How To Punch Harder - Science Behind The Punch

Follow the Boxing Science training methods for just £19.99 p/month with the Train Like A Champion Membership
👉🏼 boxingscience....
Access 10 week programs that include....
🏋🏼️ STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING
🥗 NUTRITION GUIDES
🏃🏼 HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING
🥊 MOVEMENT TRAINING
PLUS - Gain access to 100's of hours of content with our Exercise Library, Educational Workshops and Workout Videos
-------
Check out more FREE content across our website and social media channels
🖥 boxingscience....
📱 / boxingscience

[@Grind2Excellence]

Basically, improve heavy strength, then work on transfer that to speed using velocity excises. So you work on pure force production then try getting that force faster

[@koan7144]

Power comes from technique, not strength. If you can't breathe properly during striking, 200kg of muscle won't help.

[@forwardgrappling]

@@koan7144 post technique videos on how to punch harder

[@foolishyish]

@@koan7144 200kg of muscle will definitely help lol. Do you think strength doesn't matter?

[@richardbreeze7898]

@@koan7144 who says a musclebound dude can't breathe. You been doing too many Tai Chi classes.

[@koan7144]

@@richardbreeze7898 Yes smart ass that's what I said, too much Tai Chi for me O.o

[@justingonzalez1334]

What some people don't understand is how much science actually goes into combat sports. Understanding body mechanics and why we train the way we do can (obviously) improve our fight game drastically!

[@Six-bw3ir]

Science is in everything bud

[@nanayNiCholoPinakainNgKarne]

​@@Six-bw3ir but not everyone using that technique bud

[@sbstaysharp25]

I'm a numbers guy and I really appreciate the information. Being a strength coach and boxing coach , this gives me footage to teach my fighters why we do the exercises. Salute !

[@Wiley97]

Especially when martial arts is very full of misinformation and outright wrong training philosophies

[@williamcardenas177]

Yeah same i have ocd so it is very hard to stop my self from questioning stuff sometimes i will completely stop using a technique until i can figure it out

[@jackflash8756]

This is a bit confusing. 1. You want strength to develop force quickly (ie. maybe increase of fast-twitch muscular activity) 2. You want isometric tension at a certain muscle length to maximise force production 3. You want to generate speed of movement to create momentum (which means removing muscle tension and contradicts point 2 above) 4. You want to increase effective mass at impact which is a term that doesn't seem to be well defined (apart from in solid state physics). Maybe this means how much of the boxer's mass is involved during a punch collision. So if a puncher stiffens up his body before a punch, he is converting more of his whole mass into a rigid body, therefore increasing the mass (and therefore momentum) involved during punch collision. If it was a just a straight arm jab , then the amount of mass involved would just be the arm rather than the body. 5.The faster the muscle contraction the smaller the force which contradicts point 3. 6. Impulse in physics is the Force x time (ie. normally the amount of time that the force is exerted on another mass). It is usually a measure of the change in velocity of the mass being acted upon by the force (ie. its change in momentum). In the boxer punch example , I am assuming it is the force generated by the muscle contraction on the body joints, acting for a certain amount of time to increase the momentum of the whole body . But using ground reaction forces and kinematic sequence to help transmit forces from proximal to distal (legs/pelvis/torso/shoulder girdle/arms-including fist). You need the whole body moving so that when the boxer stiffens up his body just before impact , it will create a larger effective mass (ie. larger momentum) at impact. Hope I've got this correct.

[@coachingconfidant2785]

So which muscles are best to develop to optimise the effectiveness of proximal to distal transmission? I'm thinking shoulders and upper body. I'm trying to go up in weight class

[@ALtheelectrician]

It's why Ngannou has the world's strongest punch ever recorded. He's super strong and super fast. Hands the strength of a super heavy weight body builder with the speed of a feather weight.

[@JordanService]

I just discovered the second pulse timing and man, there is nothing like it I feel like I am first learning all over again, it really changes everything for me conceptually. I was trying to do the wrong thing.

[@spcooper94]

I'd love to read these research study. What are they called so I can look for them

[@deleting.chanel]

I'm a good research study result. I have never been stronger or more muscular and I have way more powerful and way faster punches than I've ever had. I've trained myself for boxing off and on for over 15 years and weekly for over a year and a half. I do every rep range and every weight range during most of my workouts.

[@TC-by3il]

I like what you guys are doing but some of the theoretical framework is rather thin. Maximal isometric strength is not necessarily the most important driver of RFD, and even if it was, velocity is much more than just RFD. Contractile velocity, fascicle lengths (inner moment arms), neural efficieny and fiber types are some of the other equally important factors and this is without including motor efficiency over several joints. As usual, picking a single study with few variables on an isolated muscle doesn't reflect the true nature of the literature. While strength is important, I think you guys put a little too much stock into the MVC side through powerlifting, without going into the issue of diminishing returns. I still like your presentation as a whole though. Increasing ROM, increasing overall strength and stability, increasing core strength (second impulse and bracing) and then moving over to sports specific drills. It's a good program, and something simular to what I do myself, just feel like it gets a little iron dogmatic.

[@TC-by3il]

You're welcome. Again, really like what you guys are doing and I appreciate the content! Chris Beardsley has several insightful articles on velocity and power production for sports, including considerations for maximal strength and ballistic training, if you guys would find that interesting. As always, there's a few caveats in that he goes through so much stuff that some of the studies are not very well vetted. It's always a work in progress. Here is a few, but browing his site you'll find many hours of interesting reads: medium.com/@SandCResearch/how-does-heavy-strength-training-transfer-to-fast-sporting-movements-28a214bbac66 medium.com/@SandCResearch/how-can-heavy-strength-training-fail-to-make-you-faster-357109674ca3 This is the main site: www.strengthandconditioningresearch.com Thanks again and keep up the good work!

[@TC-by3il]

@@marchytam873 Other factors that influence the velocity of a moving limb?

[@TC-by3il]

@@marchytam873 Of the trainable ones I'd say: Rate coding/muscle unit firing frequency, early RFD, contractile velocity and fiber type characteristics (type 2X having the fastest contractile velocity) as well as some coordination aspects, like inter-muscle coordination. Heavy strength training generally tend to increase tendon stiffness and can improve RFD, usually late stage-RFD. Not going to failure and/or controlling for the velocity of reps can shift that somewhat towards earlier stages of RFD. This is most likely because doing it that way mitigates the change of type 2A to type 2X fibres, which is typically associated with heavy resistance training. Heavy strength training may increase co-contractions during movements and therefor lower limb velocity. Ballistic, explosive and high velocity specific training can also improve RFD, although in this case it's primarily in the early stages of RFD. It also improves rate coding (early neurological firing), contractile velocity as well as keeps a greater retention of type 2X fibres after training. In addition, it can reduce the activation of the opposing muscles over joints and therefor futher increase limb velocity. The ability to produce force very quickly while being relaxed, basically. That's the fundamentals of it, yet keep in mind it's somewhat theoretical. Boxing is very complex in reality. Heavy strength training definitely does seem to be able to increase power, and deliver that power, although it probably wont increase your speed and may even hinder it if you overdo it. However, if you're untrained it doesn't matter as much. If you want to improve speed and athletic performance at higher speeds, a velocity oriented program more than likely produces superior results. It will improve power as well. Ultimately, both can be useful. Did that answer it?

[@fitveganathleteintegrateda1695]

@@marchytam873 yes, muscular sequencing.

[@deleting.chanel]

Strong limbs move easier, a strong CNS from lifting DEFINITELY helps limbs move easier, equally faster punches. I have very strong back, shoulder and oblique muscles (the muscles most recruited during power punches) I have trained for boxing off and on for over 15 years, weekly for over a year and a half, have never been stronger or more muscular and I have never had the power I have now, I've always had punching speed but it's even faster now.

[@truthhurts1884]

One thing you didn't really talk about is the application of body mass, you mentioned at the end of the video that speed becomes a negative factor in generating force but I don't think you understand why. I think the focus on volume of punches, that you get from the likes of Calzaghe, Khan, Fury is what subtracts from the power, they focus so much on the number of punches and not the quality, meaning they hit so fast that they are unable to transfer the mass into the punch.

[@MrMattias87]

I would say that weight lifting will make you slow if you're doing a body builders program instead of a strength training program. The two aren't the same because the contexts and objectives are different.

[@AK_UK_]

Great point

[@kayinhk]

Great info! Never knew about the kinetic chain. Officially addicted to these videos :)

[@mmafanuk]

brilliant KZbin channel - thanks for the videos

[@nomvonglismerced4311]

lever and counter weight also play vital role and is behind style

[@nikolaisalikov1257]

9:15 Sorry, but there is no point to multiple by time. You need to DIVIDE by time. The quicker interaction, the greater impulse and jerk. Impulse is the exchange of momentum between colliding objects: J=∫F(t)dt=Δp=m1v1-m2v2. Assuming, initial head velocity is 0 and collision is perfectly inelastic, it will lead to conclusion that impulse is equal/proportional to m2v2. In other words, to "effective mass" (i.e. mass of the fist, forearms and maybe some part of the arm and shoulder -- depends on techniques & commitment) and velocity of that "effective mass". That's all. Imagine brick flying at your head: the greater brick's mass and/or velocity, the greater the impact will be. You don't need to be (very) strong for that. You need to be relaxed, be quick and have a great technique.

[@TR3YLovinEm]

😵

[@alrightythen1466]

Weird how trainers have taught boxing for a century without any of this kind of research 😎

[@natalyawoop4263]

Fighters could possibly get even better than before based on research.

[@benjaminjameskreger]

Weird how doctors have taught medicine for thousands of years without any understanding of microbiology.

[@alrightythen1466]

@@natalyawoop4263 they can only get stronger. Boxing is about tricking the mind not a slightly stronger punch

[@alrightythen1466]

@@benjaminjameskreger you don’t really think that contradicts anything do you? Lol

[@benjaminjameskreger]

@@alrightythen1466 nope, just pointing out how many professionals have been winging it for hundreds of years. I'm sure the same tech will revolutionize wrestling exercises soon as well, now that we have these new learning tools.

[@TheGoliathDUBSTEP]

when a warlock turns into a titan

[@suuperstrong]

Great stuff guys! Could you please link the research papers from this presentation?

[@arshakh1]

Very nice. Question. When hitting a target, what's the difference between snapping a punch and locking a punch at a target? Which one is stronger?

[@ssbsanan]

Firstly by snapping I'm assuming that upon contact with the target the fist pulls/hooks back or in other words not forced along it's projected attack... And by locking, I'm assuming upon contact, the fist continues to push forward on the target, following through with the projected attack. In both cases, what's similar is, how the force is generated. It is by expanding energy to put body mass into motion. Be it a fist, or knee etc. Therefore the more mass put into the punch, the greater the momentum that is created. During contact, this momentum is imparted. Where they differ is the duration of contact...which is very crucial to the nuances of the punch. A snap has low contact duration, generating high impulsive forces. Impulsive forces have the capacity to effect structural failure in targets. Mainly causing tears, minor breaks, cracks, shatter and rattling effects to musculoskeletal structures. Akin to light strikes with a blunt object. Following through, relative to snapping, does have a significantly longer contact duration that doesn't generate the amplified impulsive force. So this punch reduces loss of energy transfer to outer impact and FOCUSES the energy and creates penetrative impact. This effects deep muscle tissue and organ damage or failure when executed in addition to heavy blunt object impact trauma. Strength or the force capacity behind a Punch is intrinsic only to the technique given a person in ANY physical condition. Even an amputee for example. The follow up question to ask is when a type of punch is used for what attack and to what strategical advantage in a situation etc.

[@ssbsanan]

Because a punch thrown isn't necessarily one or the other. It is how much of one AND the other a fighter can pull off given the situation.

[@terminator4974]

@@ssbsanan The follow up question to ask is when a type of punch is used for what attack and to what strategical advantage in a situation etc: headshots snap: bodyshots follow through?

[@sportmuaythaiv1045]

I always get a chuckle when someone is trying to explain force. I'm more concerned with impact energy, which is KE kinetic energy. KE is achieved with proper bio-mechanically correct delivery of a punch. A fast punch is a compromise of a heavy impact punch. Correct punch form is the answer.

[@scarred10]

Kinetic energy depends entirely on how fast you can move you're effective mass into the punch it's the exact same mechanics as throwing a fast ball or javelin .

[@JordanService]

Just looking at those exercise in the intro you guys are doing things interesting! Like it!

[@dan.c9008]

Good info, thank you

[@drushkyy2017]

thats why tyson was so lethal when he was close, cause his muscles were at their optimal range.

[@bigd5899]

Thats not all, tyson mastered shifting his weight into his punches, rotating his shoulders and throwing the uppercut with his legs and back. For his lack in size and sometimes weight he made up with his mastery of momentum. Also you have to consider how short tyson was, when he was in his ideal range to land hooks and uppercuts it was a very awkward distance for his opponents to get a half decent punch going.

[@ibraheemali7028]

@@bigd5899 that's also why when you look at his losses, his opponents always clinched with him and used their size advantages to stop him from fighting in the inside and then use thier height and reach advantage to clip him from a distance, it's really fascinating to study.

[@evanrutherfordlazyahole9079]

his ability to rotate his trunk and generate force is super human that with a style that perfectly compliments this makes him one of the most intimidating heavyweights if not the most.

[@choiceblade]

So… What you’re saying is this is not not rocket science, right?

[@LoganNagol]

I want to know, are punches just as powerful in space as they are on earth? Just from a forces stand point idk how that would work

[@rajeshprasad6016]

In space you wouldn’t have gravity so your hand will lift up faster and move faster because there’s no air resistance. So it would be more powerful, assuming some conditions like his legs are planted on something so he doesn’t fly away with the punch.

[@paulhudson8717]

Hey guys , I m also interested in numbers . Are there any stats on punch power Pre, during and post training plan . I

[@jitterdaoc9512]

I correlate the second pulse to the gentlemen who can perform a 1inch punch with immense force. I'm probably wrong so, if anyone knows the actual answer please feel free to enlighten me :D

[@jamesstat]

Kinetic chain not just arm punches.

[@Robby1456]

And people say boxing is easy

[@tertia0011]

Stave Austin's NASA bionics made him faster & stronger. They had the science & the technology to rebuild him - better.

[@jimmyestrella4093]

Long ass intro lmao well done

[@M0RN1N6_5T4R]

If a person can’t properly throw a punch and snap his punches starting from ground up. Muscles are useless.

[@DDG-Downfall]

You guys sell training plans?

[@scarred10]

youre last point concerning the force velocity curve is very misleading in boxing terms.The reason force goes down with increasing speed is because there is insufficient time to reach a high % of MVC but the power goes up as velocity increases assuming youre effective mass remains constant.In summary,use correct technique but as fast as possible given the constraints of combat.

[@87392v]

This is a great explanation of the "snap" at the end of a punch they're always talking about

[@Postermaestro]

what was the point of all this, just throwing around some physics without understanding any of it

[@khemirimonem6001]

Boxing is sparring

[@truffeltroll6668]

Can you link a study?

[@mccainmarshall8309]

is the link to the website not working for anyone else?

[@rhyanbrandt3807]

I love your guys videos, but tone back the intro, 45 seconds? Come on man

[@autarchkylan2668]

How to punch harder? Make sure it lands... easy. No matter the punch, if it does not lands it's nothing.

[@rnonthenicschannel4820]

Hello

[@isaiasvaldes7587]

I don’t have heavy hands at all 😐 lowkey small hands for a dude

[@famouslon1538]

😭😭🤣

[@lionforlambs9167]

Train them

[@Wiley97]

Prop learn to use ur hip

[@meurigjones7599]

Grip train

[@Wiley97]

@@meurigjones7599 Dont think its worth it, you cant build that much muscle to make a difference

[@hi._.golgo137]

The thing is, it's not about the amount of time it takes to produce power the criticism from the boxing world is it slows the time it takes for your punch to connect, we know the bigger the more power you re going to produce that's just a strawman you re using, you produce power quicker sacrificing actual punching speed

[@ReptilianAnusWizzard]

Qould be nice to give us some actual exercises

[@stevendelgado5654]

Only one training ..no style, every style

[@evanrutherfordlazyahole9079]

Could you use bodybuilding and working on smaller agonist muscles to increase mass and efficiency without sacrificing speed and control.

[@vanthoha4246]

Ban phai dich sang tiêng việt thi toi moi hiu dc chu

[@mauriciorv228]

so fat would only slow u down since fat itself doesn't produce zero force and makes your punches weaker.

[@deforeestwright2469]

Fat is weird because even though it isn’t contractile, and thus doesn’t help you move, it would contribute to overall mass. This means it would contribute to momentum and force generation provided that it isn’t decreasing neuromuscular functioning, which it generally isn’t. That said excess fat, especially in specific places, can have all sorts of negative effects. It can slow down foot speed, specifically, because the muscles of the lower body have to recruit more muscle fibers to move the increased weight. But that’s about it in terms of actual “slowing”. The real problem is that if you are carrying a lot of fat over all then blood and blood vessels have to run through it to keep the tissue alive. This means that blood flow to muscles can be less efficient. The other problem is that having a lot of fat in one place, like the gut, can impede muscle contraction and range of motion. This maldistribution of fat can also overload specific muscles or muscle groups, like those in the lower back, and thus have a negative effect on posture or the health of postural muscles. So it’s not that any and all fat will slow you down, but that “unhealthy” fat will undermine 1) your endurance, 2) your foot speed, and 3) your mobility, posture, and form-all more or less in that order. Extra body fat in a reasonable range though could be useful, especially if the trade offs are mitigated by height, build, fitness, and style. Check out Butterbean if you want to see a fighter who can use body fat to his advantage.

[@deforeestwright2469]

@@marchytam873 Indeed. That is certainly true. However, there are three other things to be considered. 1) how likely is a fatty fighter to go up against someone of the exact same mass but a higher muscle to fat ratio? 2) what about the mass of the other tissue types involved? and 3) genetics (which is broad, but I hope not hand-wavy, ha ha). The third one ties in with the second. Genetically speaking, a fattier fighter with a higher number of fast-twitch muscle fibers might tire more easily in the long term, but they might be more likely to get a knock-out early on, or out-wrestle their opponent. On the other hand, the fighter carrying more weight might have more mitochondria or greater mitochondrial density, which would offset the disadvantage of their weight. Tissue type-wise, if two fighters are of equal weight, with one fatter and the other more muscular, there could still be differences in bone mass to consider. A taller fighter with a higher fat composition might not be as fast as a smaller very muscular fighter. However his style and use of reach could go a long way towards mitigating his disadvantages. Not only would he have reach, and equal mass, but if he has fast hands and good form, the angular momentum he could generate would be greater because his fists would be on longer lever arms. The question of style ties in with scenario as well. A boxing ring narrows the stylistic gap quite a bit, but even there there can be profound differences in how the fighters use their mass and conserve their energy. In an MMA bout or street fight there can be an even greater difference in styles. Street fighting of course throws weight class out the window. Another tangental factor to consider is that fat mass still contributes to inertia and shock absorbency. This doesn't really matter as much in terms of a knockout punch to the head, but it certainly would for body blows, and grappling. . . Yet another consideration is fat distribution. Having a decent amount of fat in the lower body would lower your center of gravity, so you might be more stable than someone of equal weight with a lot of muscle in the upper body. In a boxing ring the trade offs might not be worth it, but if grappling comes into play that could be very useful. . . So I would say you are right 90 to 95% of the time, and that's at the very least. You could be right 99% of the time even, especially if we are only talking about punching. But the exceptions and broader context are worth considering. Being fitter, stronger, and faster is always better than not, but when the comparison is close, a little extra cushion and a little extra mass, especially in the short term, are not necessarily disadvantages.

[@benjaminjameskreger]

Familiar with Bob from Tekken? He's a fictional fighter that got fat on purpose while maintaining his small-framed speed so his blows could hurt heavyweights. It doesn't show up in boxing except with heavyweights, where George Foreman and Andy Ruiz definitely made/make their 'extra weight' work for them.

[@MarkValascun]

For the engineers and physicists who want to watch this but are in the comments first… brace yourself for some cringy, subpar explanations of impulse, momentum and how they relate to each other.

[@kritikamalrava1]

Boring 😶😐🗿

[@jeanmarais337]

Terrible lecture

[@jizreldjawa5808]

And Bruce Lee is the hardest puncher on earth because he had a speed of three times light speed and had a relatively bigger mass compared to an elephant. In fact he can beat Muhammad Ali, Tyson and AJ with one inch punch that throw three of them at a the same time. Because Bruce Lee is the only son of ancient God from Hunan Province. That same God who once thrown Chinggis Khan from the imperial throne of China.

[@Sheeshpat]

Funny

[@lucasgonzalez2973]

🤣

[@isaacshacky17]

I also want to point out that more muscle mass = more oxygen being used = you are more likely to get fatigued sooner so where would a good balance be i wonder

[@BoxingScience]

We also look to condition the muscle to avoid this

[@perialis2970]

This is what you call sweet science of boxing.

[@deadlocked0994]

L Ratio

[@Vince-do3yu]

This along with the national geographic fray demonstration, really helped me understand the concept behind punching. Thank you!

[@MrKrtek00]

"it is hard to change the mass" no, that is why you use hip/legs behind your punch, and not just willing your hand.

[@lilosnitch3247]

I would like to reference u in a video roject im doing.Ill give a shoutou amd put u in references if u dont mind. Of course ill cite and give ceredit...its just that the presenter presented this very well!!