Punching Power Stricking Power Powerful Punch

[Seunlau]

shit I knew it, but that doesn´t make me think pushups is a waste. More like, good experiment and a begnning to get even better :)

[drmark10]

Push up/bench works both fast and slow twitch fibers The % of each in a given muscle is determined largely by genetics and can be improved by training. A muscle with high percentage of slow twitch generally will have more endurance and is more aerobic. Fast twitch type II utilize both anaerobic and aerobic energy systems. Push up/bench are usually performed in phosphocreatine and anaerobic systems more suited for fast twitch and many times are done in plyometric/explosive methods.

[drmark10]

There are many other factors including but not limited to nervous system coodination and recruitment. I agree that plyometrics/explosive movements can be used to increase speed/power but your physiological explanation is a little off regarding muscle fiber types.

[floorkillacris]

@kickerwithkick2 hahahah ur using force = mass x acceleration in the completely wrong situation. that equation tells us how much force is needed to push or pull an object of a certain weight with a certain acceleration. it has got nothing to do wit added weight to ur muscles and giving u more punching power!

[floorkillacris]

@kickerwithkick2 i said the equation u used had nothign to do how punching power works. of course mass gives u more power in ur punches but if u had no technique the size of ur muscles wouldnt mean shit. wot if the person was fat? . its how u transfer energy from ur legs to ur fist. gettin the perfect chain of movements is key. please only use physics equations if u kno wot ur talking about its embarrasing.

[floorkillacris]

@kickerwithkick2 mate i was telling u that the equation u stated does not apply to that situation. just admit u were wrong. please read over my comments and tell me where i say that mass doesnt add power? thats right i DONT say that.

[floorkillacris]

@kickerwithkick2 lol ur not even listening to me. are u a child or something. i agree wit u, i never said mass doesnt give more power. i was saying the formula f=ma doesnt apply to wot ur saying.... jst admit u dont kno anything about physics and that it was stupid to use that equation

[floorkillacris]

@kickerwithkick2 ur comment amused me thats y i commented. i had to correct ur mistake. so ur saying f = the force of ur punch , m= the mass of ur body and a= the acceleration of wot? . if u say the acceleration of fist and body, then f= the force needed to move ur body of a certain mass. f doesnt mean the force of ur punch in this equation. so ur right about mass but uve put mass into the wrong formula. the formula would be momentum = mass x velocity.

[floorkillacris]

@kickerwithkick2 then so u find the momentum on initial impact and final impact. calcuate the change in momentum and divide by the time between in the initial and final impacts. and then we used the formula *change in momentum/time = force* . the force of ur fist on impact will be different depending if their head is moving into or away from ur punch. if u want more explaination jst ask i love explaining shit. btw im doing a major in astrophyics and minor in maths so i kno wot im talking about.

[kickerwithkick2]

@floorkillacris that's fine but next time I (or ne1 else) would be much more willing to listen to what you have to say if you say it in a polite and respectful tone instead of insulting them right off the bat.

[drmark10]

The speed/power of the punch is greatly increased when you learn to efficiently employ the kinetic chain from your feet, legs, hips, abdominals, through the shoulder arm to fist all while keeping good balance. Bench press/push do have benefit in strengthening pecs, triceps etc.... which can help to increase punching ability but it is only a small part of the picture. But, it does have value.

[CalebRox]

Hi Paul,

So how does one work to increase the speed and power of his punches?

In Karate you are taught to relax everything and launch your hand forward very quickly, and only harden it at the very last moment.

So what does one need to develop to increase speed and power?

[ricklsalinas]

im not sure if this is correct but recently i heard that u use alot of your fiscia when u use musle movement. thats probably how Bruce Lee can punched so hard

[eliy89]

wow man these comments really make sense im surprised

[yasinpatel12345]

my dad usually boxes with me as i got older i began lifting weights and it did help like u said in the vid like bench press and push ups shoulder exersizes but my punches got really fast when i performed the excersizes with an whip or exploding up

[cornmad99]

So your fists basically like a whip.

If you throw fast punches and fling them sort of, it hurts more then winding up a punch??

[POKeMONsucks41516111]

The best way to increase your punches is to punch at very fast speeds. As doing so, as speed increases, so does mass, resulting in stronger punches.

[mdub2000]

interesting ....thats physics....never thought of it that way....but the speed at which we punch...could it be that fast that we could really increase mass?

[fighter3223]

Nope, not punching faster only and I mean look Muhammad Ali he punches fast but his punches are light so they don't hurt much and if you want power your punches must be heavy and fast! Tyson has it!

[antiglobalista92]

I knew this.

I really like you ,Paul,because you are researching things like that,I like to test some things with my body,for excemple how to make faster punch,but I don't really know much about this.How do you do your researches,I'm really interested.

[Elasticsteel]

Thank you for your comment.

There are many ways to research. Too many to list here. Don't worry at some point I will publish many things that I am found and continuing to find.

[newjersey02]

Thank you.

[malakianissick]

Any tips on how to increase the power of straight punches?

[Elasticsteel]

I spent a long time researching the answer to this very question. Soon I'll make a DVD with my finding as well as different techniques.

[teamaniac10]

Food for thought. I like that. Who would not want more punching power.

[Elasticsteel]

Thank you for your comment.

[Elasticsteel]

Thank you for your comment.

[Features28555]

Interesting idea.

[ehisey]

Warning Technical Thoughs:

Both the bench and push up have proven over time to improve the power of punchers. The question is not so much does it, but how does it. I agree the actual muscle build up adds only a little to the punch, extra hand/arm weight, greater resistance to begin moved off target, but that is about it. So what is left that keeps bring trainers back to these exercise?

The other stuff. What other stuff you ask? See next post.

[ehisey]

Post 2: When building up muscle mass you also increase all the structural components used to move the muscle. This were the benefits from push ups and bench press start to show up. These components are the ligaments, tendons, bone and cartilage that make up the joints and bones of the arms. The weaker they are the more susceptible to damage and the less power that can be delivered through the arm. By increase the strength of the arm you develop the deliver system of the arm.

Next post

[ehisey]

Post 3: These secondary developments take a lot longer to build than raw muscle. Muscle development takes about 3 weeks begin which is what most people see. The development of the rest takes much longer:

The development of the delivery system over time explains in part why old masters hit so damn hard despite often being of relatively small stature.

Both exercises also develop waist/abdominal strength especially pushupsdone with good from.

Net post.

[ehisey]

Darn word count.

Post 4: Thought this increase in core power is less than what you would get from targeted core development.

The increased muscle mass in the arms and chest do have a benefit to the boxer or martial artist other than just for power. The extra muscle mass also acts as cushion for the body against incoming strikes.

So are they the best exercises for developing punching power, probably not. Are they good to keep as part of the regime, yes. Just more food for thought.

next post.

[ehisey]

Last post: for the curious: The development time for teh muscle supports systems.

Muscle - after 3 weeks of training

Heart Muscle - after 4 weeks of training

Bone - after 1 year of training

Tendon - after 1-2 years of training

Ligaments - after more than 2 years of training

Cartilage - after 3-5 years of training

[Features28555]

It seems that Paul is saying the same thing.

[DSR201]

What did you get this?

[ehisey]

Where did I get this? Meaning the chart? That particular time list is from the book "One Move Too Many...How to Understand the Injuries and Overuse Syndromes of Rock Climbing" by Dr.Thomas Hochholzer and Dr. Volker Schoeffl

[moetnogleer]

So then ehisey, do you agree that by training martial arts (&dancing, gymnastics, etc) & by incorporating the elastic steel methods, that one can then develop on ALL the levels of strength you have mentioned in your posts? Even if this development is undeliberate? Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying there aren't faster ways to train these other structural components, but undeliberate trainging of these is normally a by-product of martial arts (in specific).

[ehisey]

Quite correct. Now there are caveats like with everything else. The once a week, in it cus' it's fun, practitioner will see very little gain. But then this is true of any physical activity people do. The by product, or secondary development of the support structures is a necessity of the body to adapt and handle the workloads demanded of it by the activities. Next post.

[ehisey]

post 2

To take the punch example again. The classic old wiry Irish that punches like a mule got there not by being big, but by developing the delivery structure to the point of transferring at close to 100% of impact power to the striking surface. This was often done by years of actually hitting a target increasing the bone density, and developing all the little stabilizer muscles and tissue that cannot be easily or often directly developed.

[hkeeper10]

Irish have genes for punching. lol

[WitherAway1232]

Im Irish and every Irish person I know can throw a good punch...but I dont think its genetic

[cryingindian]

hahaha maybe ur idea of a good punch is actually crap? Like you think a bad punch is good. Just food for thought.... lol

[asesino1]

i train EVERY part of my body, from tip to toe, it is obvious that striking power comes mostly from core muscles, legs and little more, but if i want to strike big time i have to weight a lot more than i do now, and the best way to do that, among others, is to train my muscles to get bigger, stronger and faster

[m1kasd]

hes an exercise for you to try out

watch?v=DP4-0aPcpOk

[Elasticsteel]

m1kasd,

How you are comparing that to a punch?

[m1kasd]

it works alot on the shoulders throwing muscles

[m1kasd]

Ive been thinking this same thought for a very long time as well but Ive sort of kept it to myself since everybody and their mother thinks being good at bench makes you a better puncher.

I thought about it for a while and after a while concluded that possibly most of the muscles responsible for the punch come from the rotating muscles of the shoulder. I have no proof to back this up at all, I'm sort of thinking aloud right now, but since you are thinking about it too I might as well post this:D

[m1kasd]

the power from a punch travels through, leg+hips+shoulder rotation+forearm rotation

[iroscoe]

Ive all ways thought of a punch in that way starting from the ball of the foot through the heel and up on through the points you mention,its a fairly complex series of events for such a simple seeming technique .

[moetnogleer]

whay you're speaking about there m1kasd are the main muscular components. Although these components are important, they do only make up a small percentage of the musculoskeletal requirements of a good punch. Martial arts is a science.

[Topdogz10]

Got me thinking.

[Dh4m13l]

What a mystery Paul!!! Now we are all desperate thinking about your next instructions and DVDs, we'll probably have them in one year.... as the kicking techniques? The info and exercises on those DVDs are to be studied for the rest of our lifes. THANKS PAUL!!!!! Please work also on the distance certification!!!

[Elasticsteel]

Thank you for your comment.

[iroscoe]

I do push ups at the dojo,but to my mind they have only ever been a means to measure Konjo(guts/determination)rathe­r than punching power . I have a 12lb sand filled century medicine ball which i use with a shot put like motion against a freestanding bag throwing/catching with alternate hands circling clock and anti-clock wise,i think its a fairly effective drill but ive no way to quantify its effect .

[Elasticsteel]

This is one of the drills that we are testing. I'll have more on that soon.

[iroscoe]

It will interesting to see someone make a methodical study of the subject .

[Elasticsteel]

Doing it right now.

[ifiemann]

Something to think about.

[Elasticsteel]

It is.

[SeasonTrue]

very intresting...

[juniorcjw]

I only know to punch a powerful strike the most easy one is using wing chun straight punch the problem is how to train those arms hmmm

[mixedlindo1]

Hmmmm, I tried it, stood at the wall and punched and it felt powerful. Idk, maybe break 3 1 inch boards. I guess this isn't really directed to everyone but then again, I don't really know much about the science to it lol

but good food for thought (:

[Elasticsteel]

You probably used another part of your body as accelerator. This means that one of your shoulders may have broken contact with the wall behind you. I have never seen anyone demonstrate any significant power or inflicted any significant damage, when the motion resembles push ups type compound shoulder flexion/horizontal flexion with triceps extension without any help from other joints.

[Bengal20]

I'm glad that I've found you! You are one of the real people, who seriously study this theory.

I agree with you in 100%.

The real power comes from tendon!

Yes, pushing and power of muscles are good, but they have their limitation.

Please give us exersices to increase the real power of the strike!

I met a person like u before. He told me the exact things that you have said! He showed me something interesting too.^_^ But at this time, I couldn't learn anything from him!:(

[Elasticsteel]

Bengal, it sounds like you have looked into the science of martial arts youself. I will bring out some ideas that you and others may find interesting.

[moetnogleer]

Yes, i agree with the tendon power concept. This can be felt whilst performing the candle punch drill...

[Tianshou88]

one last comment. i use the bands because i dont have a bag. IMO the best way to train powerful striking punches is to use a heavy bag and strike when the bag is swinging back towards you, same for kicking. you have to use your waist in order to stop the bag which promotes correct execution.

[Tianshou88]

i tend to alternate sets with resistance and without. i start at a high number like 100 punches with resistance. complete, 100 without. then i do 90 with, without, 80, etc. one issue i have with this is i cant punch as explosively as id like because i cant have a hanging bag where i live and i dont want to injure myself. when you punch a heavy bag, if the bag swings back you pushed. if the bag shakes and trembles you struck. i find this to be a good measure for punches and kicks usually

[Tianshou88]

ive trained gong fu in schools and independently for a number of years now. i prefer to train on my own because of the outdated training techniques that many schools use. i have never once done a bench press in my life but i do tiger push ups because strength is an aspect of striking. strength+speed = power. so while i do pushups and various exercises i make up to work muscles for versatile situations, i think the best way to train punching is to punch over and over again with resistance bands

[Elasticsteel]

Although the band allows you to use more then your arm, pushing with the band is still a PUSHING movement. ;)

[Tianshou88]

true. but it does seem to help my power/speed. maybe im confused as to what you mean by striking power muscles. are you referring to legs and waist? there is chen jia taiji rule that says power is drawn from the legs and directed by the waist. training the waist for explosive and powerful rotation is crucial for striking power but if you neglect training the arms and upper body youll have a fast but weak punch.

[Elasticsteel]

"Waist" is an interesting term. There seem to be two schools of thoughts. One "most boxers" is legs to torso to arm and two "most martial artists" legs to hips to shoulders to arm.

[Tianshou88]

training the waist for the explosive rotation movement along with punching will give you the ability to strike with power while your back is against the wall. its basically the "one-inch styled punch" that retribution37mentioned below. wrist training , waist rotation training, leg training, arm training (for speed), and the combination of all these in punch training. what is your opinion of this? if what im saying still isnt close to what you're referring to please share your knowledge.

[Elasticsteel]

I am actually in the process of doing EMG testing on punching subjects. My theory is that the ranges of strength development improved by resistance training have very little to zero carry over into punching power. EMG reading as well as direct impact readings support this.

However the exercise I use have a very high exercise to skill modality carry over.

[Tianshou88]

thats really interesting.if you could post any compelling findings from your research that would be great. ive had a hard time finding actual studies involving this. regarding the "waist"subject, as i said the waist"directs" force. there are taiji methods for training the waist todirect power to any part of the body so you can"strike" with shoulder, head, chest etc.I dont usethe term torso because the hips separate upper and lower body whereas the torso cannot rotate the way hips can

[Elasticsteel]

Once I am done, I will make what I tested and found available. You are right, there is limited research out there. Worst then that a researcher is either an expert on science or an expert on martial arts.

Between me and people that are helping me, I would like to combine both of those worlds.

[retribution37]

i use a one-inch styled punch, but, can use it at any sort of range. it's like, a snap and a vibration of force. ionno, i fail at explaining it..