How much does hand size factor into punching power?

[eternaldarkness]

i'm willing to bet that hand size has a massive affect on hooks due to circular momentum. i don't think it would have as much effect on straight punches.

 

[eternaldarkness]

If you throw more speed into a smaller hammer is generates more power though. So its speed x weight x mass x power.

no it's just mass times acceleration.

 

[green giant]

no it's just mass times acceleration.

Something more powerful will hit harder. If you have a guy who throws as fast a punch as another guy who is of equal size but one guy has more power he will hit harder.

 

[rmongler]

Something more powerful will hit harder. If you have a guy who throws as fast a punch as another guy who is of equal size but one guy has more power he will hit harder.

Well then you'd have to explain what is really meant to be said when you say the word 'power'.

If you've got two guys who don't put the same amount of weight behind their strikes, then from a technical perspective, they aren't the same 'size'.

 

[Reyesnuthugr]

Well then you'd have to explain what is really meant to be said when you say the word 'power'.

If you've got two guys who don't put the same amount of weight behind their strikes, then from a technical perspective, they aren't the same 'size'.

Couldn't they be the same size but one is arm-punching? (same speed)

 

[rmongler]

Couldn't they be the same size but one is arm-punching? (same speed)

Yes absolutely, it's just physics, the mass part of mass times acceleration.

What got me all het up was seeming disagreement with that; if this thing called 'power' is some seemingly separate thing and doesn't actually have anything to do with that then we're off into the realm of fantasy.

 

[Sinister]

Yes absolutely, it's just physics, the mass part of mass times acceleration.

What got me all het up was seeming disagreement with that; if this thing called 'power' is some seemingly separate thing and doesn't actually have anything to do with that then we're off into the realm of fantasy.

The term "punching power" is convoluted by a plethora of misconceptions. I have fighters I train who started out with little power but it had nothing to do with a lack of strength or bone density. They just didn't understand more attractive concepts like trunk rotation, leverage, keeping elbows down. Now that their form is tweaked some of them realize that they can generate considerable force. Some of them are quick, and often times speed can hurt worse than brute force. Inflict more damage

BUT...then there are the guys just born with something. I have one Amateur kid who just hits hard as Hell and never seems like he's trying to. I also train a girl who hits so hard the boys her age hate doing drills with her. One kid said: "Yeah I block her punches and still ended up with a headache."

 

[BACKDOG]

You guys are all reading way to much into it. Some people hit hard, some do not. It has nothing to do with the size of your hands.

 

[Sinister]

You guys are all reading way to much into it. Some people hit hard, some do not. It has nothing to do with the size of your hands.

False

 

[panamaican]

How much does it factor? Well, bigger hands means more mass but it also means more air resistance and a larger surface area for when the power is transferred into the target. All other things being equal, bigger hands probably hit harder than smaller ones. But I can't imagine the difference between small hands and big hands being so large that it's significant when compared to things like overall size, strength, speed, technique of the fighters themselves.

 

[RabbitPunch36]

The term "punching power" is convoluted by a plethora of misconceptions. I have fighters I train who started out with little power but it had nothing to do with a lack of strength or bone density. They just didn't understand more attractive concepts like trunk rotation, leverage, keeping elbows down. Now that their form is tweaked some of them realize that they can generate considerable force. Some of them are quick, and often times speed can hurt worse than brute force. Inflict more damage

BUT...then there are the guys just born with something. I have one Amateur kid who just hits hard as Hell and never seems like he's trying to. I also train a girl who hits so hard the boys her age hate doing drills with her. One kid said: "Yeah I block her punches and still ended up with a headache."

Do you have any hypothesis or wild guesses as to how these 2 students hit so hard or is this a complete enigma to you? Does anything unusual stand out to you about the students physiology (long femurs, hunched shoulders, narrow clavicles, knocked knees), sporting background, unsually good balance in weird position, ability to pop their shoulder when throwing, etc compared to other well schooled fighters?

 

[Sinister]

It's enigmatic, their features are fairly dissimilar in terms of hip rotation, build (the boy's weight is in his legs, the girl's is in her upper-body). They both do have moderately long arms, but I have a fighter with short arms who hits incredibly hard as well.

 

[FighterTwister]

How much does hand size factor into punching power?


I don't mean to be disrespectful but LoL hand size gee I know women working in farms that have larger hands than I do that means nothing.

its more about.......... "Hand Conditioning"

Hand Strengthening Method 1: Iron Palm Strikes. Iron Palm or Iron Hand (Chinese: 铁掌功) is a body of training techniques in various Chinese martial arts. ... These conditioning techniques are typically meant to condition the hands to allow a practitioner to deliver very powerful blows without injury to his or her hands.Feb 12, 2018

Link:- https://jkdsciences.com/blog/hand

Western understanding is hey lets wrapper those hands put gloves on but traditional martial arts is about conditioning.

Even people with large bone density have poor tendon and bone conditioning, its only when you apply methods to conditioning that toughen, strengthen and build upon the hand to endure hard impact......... there is a more drawn out physiological explanation to do with widening of arteries and what not just research this online.

 

[YoungCashMoney]

Very little to do with punching power I believe. I always had smaller than average hands & carried respectable power. My hands have actually grown in the last year & wrists & all that, and I still carry respectable power. There is very little difference, the feeling is still the same, I feel the power and where it comes from, it is rotational from the core, my fist just releases it, if anything hand size might slow down how fast you can accelerate to gain even more momentum.

Look at hand size measurements.

De La Hoya who was a vicious puncher had 7" wrists, 9" fists.
Mayweather a respectable puncher, with some good power in the lower weights : 7" wrists, 8" fists
Pacquiao a very hard puncher in all weights: 8" wrists, 10" fists
Cotto is a hard puncher: 7.5" wrists, 11" fists
GGG godly puncher: 7" wrist, 11" fists
Kell Brook good puncher: 7" wrist, 11.5" fist

As you can see, bigger isn't necessarily better in terms of punchers. Well Brook has a bigger fist & same size wrist as GGG. The punching power difference is evident.

Interesting measurements tho, my wrist is 7.5", fist is 10.5"

 

[Sinister]

^Your speed hurts more people than your power does. Same with Pac, Mayweather, DLH

 

[FighterTwister]

How much does hand size factor into punching power?

Power always come from the ground up!

Its called "Postural Alignment" (Skeletal / Muscular Structure), found in any combat / martial art having a particular method to drive force from the ground, some of you need to study the various methods of striking derived from martial arts.

Its also in connection with energy force distribution a downward root force producing an opposing force (momentum/energy) using your rear leg through the movement of your foot.

Usually a twist upward through calve leg muscles to hip twist or forward hip thrust aligning the torso through to the extension of arm muscle and final impact point.

The Muscle and Skeletal structure are combined/interconnected structural alignment producing either offensive or defensive posturing and forces inward / outward.

Types of power alignment output:-

• Karate has certain lunged/squat stance to drive forward linear punching power
• Kung Fu arts (Tiger Hand Claw or Crane Hand Blade) in the five animal teachings have a low crouched explosive stance to drive power from grounded waist power rising up and down with long strikes.
  
• Boxing has a certain rear leg push and square stance in the clinch where combined hip-twist drives power
• In Wing Chun we shift on the weighted leg and interconnecting our hips from the floor up with certain hand positioning and angular strikes from the chest or forward guard in angles to forward strikes producing power and speed driven from the various stances that are proven scientifically to withstand forward pressure maintaining stability.

So on....... including benefiting from your center of gravity to produce power.

An example.......

Its not just the punch from the hip or shoulder neither the elbow or other its the whole technique forming various elements as one movement to drive power out

Also........... in Wing Chun we teach.... 精确度超过功率和时间节拍速度 ......meaning.... precision beats power and timing beats speed, also quoted by Bruce Lee in the TAO of JKD....... in defending the center lines vital organs.

The point I'm making is that its all combined and interconnected, its not just a fist but conditioning the whole body and with correct techniques depending on what combat/martial art you practice.

Also if we are talking about an increase of hand mass as an object to cause maximum damage. Then having a large hand does not really equate to well in the argument for big hands.

When in Shotokan Karate there is a knuckle strike like many other Martial arts using similar technique for striking vital organs and pressure point to cause deep internal damage.

In fact there are various parts of the hand require hard conditioning to use as martial arts strikes......

So its not limited to size or shape of a formed fist but more about conditioning and specific intent of striking areas of the actual hand.

A good read:- http://sportnaukaipraksa.vss.edu.rs/pdf/SNP-06-01-02_EN/ANALYSIS OF TECHNIQUES IN KARATE.pdf

Simply comes down to being a good ......."Practitioner"......... of what you do and the power will come naturally as you build up the tolerances with experience!

 

[YoungCashMoney]

^Your speed hurts more people than your power does. Same with Pac, Mayweather, DLH

Just seeing this.

In your opinion, what kind of power is more effective? The fast snappy kind of power, or the thudding heavy kind of power? Which kind of power produces the more dangerous puncher

 

[Sinister]

Effectiveness is relative, too many variables to say. But you've been Boxing long enough to know there are thumpers, guys who hit stupid hard without realizing or even trying to. And it always feels like they have bowling balls in their gloves.

 

[BACKDOG]

False

I’d argue that it hurts more to get hit by the same boxer wearing 12oz gloves rather than 16oz. So how does that work?

 

[Davem10]

I’d argue that it hurts more to get hit by the same boxer wearing 12oz gloves rather than 16oz. So how does that work?

Lol