Punching speed and punching power are two things that all boxers want to continuously improve on. While the most important tool in boxing is the jab, having impressive speed and a heavy hand that can put an opponent out cold are both tools that can take you a very long way in the ring.
But if you are not blessed with the natural power of Mike Tyson’s right hand or the lightning-quick speed of Muhammad Ali, worry not. These are areas of your game that you can train to improve through various training methods and can even improve with just a slight tweak of your technique.
In this article, we will detail why speed is so important within boxing, how you can increase your punch power, how you can increase your punch speed and so much more.
Why Is Speed Important In Boxing?
One of the main aims in boxing is to always beat your opponent to the punch, the main attribute that a fighter needs in order to do this is speed. Having a speed advantage over your opponent will more often than not give you a very effective path to victory. Impressive hand speed when you throw punches also gives you an unpredictability that can prove very difficult for an opponent.
In boxing, it is normally the punch you do not see that knocks you out. Fast punches make it far harder for a fighter to read or anticipate your punch whether that be a jab, straight punch, uppercut, overhand, right cross, hook or combo. This therefore means that you have a much higher chance of landing your shots and therefore stopping them and winning the fight.
Hand speed is not the only speed that you need to be fully effective in the ring, you need speedy footwork and upper-body movement. This will not only allow you to land the first punch, but it will also give you the ability to quickly evade any counterpunches coming back at you.
How Can You Increase Your Speed?
As a fighter, learning how to punch with speed is a must. There are many different ways in which fighters, even professional fighters, work on their hand speed. One of the most effective ways that they can do this is through drills. The main drills that are used to help to improve hand speed are:
Shadow Boxing With Hand Weights - This is undoubtedly one of the best boxing workouts there is for improving a number of different boxing skills, but especially hand speed. This is because shadow boxing with weight will help to strengthen the fast twitch muscle fibres and muscular endurance of your arms, back and shoulders. This will help you to be able to snap your punches much faster during a fight. This is because when it comes to throwing punches without the added weights your arms will feel much lighter and much quicker.
Using Focus Mitts - Using focus mitts is also a phenomenal way of drilling speed and accuracy into a fighter. During a focus mitt session, your coach will work wonders when it comes to improving your accuracy and your timing. Mastering both of these skills will in turn make your hand speed much faster. This is because you will have the ability to anticipate and throw punches with the proper punching technique needed to have effectively fast hands.
Speed Bag - Due to the fact that a boxing speed bag is made on a swivel that rebounds back and forth after impact, it forces a much quicker response than any heavy bag or other punching bag. This is why these pieces of boxing equipment are so integral for increasing hand speed. In order to get into a rhythm on a speed bag, you must have fast hands and fast reactions. Because this is so important to this exercise, consistent use of a speed bag will pay dividends for your hand speed.
Why Do Boxers Need Punch Power?
The most obvious reason why it is important for a boxer to have big punching power is because it can lead to knockouts. In boxing, knocking your opponent out is by far the best form of victory and if you have impressive punching power, all you need is that one shot.
While punching power will help you to beat your opponent to the punch, a hard punch will end the fight. Failing a knockout, the harder punches and the maximum power you throw will cause the most damage and will therefore give you the best opportunity of compromising your opponent and winning the fight.
How Can A Boxer Increase Their Punch Power
While it is incredibly rare to be born with the incredible natural power of heavyweight pro boxers such as Deontay Wilder and Mike Tyson, there are several different exercises and drills that a boxer can integrate into their training regime to increase the power behind their punches. These drills are:
Plyometric Push-Ups - Plyometric push-ups are a phenomenal way of building body strength and explosiveness in your shoulders and upper body. The difference between a normal push-up and a plyometric push-up is that you explode off the ground at the top of the rep. This explosiveness very much replicates resistance exercises such as a barbell bench press but negates any potential injury risks. The explosiveness of this movement is amazing for building your overall explosiveness which will result in a much more powerful punch.
Medicine Ball Throws - Medicine ball throws are another amazing exercise for getting a strong punch. This rotation strength training is a way that fighters can work their whole body and help them shift more of their body weight into their punches. Being able to shift your weight from your back foot to the front foot of your boxing stance while rotating into a punch will help you to hit far harder. Medicine ball throws not only make this movement far stronger but also help to improve the mind-muscle connection which will help this to become more of a natural movement for a fighter.
Heavy Bag Work - The old-school way of increasing the power you hold in your hands is through rounds and rounds on the heavy bag. While science has shown that more isometric and targeted strength training is effective for improving the power of your punches, the benefits of a heavy bag can not be dismissed. Consistently using a heavy bag to practice your punches and combinations will help to build a hugely strong upper body and extreme explosiveness. This is why heavy bags have been used to help fighters improve their punch power for years.
Lower Body Work - A vast majority of the power behind your punches actually comes from the muscles within your lower body. That is why it is actually incredibly important to ensure that your leg muscles are as explosive and as powerful as possible. Exercises such as barbell squats, dumbbell squats, squat jumps, and other lower body-based exercises are phenomenal for boxing training, Muay Thai, kickboxing training, MMA training and all other martial arts and combat sports where power is important.
Pull-Ups - Another exercise that can be very effective when it comes to increasing punching power is pull-ups. Pull-ups will target your biceps, anterior deltoids, and pecs. These are all muscle groups that are heavily used in the movement of throwing a punch. The more powerful these muscles are, the more power you will have behind your punches.
Boxing Training Equipment From UK’s Leading Boxing Equipment Retailer
Here at Geezers Boxing, we stock the highest quality boxing equipment from the sport's biggest brands. Whether you are looking for a new pair of boxing gloves, sparring equipment, coaching equipment or anything else boxing related then look no further.
We also stock a range of resistance and weighted equipment to help fighters build their overall strength and put more power behind their punches. Whether you are looking to increase your strength and conditioning or just looking to advance your current training, our range of weighted equipment and resistance equipment has everything you need.
