How to increase punching power?

[Rajon Rondo]

So I'm doing knuckle push-ups. Gotten over 200 at this point. And of course doing heavy bag workouts.

What other exercises can I do?

 

[Woldog]

Get a boxing trainer and learn how to punch correctly.

 

[j123]

You increase it by posting threads asking how to increase punching power. Aim to do 5 a day to gain maximum banginess

 

[Benaskrenstriking]

Study ben

 

[Stuart0502]

From a S & C point of view, unless you are new to working out doing 200 push ups won't do much to increase one shot power outside of a little bit of muscular size. It might help your muscular endurance in a fight. I read Joe Calzaghe did it as part of his training.

Better exercise selection imo for power would be;

Upper body:

Clap push ups 5 reps, every five minutes. Trying getting in multiple claps or using a weighted jacket if you are finding it too easy. 4 - 8 sets would be a good amount imo. Benefits - increased neural drive/rate coding, increased voluntary activation of high threshold motor units.

OR

Heavy bench press. 3-5 reps every five minutes. Benefit's - greater muscular hypertrophy than the clap push ups, increased voluntary activation of high threshold motor units. Disadvantages - Increased coactivation of muscles on either side of the joint for joint stability may transfer to high velocity exercises and slow you down.

OR

Punching using resistance bands (used by Evander Holyfield in his prime) - Similar benefits to the clap push ups might be more joint angle specific.

Mid section:

Medicine ball rotational slams. 5 reps every five minutes.

Lower body:

Heavy squat. Similar factors to the heavy bench press.

Plyometric depth jumps/weighted jumps. Similar benefits to the clap push ups.

Horizontal lunge - Do weighted lunges carrying a sled that is horizontally behind you. This will increase your ability to produce force horizontally. From what I understand on a typical rear hand power punch the forces travel up from the ground then become horizontal at the point of the mid section. If you throw a power jab the forces from the ground travel horizontally almost immediately.

This is not to get into much detail of the technique of throwing the power punch.

For beginner power athletes the ability to use a greater percentage of the muscle used is something that is developed quite early on, as power athletes get more advanced reducing co contractions, muscle fiber type, improved rate coding become more discriminating factors.

 

[Cole train]

Better technique but its very talent related

Some people just can punch hard ,others cant even with good technique

 

[Benaskrenstriking]

Better technique but its very talent related

Some people just can punch hard ,others cant even with good technique

I would say technique isn't there for power but rather defensive purposes. The hardest punches aren't the most technical

 

[Cole train]

I would say technique isn't there for power but rather defensive purposes. The hardest punches aren't the most technical

Oh yeah true agree completely

Dont know whats the skill level here so for beginner technique is usually best answer

 

[Benaskrenstriking]

Oh yeah true agree completely

Dont know whats the skill level here so for beginner technique is usually best answer

Oh I see what you're saying. Hmm.. Maybe If he's a beginner but beefing up might be more effective, if he's not naturally strong. Just to get heavier hands..

The correlation between natural strength and power has to be 0.80.. 1 is perfect correlation

 

[shunyata]

Get a boxing trainer and learn how to punch correctly.

This all day.


But in addition to the above, squats.

 

[Zebra Cheeks]

Chop a lot of wood

 

[AndyMaBobs]

Get a boxing trainer and learn how to punch correctly.

This is the main answer for most people, unless you're a veteran competitor with perfect mechanics from years of practising, the issue is normally technical

 

[AndyMaBobs]

Better technique but its very talent related

Some people just can punch hard ,others cant even with good technique

Not really true. It doesn't take as much power to KO someone as you might think, you look at the eastern bloc countries and they're all power punchers. I think it's easy to forget that even famous boxers have technical issues in their fundamentals that can be ironed out for more power, before athleticism even comes into it

 

[Benaskrenstriking]

They say Tommy Hearns wasn't a puncher as an amateur but everybody else i can think of was always or always not

 

[listrahtes]

Not really true. It doesn't take as much power to KO someone as you might think,

What do you think about why Pauli Malignaggi does not even have medium power. His punch execution looks ok

 

[AndyMaBobs]

What do you think about why Pauli Malignaggi does not even have medium power. His punch execution looks ok

Notice that you said 'looks ok'
I always thought he was an arm puncher myself

 

[j123]

I would say technique isn't there for power but rather defensive purposes. The hardest punches aren't the most technical

Technique is to be more efficient

Maintain balance
Able to recover faster to strike or defend again
Power without compromising the others

Is a cross weaker than an full forward overhand? Depends, but you for sure aren't off balanced where you'd fall into something worse or can't do anything until you recover

 

[Benaskrenstriking]

Technique is to be more efficient

Maintain balance
Able to recover faster to strike or defend again
Power without compromising the others

Is a cross weaker than an full forward overhand? Depends, but you for sure aren't off balanced where you'd fall into something worse or can't do anything until you recover

That's what I wrote which you just repeated. There's plenty of pop in boxing proper techniques, if there is such a thing.

I would argue that the best measure of technique is how little it is dependent on speed and athleticism. Sonny Liston was a relatively slow puncher for a boxer but man could he bang, because he had crisp technique.

People can argue all day long how incredibly physically strong Liston was and he sure was (picked up a police officer off the ground and threw him in the garbage bin. A crime which he served time in prison for).

Liston would nonetheless be a weak puncher if he didn't know how to use his body properly because speed was pretty average.

Take Mayweather and Ali's technique and have regular speed and athleticism and you'll have sissy punching power. and they'll lose their fights..

 

[Benaskrenstriking]

Tyson Fury is a bit more complicated. He throws awful power shots mechanically (arm punches) but uses momentum by stepping into them. Watching him do inside fighting with those gorilla limbs is hysterical.

His jab is pretty darn crisp though but it's not a power shot technically speaking

 

[Woldog]

Take Mayweather and Ali's technique and have regular speed and athleticism and you'll have sissy punching power. and they'll lose their fights..

Mayweather won more than 50% of his fights by KO, you clearly have no clue what you're talking about. Pretty Boy Floyd used to knock people out, Money Mayweather who's hands finally got to brittle relied on skill to win fights. Yet still managed to KO Ricky Hatton.

Joe Calzaghe won a lot of fights by KO and TKO early in his career, but the latter half he didn't because his hands were too fucked.

A lot of the boxers you reference are guys from 50 years ago, where technique wasn't really valued as much as heart and raw power. When people talk about Ali being the greatest they aren't talking about his skill set, they're talking about his tremendous heart and his drive to win the fight no matter the damage he was taking. You look at Mike Tyson, he entered at crossroads in boxing, guys still fought like old fighters, shit technique, relying on size and power. Then this little midget comes in and starts knocking out old school guys like Trevor Berbick. Yes Tyson had power from a freak body composition, but he also had a brilliant technique, and his knockouts stopped happening when his technique got sloppy while he was binging on cocaine.

Technique gives you power, but for tremendous power your muscle, bone and ligament structure play a huge part.

Guys like Cotto and Canelo have signature knockout punches, it's not because they're overly powerful. It's simply because they have the best technique and timing with that punch. Cotto had a tremendously powerful jab. Because he was a left handed fighter who fought orthodox it is also why his left hook was so devastating.

Guys like Paulie get a lot of rep for being technical, but watch him in slow motion all he does is arm punch.