I’ve started practicing krav maga recently, and the “basics” package comes with a good deal of classic boxing. I have realized that it is quite difficult for a beginner to throw a proper, by-the-book punch. It’s interesting. It seems incredibly simple when you watch a pro boxing fight, yet mastering the actual technique is far from easy —so many factors to take into account at the same time. A punch is not an isolated entity but the apex of a process that includes balance, oponent awareness, rotation capability and guard, to name a few.

Case in point, I’ve been roaming the Internets (again) in search for a good theoretical background to supplement my live training. There’s plenty of YouTube channels to get hints from -Boxing Fit Factory being one of my favorites- but I didn’t find a good summary until I came across this post from Expertboxing.com titled How to Punch Harder. I have made a Readability version of the Google-cached copy since the original site seems to be down.

It’s good because it doubles as a checklist for students while illustrating the sheer complexity of the thing. Here goes a small excerpt.

Basic theories you must understand to punch hard:

1. Speed is not Power – Power is acceleration. Power is not only speed, you must have a force (or a weight) behind that speed. A fast punch will not hit hard unless you put some body weight behind it.
2. Move Your Body – Like Bruce Lee’s theory behind his famous one-inch punch: moving your whole body one inch hits much harder than moving your arm one foot. You must move your entire body to get the maximum force (weight) behind that punch. The trick is not to focus on moving your body a great distance but rather to move it all at the same time.
3. Use Your Legs – The biggest muscles in your body will generate the most power. People who punch only with their arms will never punch with real power.
4. Stay Inside Your Range – Your strongest punch doesn’t land when your arms are fully out-stretched. Your punch hits harder when it lands a bit shorter than your full range of motion. Don’t reach!
5. Use Angles – Punching from different angles will give your punches more power, more punching opportunities, and more damage on your opponent.

FEET

• They are spread on the ground a little wider than shoulder width. 
• The back foot always starts with the heel lifted.
• When punching, the feet will pivot in the direction of the punch.
• As you throw multiple punches, your feet will pivot back and forth pushing in different directions as you throw different punches.
• When you throw a right handed punch, the right heel is lifted while the left foot is flat; the opposite is true when you throw a punch from the left hand.
• Your feet never leave the ground when you throw a power punch. (This rule can be broken LATER once you learn how to throwing pivoting punches.)

LEGS

• Knees are always slightly bent. 
• As you punch, you drop your bodyweight into your legs bending the knees slightly.

HIPS

• Turn your hips. Spin them into your opponent as if you were punching your opponents with your hips.

UPPER BODY

• Your torso should rotate as much as possible and spin the punch out from your shoulders.
• A full rotation with short arm extension hits harder than a small rotation with full arm extension.
• Don’t lean forward. Don’t try to reach forward, rotate instead!

SHOULDERS

• Your shoulders are stay loose during the punch to keep the punches relaxed and save energy while increase speed and power. 
• Try to raise your shoulders during your punch. This makes the punch stronger since it’s now involving the shoulder muscles. 

ARMS

• Your arms start relaxed.
• As the punch is thrown, your arms spring out towards your opponent extending just enough to hit your opponent.
• Don’t let your punches over-extend or else you’ll get countered.
• Do not pull your fist back right before a punch. This is called, “telegraphing” and allows experienced fighters see the punch coming, minimizing its impact.

HANDS

• Your hands are relaxed when you are not punching. You can make a loose fist but don’t clench it.
• When you punch, that fist transforms into a brick as your deliver it to your opponent.
• Your glove starts at your face and ends at your face.
• Your turn your fist over (horizontal) for straight punches, but your fist can stay vertical when you swing a left hook to the body or throwing pivot left hooks.

HEAD

• Exhale sharply on every punch.
• Your eyes are 100% alert. Always look at the target you’re punching.
• Your chin is tucked down a little so that it’s covered a bit by the shoulder on your punching arm.

Go read the whole thing :)

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