Wrist size NOT hand size = punching power

Hendricks has tiny hands and wrists

carlos-condit-vs-johny-hendricks_ufc158.png
 
joey1980 said:
There's a front page thread here about hand size and whether it equals punching power so I'm going to make a new thread to add this twist.

Now before I get a ton of Sherdog logic I want to point out that I'm not a scientist nor have I ever done any primary research on this subject, but if you search wrist size to punching power on the net you might be surprised by what you read.

Here is an article from BE about this subject:

http://www.badlefthook.com/2011/3/1...manny-pacquiaos-body-has-tricked-analysts-and

I'll give some cliff notes and tidbits for those who are too busy to read (and this being Sherdog for those who haven't yet mastered the art):

Basically this scientist says that in boxing you will find all manner of physical statistics regarding the fighters, however you have to search hard to find wrist size.

Once you can find wrist size data you can see a direct correlation between a fighters height and their wrist size for example the average of 75.31 inches (HW) = the average wrist size of 7.69 inches.

However for noted heavy/big hitters you can notice a disproportionately high wrist size for their height for example Pacman has a higher wrist size than a HW (8 inches) as well as Joe Louis, who had 8inch wrists (should be 7.45in) and Mike Tyson, 8inch wrists (should be 7.23in).

Wrist size is also indicitive of skeletal structure, which would suggest the ability to take a punch or have an iron chin.

Anyway it's all their in the article.... so what say you Sherdog? Would you like a wrist size on the tale of the tape?
Click to expand...

Has nothing to do with punching power.
 
Face Punch said:
The force that hits less surface area the hardest will break the most shit. Basically if you have heavyweight power, but lightweight-sized hands, your going to be a soul snatcher.
Click to expand...

Heavier hands are going to hit harder. Two hammers swung at 10 miles an hour one is a 1 lb sledge the other a 5 lb sledge which hits with more force.

It's obviously not the only factor, and it can't be broken down that simply because the difference in hand size won't vary by lbs. The speed the fighter can generate in what stetch of distance will also be a factor.
 
Ok, I'm just gonna half ass this calculation. The first term being the moment of inertia for the body and the second term being the hand. I just added them together. I simplified the body as a uniformly distributed mass because it gets ugly otherwise.

Mbody = 80kg
Mhand = 0.5, 0.6, 1 kg
max radius = 3 meters

integral of mdr = m*r^2/2

moment of inertia 1 = (80(3)^2)/2 + (.5(3)^2)/2 = 362.25

moment of inertia 2 = (80(3)^2)/2 + (.6(3)^2).2 = 362.7

Let's double hand size just to make it more interesting

moment of inertia 3 = (80(3)^2)/2 + (1(3)^2).2 = 364.5

It really barely matters.
 
Matt4786 said:
Ok, I'm just gonna half ass this calculation. The first term being the moment of inertia for the body and the second term being the hand. I just added them together.

Mbody = 80kg
Mhand = 0.5, 0.6, 1 kg
max radius = 3 meters

integral of mdr = m*r^2/2

moment of inertia 1 = (80(3)^2)/2 + (.5(3)^2)/2 = 362.25

moment of inertia 2 = (80(3)^2)/2 + (.6(3)^2).2 = 362.7

Let's double hand size just to make it more interesting

moment of inertia 3 = (80(3)^2)/2 + (1(3)^2).2 = 364.5

It really barely matters.
Click to expand...

C=fuk~up+idiot%
 
Bigj383 said:
Heavier hands are going to hit harder. Two hammers swung at 10 miles an hour one is a 1 lb sledge the other a 5 lb sledge which hits with more force.

It's obviously not the only factor, and it can't be broken down that simply because the difference in hand size won't vary by lbs. The speed the fighter can generate in what stetch of distance will also be a factor.
Click to expand...

Guess I neglected to mention the body size of the 2 men, but I like the input. Good shit, sire.
 
Yup. Wrist size is also a factor. The larger (presumably stiffer) wrist absorbs less of the force generated and, thus, delivers it forward, through the fist, to the head of the guy being struck.

Fist size plays its role as well, though, in that it is the fist that generates momentum as it moves through its punching range of motion, and a heavier fist means greater momentum.

The question is, where do you think the power of impact is coming from? Force being generated from behind the wrist through the kinetic energy of the body? Or force being collected at the end of the fist through the momentum of the swinging motion?

The correct answer is both.

Unless you are Bruce Lee and have perfected your one inch death blow...
 
It is much more complex than everyone says.

It probably has to do with bone structure (not necessarily correlated to wrist/hand size), technique ( hip rotation, ''putting your body weight '' on the punch) and timing.

It is definitely not as simple as F=ma. If i take a 1kg baseball bat and a 1kg pillow and i swing both at the same aceleration i know for sure the first one is going to cause a concussion.
 
Hand, and Wrist size indicates the thickness of ones bone structure, so it's worth noting.

But the best indicator of power is a thick core, especially when it's combine with long arms which create leverage (speed at the end of punches).

This is the build of a freakishly strong puncher (long arms, thick core):

Thomas%2BHearns.jpg


SHAV-074F.jpg
 
Bigj383 said:
Heavier hands are going to hit harder. Two hammers swung at 10 miles an hour one is a 1 lb sledge the other a 5 lb sledge which hits with more force.

It's obviously not the only factor, and it can't be broken down that simply because the difference in hand size won't vary by lbs. The speed the fighter can generate in what stetch of distance will also be a factor.
Click to expand...
The problem with this thinking is that punches are not thrown like hammers. When a punch connects the entire body's force is behind it.
 
I wonder how many people in here looked at their wrist or measured them.
 
Years ago I read a Q&A with Canadian strength coach Charles Poliquin who said:

In the early '70's, long-term studies conducted in the Polish school system with over 40,000 pupils revealed that the best predictor of strength and power capacity was the circumference of the kids' calves. The second best predictor was the girth of their forearms.
Click to expand...

He then went on to talk about how this applied to bodybuilding because it was in bodybuilding magazine Muscle Media. But I think it correlates with that guys study on wrist size. It only stands to reason that bigger joints, and in particular bigger wrists and ankles would mean bigger attachments for muscles and therefore more potential for strength and power development.
 
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