meat hooks like Carwin and Lesnar are a rare breed, truly massive human beings. They are built to dole out a lot of damage with huge boned hands like theirs. The structure of their hand is actually bigger, and I would assume they are better suited to punching without breaking.

 

[clift]

Yes. People will say no, and point to guys with small hands that have big power or guys with big hands and small power as evidence.

But physics is physics and those guys with small hands and big power would hit even harder of their hands were bigger, just as the guys with big hands and small power would have even less power if their hands were small.

More mass at the end of the striking object means more momentum. Period. That's why baseball bats get fatter at the end and taper at the handle. Hard to hit a home run with a broom stick or a two by four.

There's an upward limit, of course, because before you gather momentum you need to fight inertia and get the hand moving... but we're probably talking about a freakish and impossible 20-30 lb hand before that happens. Even an impossible 10 lb hand, while it would take a bit to get going, would deliver a wicked KO blow at the end of the arm of a professional fighter.

Most of the world understands these things and has for most of history. That's why ancient clubs have balls at the end and modern gun makers market larger caliber guns that are harder to use, but worth it for their increased stopping power.

But all of that is ignored around here because somebody once heard of someone being killed with a .22 and someone else getting shot with a .44 and walking away.

Sherdog gonna Sherdog.

You're right about a lot of things there, but I think you should take into consideration the type of punch thrown. A hook or overhand would be something effected more by the weight of the hand, but a straight punch wouldn't. If the force behind two moving objects is the same, and one has a smaller surface area to disperse the force... it will do much more damage to the target than the one that has a larger surface area.

There are a lot of factors at play here, there's no cut and dry answer.

 

[Hawkman3111]

It doesnt really matter in the end, you have the hands you have...

I think small hands hit harder myself and I think there is a machine that measures punching power but really some guys knock people out with one shot and most people dont and there doesnt seem to be a connection to their hand size.

Its all technique, the way you throw, the way you turn your body at the right time, how good a shot you are...

 

[jeremyemilio]

Divided by the impact area, which would mean small hands are better.

Punching technique is what matters.

You have no idea what you're talking about. Why would you divide by impact area? The entire force lands on the skull. Unless you are literally planing on punching a hole through that skull, you don't need to divide by shit. The purpose is to move the skull violently, which is better achieved with more momentum, which is better achieved with heavier hands.

I might give give some credence to your theory with regard to body shots as it could be argued that a blow from a larger hand is more likely to be absorbed by two or three ribs while a smaller hand is more likely to be absorbed by one or two...

... but even that's probably pushing it as the hand size differences would need to be so pronounced that the size of the fighter and the power generated by the larger hand would likely make up for any advantage gained in hitting fewer ribs.

 

[Matt4786]

All other things being equal, the punch from a smaller hand should hurt more because the pressure is greater. In reality, smaller hands are more fragile so it's probably more difficult to consistently generate the same force.

 

[Dorkman]

Whole bunch of wannabe mathletes in here.

 

[xupacabra]

Divided by the impact area, which would mean small hands are better.

Punching technique is what matters.

lol @ the impact area.. ok then

 

[Matt4786]

lol @ the impact area.. ok then

What he did there was describe pressure (force divided by area). Not so ridiculous when you think about it, even if you don't like how "divide by impact area" sounds.

 

[Bad Dawg]

Absolutely not...i have small hands but i pinch like a mule kick
You're born with heavy hands and there's no explanation as to why.
Same with chins you can either take a punch or you can't

 

[Gatts]

Interesting points brought up here, but all I can think about is..

[YT]pGsc2_d4Z9w[/YT]

 

[jase0910]

Force = Mass x Acceleration

 

[Matt4786]

I doubt the mass of the hand itself matters much for delivering a forceful punch, like some of you are claiming. Most of the mass is coming from the entire body. Re: baseball bats, that's an almost entirely torque-based motion, so it's not quite the same thing. And we're dealing with a much longer distance between the axis of rotation and the end of the bat.

 

[Hawkman3111]

lol @ the impact area.. ok then

Punching power is measured in PSI isnt it?

What does that stand for, anyone know?

 

[jeremyemilio]

You're right about a lot of things there, but I think you should take into consideration the type of punch thrown. A hook or overhand would be something effected more by the weight of the hand, but a straight punch wouldn't. If the force behind two moving objects is the same, and one has a smaller surface area to disperse the force... it will do much more damage to the target than the one that has a larger surface area.

There are a lot of factors at play here, there's no cut and dry answer.

The straight right doesn't use a whip, so the benifit of the tapered wrist doesn't factor in... but the weight of the hand still applies to momentum and force (that's why a traditional pile driver is little more than a chain with a big weight at the end).

The pile driver metaphor also 'punches a hole' in your theory concerning surface area... because if the purpose of a pile driver was to punch a hole into a post, it would have a small surface profile... but since its purpose is to move the post with force, its surface area is actually larger than the post it is hitting. In fact, if it was operating in a vacuum without wind resistance, the surface area of a heavier weight could be a mile wide, and it would still hit the post with greater driving force than a much smaller weight that was even a pound lighter.

Ditto for fists. You aren't trying to poke a hole in the skull. You are trying to move it dramatically and violently. Surface area doesn't even come into it. The entire force of a clean blow is being absorbed by the skull, regardless of surface area.

If you want to argue that guys with bigger hands are less likely to get their hands through the guard of an opponent and land clean blows, then sure. But that's not what the thread is about, I don't think.

 

[Ughugh]

All else equal: bigger hands = bigger power.

If someone tells you different they have girlie hands.

 

[Matt4786]

All else equal: bigger hands = bigger power.

If someone tells you different they have girlie hands.

Well if mass and acceleration and everything else are equal , their power (Force/time) should also be equal. The only difference would be pressure (force/area).

FWIW, my hands are normal sized.

 

[jeremyemilio]

Punching power is measured in PSI isnt it?

What does that stand for, anyone know?

Why in hell would you measure punching power in PSI?

Pounds of force is all you need.

Are you trying to poke a hole into your opponent's skull?

You guys are drunk.

 

[jeremyemilio]

Well if mass and acceleration and everything else are equal , their power (Force/time) should also be equal. The only difference would be pressure (force/area).

FWIW, my hands are normal sized.

Ummm... that's the point... different hand sizes means that mass ISN'T equal. (Everything ELSE is equal.)

 

[Charlitos1988]

Force = Mass x Acceleration

if so Mighty Mouse should be able to hit as hard as Lesnar because MM hits faster (more acceleration).