How do you know if you have "power"?

[BrokenNose]

I hear people say things like, "I've got some serious power behind my ________."

How can you tell? KO's in fights? How much you move the bag? How much your limb feels like it's going to shatter?

Just curious. I feel like I've got some weak ass punches, but that's just me.

 

[MisterT]

The best way to know whether you have power is to get in the gym and do some hard sparring. If, at the end of the session, your partner is banged up, knocked out, etc, you know that you've got some power.

For example, whenever I hit my sparring partner with my right cross, he reacts with a wince of pain and, one day, even complimented me on how powerful it is.

Practice sparring and keep observing how your partner reacts to your shots. If his mouthpiece goes flying out of his mouth when you hit him with an uppercut, u know that your uppercut packs a punch (no pun intended).

 

[GSPforLIFE]

The best way to know whether you have power is to get in the gym and do some hard sparring. If, at the end of the session, your partner is banged up, knocked out, etc, you know that you've got some power.

For example, whenever I hit my sparring partner with my right cross, he reacts with a wince of pain and, one day, even complimented me on how powerful it is.

Practice sparring and keep observing how your partner reacts to your shots. If his mouthpiece goes flying out of his mouth when you hit him with an uppercut, u know that your uppercut packs a punch (no pun intended).

The goal of sparring should not be about trying to inflict pain or do damage to your opponents. That is not how you figure out your power. Pad work, heavy bag work, and so on, are where you are going to be demonstrating your full power strikes and therefore identifying your power or lack thereof.

 

[nip102]

you can do this

 

[MisterT]

The goal of sparring should not be about trying to inflict pain or do damage to your opponents. That is not how you figure out your power. Pad work, heavy bag work, and so on, are where you are going to be demonstrating your full power strikes and therefore identifying your power or lack thereof.

For most sparring sessions yes. I was referring to the "hard" sparring sessions some fighters do several weeks before a fight in order to effectively gauge their preparedness.

IMO, pad work and heavy bag work are great ways to get your technique down pat, but, at the same time, I've seem many instances where a fighter hits the heavy bag and mits extremely hard but then is unable to create a dent in his opponent's armor when he enters the ring for real.


At any rate, the TS should be aware that power isn't everything. As boxing legend Sugar Ray Robinson said: "the hardest punch is the one that you don't see coming". Good technique, timing, and counterpunching skills are more valuable than just brute punching power imo.

 

[SAAMAG]

I hear people say things like, "I've got some serious power behind my ________."

How can you tell? KO's in fights? How much you move the bag? How much your limb feels like it's going to shatter?

Just curious. I feel like I've got some weak ass punches, but that's just me.

When you do pad-work and mitt-work. The holder will be able to tell relative to others your size/weight whether or not you've "got power".

I was working with a little 130 lb guy at the muay thai gym this weekend who kicked almost as hard as a 170 lb guy.

 

[Nostromo]

The goal of sparring should not be about trying to inflict pain or do damage to your opponents. That is not how you figure out your power. Pad work, heavy bag work, and so on, are where you are going to be demonstrating your full power strikes and therefore identifying your power or lack thereof.

Pad and bag work is fine but I see many guys that can beat the shit out of both but don't transition that into the ring when sparring, or fighting for that matter.

If you're a fighter, amateur or pro, heavy sparring at times is the only way to improve and prep for a fight. It's not for novices and guys sometimes get bloodied up a little and sometimes they get their bell rung. But that's the only way you're going to know what kind of power you've got behind your punches and kicks.

Edit: I see MisterT feels the same.

 

[Marvin Covar]

When everyone else tells you that you have it.

 

[Smw]

As boxing legend Sugar Ray Robinson said: "the hardest punch is the one that you don't see coming". Good technique, timing, and counterpunching skills are more valuable than just brute punching power imo.

Quoted for emphasis. A nicely timed cross on the chin when you have your opponent reeling makes for a knockdown.

 

[BrokenNose]

Thanks guys.

I'm not preoccupied with power at all really. Just wondering how some people can tell when they say they do.

 

[Nostromo]

Thanks guys.

I'm not preoccupied with power at all really. Just wondering how some people can tell when they say they do.

I don't know anyone who talks about their power. The evidence speaks for itself.

 

[Smw]

I don't know anyone who talks about their power. The evidence speaks for itself.

It's true. When I hear people say they have "good power in the right" they usually have never laced them up...

 

[NuTzOnSwOll]

Edit: I see MisterT feels the same.

hes not the only one. I seriously start doubting myself if i dont have one or two hard sessions a week.....in addition to the normal 'play time' every day.

 

[SAAMAG]

Disregard

 

[Nostromo]

Pad and mitt work. The holder will be able to discern relatively where you power is for your size.

I got a guy in my gym that weighs 127 but kicks about as hard a the 170 lb guys.

Like I and a few others have already said, how does that transition into their sparring? I know a number of guys that can bang the shit out of a stationary target but kick and punch with much less power and determination when they're facing someone in the ring who's moving and trying to hit them back. I happens more times than not. It's about concentration and technique and a lot of guys lose one or both when trying to defend themselves while sparring.

 

[lefthooklowkick]

It's true. When I hear people say they have "good power in the right" they usually have never laced them up...

lol its funny cause its true

 

[Kozbot]

when you sparring partners go "christ dude you punch like a truck"

or when you're working the bag and the coach says "HE'S AN ANIMAL, AN ANIMAL I SAY!"

both these things have happened to me

 

[Connoisseur]

Well, force = mass x acceleration. Good striking technique is designed to maximize speed and precision of delivery, so if you have good technique and speed, then you should also have good power. Naturally, the bigger the combatant, the more power.

If you are athletic, big, and have good technique, then you probably have good power.

That said, you will know whether you have good power or not by what your coaches & sparring partners tell you. My coach will always tell me when I have good power/ snap in a punch, and you will also find out which punch is your best eventually. For me, my right uppercut (from orthodox) is my money shot.

 

[devante]

power can be told by how people react when you hit them and by the quality of your knockdowns or ko's; at least in terms of sparring/fighting, when a guy w/POWER hits you he doesn't have to have perfect tech, land perfectly or even set up. He hits you and even if your guard is up or your ready for it, it still hurts you.

secondly hitting a pad or bag hard is an indicator of power; being able to use it w/in the context of a fight is different because that comes down to your tech, durability and experience. Its like saying cus guy a)is faster w/a football in his hand, that guy b)who runs a 4.4 forty is slower than him; within the context of a game, yes. But in regards to pure straight ahead speed, hell no; power is power, applying it in a fight is totally diff.

put it this way i have never seen a guy who can't hit the pads hard or hit the bag hard, all of a sudden develop real power in sparring.


tech-approach-combinations-workrate-even durabilty-accuracy MAXIMIZE your power; they don't create it where there is none, plain and simple.

and there are many instances of guys w/sharper tech and all round skills; not being able to generate as much power, in mma guy mezger-spencer fisher-sam stout-frankie edgar-kenny florian. Guys who are some of the better strikers, but guys who really don't put guys away; especially considering how cleanly and frequently they land. Then you have guys like guilliard-stephens or gom; guys w/ less than half the tech and finesse, who KILL guys every single time they touch them.

Spencer fisher hit sam stout w/every strike in the book, couldn't drop him stop him or back him off; stephens rocked him and forced the usually offensive and straight ahead stout to step back pick shots and counter.

Stout couldn't put spencer away and hermes franca; the widest and most telegraphed striker in history ICED fisher w/one big right hand, the kind they used to throw in the old westerns

frankie edgar picked griffin apart landed all sorts of combinations and shots to the body and head, wasnt close to stopping griffin; gomi hit him one clean shot and put him out.

kenny florian hits guys left and right all night, clean hard shots; kicks to the body, full power, knees and so on. Melvin guillard lands one hook or on shot to the body and guys either go out or can't get back up...

guy mezger lands a litany of strikes and can't put any guys away in mma; chuck liddel lands one loaded up wide and telegraphed hook or one straight right and ices guys...

im sure alot will disagree w/me but that is what the forum is for...

 

[NuTzOnSwOll]

power can be told by how people react when you hit them and by the quality of your knockdowns or ko's; at least in terms of sparring/fighting, when a guy w/POWER hits you he doesn't have to have perfect tech, land perfectly or even set up. He hits you and even if your guard is up or your ready for it, it still hurts you.

secondly hitting a pad or bag hard is an indicator of power; being able to use it w/in the context of a fight is different because that comes down to your tech, durability and experience. Its like saying cus guy a)is faster w/a football in his hand, that guy b)who runs a 4.4 forty is slower than him; within the context of a game, yes. But in regards to pure straight ahead speed, hell no; power is power, applying it in a fight is totally diff.

put it this way i have never seen a guy who can't hit the pads hard or hit the bag hard, all of a sudden develop real power in sparring.


tech-approach-combinations-workrate-even durabilty-accuracy MAXIMIZE your power; they don't create it where there is none, plain and simple.

and there are many instances of guys w/sharper tech and all round skills; not being able to generate as much power, in mma guy mezger-spencer fisher-sam stout-frankie edgar-kenny florian. Guys who are some of the better strikers, but guys who really don't put guys away; especially considering how cleanly and frequently they land. Then you have guys like guilliard-stephens or gom; guys w/ less than half the tech and finesse, who KILL guys every single time they touch them.

Spencer fisher hit sam stout w/every strike in the book, couldn't drop him stop him or back him off; stephens rocked him and forced the usually offensive and straight ahead stout to step back pick shots and counter.

Stout couldn't put spencer away and hermes franca; the widest and most telegraphed striker in history ICED fisher w/one big right hand, the kind they used to throw in the old westerns

frankie edgar picked griffin apart landed all sorts of combinations and shots to the body and head, wasnt close to stopping griffin; gomi hit him one clean shot and put him out.

kenny florian hits guys left and right all night, clean hard shots; kicks to the body, full power, knees and so on. Melvin guillard lands one hook or on shot to the body and guys either go out or can't get back up...

guy mezger lands a litany of strikes and can't put any guys away in mma; chuck liddel lands one loaded up wide and telegraphed hook or one straight right and ices guys...

im sure alot will disagree w/me but that is what the forum is for...

^ true that.