It’s a relatively well known fact that to throw a heavy punch you should put your body into it. This might sound simple enough in theory. Yet, during the years I used to practice mixed martial arts I observed quite a few people understand the idea, but still utterly fail in its application. Here’s a summary of how to throw a heavy punch, and a couple of nifty tricks I learned to help get it right.
If you’ve never given boxing or martial arts a try, then let me tell you that throwing a heavy punch can feel pretty good and relieve stress (onto a punching bag, mind you). We’re animals, after all, with active animal aggression. If you’re in a office/computer oriented job like me, it definitely does you good to go at the ol’ bag every now and then. But enough blabbering and on to the meat … so to speak.
Using Your Weight
First, to better understand the idea of using your body weight, try this: Find a heavy object (like a TV cabinet, something that you can move but is heavy). You’re going to push the object, but you’re going to do so while standing completely straight, about 11-12 inches from it, using only your hands to push it.
You’re going to feel two things:
- The weight of the object is going to put you off-balance when you push on it. That is, your body will start moving backwards
- Your instinct will be to correct the balance by leaning forward, to avoid falling
Okay. Fine, this part’s over. Now, push the object like you would normally. Unless you’re trained in some unknown Navy Seal supernatural method of pushing things, this’ll involve taking a step back to arm’s reach, pushing the object with your hands and leaning into the push at the same time. That’s putting your body into it, and that’s the kind of weight you want to channel into your punch.
The first push you did, when standing straight and close to the object, was the equivalent of punching using only the muscles in your arm: your body-weight and posture won’t support the impact. While a punch like that is admittedly heavier than a poke, it’s nowhere near as heavy as it could be. If the right posture and shift of weight can move a cabinet, imagine what happens when you apply the same method to throwing a punch.
Actually Throwing the Punch
The way to do that involves some training. And it’s is not like riding a bicycle where you get it right once and you’re all set. It requires synchronization of various body-parts, which takes time to get right.
So, first off, the difference between pushing something and throwing a punch is that when you punch you ‘swivel’ your body. Stand straight, one foot a bit in front of you, the other a bit behind (boxing stance, basically). Now imagine that a spear is running right through the top of your skull, through your body and into the ground, holding you straight. That’s the pole you need swivel your body on, and you want to keep that pole as stationary as possible.
Assume you are going to throw a punch with your rear arm (the one that’s further from the punching bag). When you swivel, keep your feet where they are, turn your upper body and allow your rear leg to twist with it. If you’re doing this right, your weight should shift onto your lead leg somewhat. (The spear-through-head is a good helping tool to get the form right, but leaning a bit forward when you do this is acceptable and later on you’ll discover it’s better). Imagine that your arm is just a stick attached to your torso, and the torso is the only thing driving the arm into the target.
Another way to practice this is by getting yourself a stick, like a broomstick, and holding it behind your head with your arms resting on it (like a scarecrow). Try that while doing the swivel. You’ll notice that a large part of your body is moving in sync. That’s the desired effect: You’re turning your body (and its weight) at the same time, swiveling it in the direction in which you’re going to throw the punch. It’s important that the torso, shoulders and rear leg move in sync to channel the weight correctly.
If you find this is still hard to grasp, try imagining that there’s a large bag of cheese (heavy cheese, massive, macho cheese) right behind you on your right, and you’re going to pick it up (keeping your feet in boxing stance), bring it around your front and put it back down on your left side. The weight of the bag would force you to sync your movements in order to maintain balance.
The entire concept is pretty well portrayed in the video below. Note how his upper body seems to swivel (rather than bend or stay still) in sync with the footwork, driving the arm forward like an arm drives a pool cue.
When you feel you’ve got a grip on the motion itself, move onto a punching bag. When you do the swiveling movement to throw the punch, start by pushing with your rear leg. Kind of thrusting with it to jump start the swiveling motion of your body.
The Wet Towel Snap
This is a bit of an addition, but an important one. I have no special name for it, so I’ll call it the ‘wet towel snap’. You know that nasty trick from childhood when somebody wet a towel, twisted it up and used as a whip? You throw the towel forwards (it’s heavy, as its soaked in water) and right before it hits something, you immediately pull back and the end of the towel will ‘snap hit’ what you were aiming for.
The relevance of the wet towel to punching: You’ve learned how your heavy body can channel a ‘momentum’ of weight into your arm. Now you want to use it like a wet towel and throw a punch where your channeled weight is ‘snapped’ like a whip. This focuses the power to your fist and ergo makes a very sharp and heavy impact at the precise moment of contact. Knockout. Did you notice, in the video above, that when the person threw the punch his fist seemed to stop moving forward right after he hit the target?
To get the whipping part right, imagine that your target is about three inches behind where it actually is. That’s the point of retraction, or in other words, you don’t want your arm to go much further than that. At that point, the impact will already have been delivered and you’ll simply start pushing. When you practice this on a punching bag, it might seem like not following through further will be less of an impact because the bag won’t swing as much. This is an illusion. Once you’ve got the whipping-technique down, you’ll be able to make the bag swing pretty much without any pushing. You’ll also hear an increasingly deeper (and scarier) thud as your ability to snap-focus the weight gets better.
About the Author
Hrafn Th. Thorisson (hthth) is the author of Think Artificial and studies artificial intelligence in Reykjavik, Iceland. He would like to make it known that he’s a very peaceful person who doesn’t go around beating people up. He would also like to thank John for the invitation to be the first guest star on One Man’s Blog!
Stumbled across this, this in theory could actually work in “Disc Golf” when doing a long drive, (throwing the disc) putting the weight behind it with a towel whip instead of just using your arm. Food for thought.
Hi Will I read this article late and I see that nobody answered you so I will. There is some truth to that, arm extended palm down is your bodys natural position of strength from an anatomical standpoint. Turning your thumb down can also help you remember to snap your elbow more forcefully.
Great article by the way. Undisputed info as far as i’m concerned, the only proof is in clean execution.
Just my bit to add, LOCATION. Where you land your punch can mean the difference between an uncomfortable grimace and not remembering what you got hit with.
thanks for keeping me occupied on a night where I cant seem to get any sleep
Excellent how-to, I was looking for a scientific approach. I do have a question. It’s been said a final wrist twist adds torque and is a force multiplier. To explain:..it like giving the thumbs down just as the arm reaches full extention, and the opponent’s jawline (thumb tightly tucked of course). Is this a myth?
Thanks ahead for any comments
tried the method and on first try knocked my brother straight out on my first punch when we got into a physical arguement
I think that you can have a standard way to give a one punch knockout but each and ever person has there own style or way of doing so for me its alittle easy with my height and weight I’m 6 feet tall and 2in weighing 250 pounds I’ve been bouncing at clubs for years and have been in fights were each TKO I gave was in the same form but with different power blows different side step punches and even and air borne fist drop to the face so really there is no one way of giving the perfect TKO punch it just lies in your will power to do so and getting off a clean hit
Your blog is totally un-PC and that why I like it.
It’s not a widely held view anymore but boxing is a disciplined sport which has provided positive role models, an outlet for aggression and a way out of poverty for countless working class kids throughout the world.
I read recently that Audley Harrison (GB Olympic Champion) wrote a thesis at university demonstrating that boxing is statistically no more dangerous than many other activities.
Informative and provacative
What about solar plexus punch?
More damaging than a head punch and easier to time
good article.i trained boxing for 4 years and MMA for 3 and what your saying is right.im only 17 but im 6 ft 5 and 12 stone im tall and thin but my punches leathal.some of these people saying they want to punch things are a bit vague though.i punched a 26 year old once after an agument and put him in a comour for 6 weeks i thought i killed the guy.it was the worst thing i ever done.and i still have it on my mind since then.so before people go punching people to knock them out think about the consicuences.still a good article though.
What exactly do you mean by half neck half jaw?
What a load of crap!! Ive been fighting for 6 yrs now ( Dream,Ultimate Challenge, KOTC – BJJ Purple belt/Goju Ryu Black belt/muay thai instructer/greco roman wrestling instructer/kyokushin karate black belt) ) All i can say is if you wanna put someone out just hit them on the chin, temple, or just behind the ear and follow that mo’fo through!!!! Forget snapping as this dude says….hahahaha….yeah right!!!! Follow that punch through with all your strength, if you connect properly your a winner! remember, half neck half jaw sends a man to the floor!!!!!
straight punch your joints are lined up and that make’s your arm more rigged and its a more naturally motion you lose alot in the bending motion because it doesn’t line up your foot with your fist
It could’nt have been told no better!!
if u do a 100 punches on a guy think about all the punches hes gonna do to you instead is better to just punch him once and you wont get hurt but he will
can somebody tell me why a straight punch is better than a curved punch?
very nice blog
a lot of punches?? i dont know about that one
its better to hit them once then knocking them out,,, hitting them alot of times and its doing nothing to the opponet your going to loook like a complete idiot
what looks better a guy knocking them out with one punch
or a guy just punchin and punchin and still not doing nothing to the opponet :|
in my experience the best punch is a lot of punches the more the better it help to putt you opponent in a daze but a strong punch to finish is useful
your wrong kevyn… this allows for optimal power
everything was pretty spot on except for one thing. You tell people to lean forward.
That adds nothing to the punch, at all; and it puts all your wieght on your front foot which traps it and throws off yoru balance.
Wow…very nice run through, I almost wish I had a gym in my home to try this out! I guess I’ll need to wait till I go to the gym in a few days. Thanks for the tips. :)
I just had to try this so I hit this guy who came into sell stolen pictures in our office. Sure enough it worked. I had to drag the guy out the back door though and that was tough because I think I broke my hand. I imagine when he comes to he’s going to want to split, he’s going to be soaked too as it is pouring rain.
Great article. Quick question: how much tension should there be in the (a) fist/wrist and (b) the forearm. Thanks.
Marcus, according to a quick search of the ‘net, the best place is “the point of the jaw, causes the tempero-mandibular joint to crash together leading to unconciousness/dizziness”
i just wanna ask a quesiton does the video mean that the muscles used in punching are the shoulders, chest, and back? i thought it was more of a tricep/shoulder anybody kno?
i found this very interesting!!
where is the best place to hit for a KO blow please?!?!!?
thanks
is it true that you can give a punch on the cheek and blow a K.O.?
and how long does a KO less. i heard its just a moment that the legs cent be moved or something
Yeah, that’s pretty much it, and don’t be afraid to experiment. Feel free to contact me directly over at Think Artificial. I can’t promise I’ll be available, but I’m sure you’ll manage on your own anyway. Happy to help. Hope you work up one hell of a punch for the ring :)
Thanks for quick response – yes that is helpful. There’s no simple definitive reply: it’s a matter of timing the impact of the fist so it corresponds with moment when body is in full swing. So you can whip out the fist at the end of the movement of your body, or mix it up by throwing the fist early while making sure the body is behind the punch at the point of impact.
I can now practice getting that timing right.
Thank you JC for the compliments on the article! Glad it helps.
Before I go on, make note that I was sparring/training using grappling gloves (similar to these), so you may have to make adjustments to distances I mention as you’re using thicker boxing gloves.
And one thing before the main advice: Putting your weight “through the punch” is often misinterpreted as having to follow through after you make contact with the opponent. The fact is though, that a 2-3 inches after the punch is delivered, you just start pushing. This can be good if you want to unbalance the opponent and if he’s likely to fall if given the push. But if not, 2-3 inches are more than enough and you should immediately withdraw to guard yourself (and/or to deliver a follow-up punch) and prevent losing your own balance.
Okay, I’m guessing the reason you’re not getting definitive answers is that you can deliver the ultimate “heavy snap” with the weight of your body despite the exact moment you throw your arm.
But (and this is a large “but”): Moving your body before you move your arm is a larger movement, and thus your opponent is likelier to have time to react. Personally, I became accustomed to throwing my hand at the same time as I started swiveling, which is not optimum due to telegraphing, but works fine.
Point being: It’s a matter of timing. Your body is the power-driver, the hand is just the medium of delivery â€â€Ã‚ contact should be made when the driver has reached maximum power; whether the arm moved first, or the body. You following me?
If you can manage throwing your hand first and moving your body afterwards while still getting that powerful snap with the weight of your body  then that’s great. But otherwise: just keep in mind that your arm is just a stick that is somewhat (not entirely) irrelevant to the power of the punch.
(But as with everything in life, there are exceptions!)
Hope this helps :)
-hthth
Best analysis of throwing a power punch I’ve read on internet. I still have a question. Just started boxing training in last few months, and find it difficult to get definitve answer from coaches/sparring partners. My question is: when should the arm be thrown? Everyone says “put your weight through the punch”. Other people advise “the arm comes out at the end of the punch, after your foot has swivelled, your hips rotated and your shoulders turned”. I find it difficult to reconcile these two pieces of advice in practice. I suppose if my fist leaves my shoulder at the same time as my foot starts to swivel I am throwing the arm too early; equally if my fist leaves my shoulder after my foot, leg, hip and shoulders have finished rotating I am throwing the arm too late. Suppose the answer is to think of the energy moving from the heel of the back foot, then up the leg, then through the hips, then the back and shoulders and finally into the arm. It’s a chain reaction where one movement leads seemlessly to the next. I think I have tendency to over-analyse! Any guidance gratefully received so I can apply in my training.
hi nice article. Im ten yeats old and get bullied alot and I was wandering if you can send me a video of that wet towel snap thing please.
Very well written and to the point. As a Martial Arts(Taekwondo and kickboxing) teacher i used to Take care of this very vital tips, and still do when occasionally called by some school to give some tips . Using whole of the body for generating power is the key for Martial Arts or for that fact any sport.
One thing i would like to add is about the mental aspect. While training one should feel one is punching with the body with the hand is just the tool that the whole of the body throws.
Also important is while taking the punishment. If ones body is trained to absorb the punch, absorb the impact with loose body and not a stiff or tensed body, one survives the blows much longer.
Really a nice article. i had been a Martial Arts (Taekwondo and Kickboxing) Teacher, and also a competitor. This is the most important accept to teach in Martial Arts or any physical sport for that matter. Would like to add one more thing, after practicing on punch bag in this manner, when the body acquires, the said motion, that is when the body moves in the manner without thinking about it, the mental aspect should be that when one is hitting, one is not hitting with the hand or object in the hand, but with the whole body. That helps a lot.
I prefer the Bonsai drop, as I am a big guy…. just push somebody down and throw your own weight … hehe…
I do come up with a pretty wide range of topics, but I can’t take any credit for this one. Hrafn came up with this topic himself and wrote the entire post with no interference from me! I was very happy to have him as the first guest blogger.
John
Sometimes I wonder where you get your topics. :) Most of the topics are pretty good, and this one is too, but its just funny that you have a post on how to throw a good punch. Next time I’m at a conference and I’m battling a competitor for a client, you bet I’m going to remember this post. :)
I actually invited Hrafn to post on the blog. He is the first and only person I’ve ever invited to do so. In addition to being a regular reader of Hrafn’s site we have had a personal dialog outside of our blogs for quite some time and I’m happy to call him a friend.
I have the utmost respect for the quality of his writing and trust him implicitly. Hence, the standing invitation to guest blog here.
I also welcome article submissions for publication on OMB, and if I do indeed publish them I give full credit to the submitter. But the guest blogger status is something that will be excercised very rarely and only for people with whom I have a trusted relationship.
John
You’ve contributed a nice post. Do you get invited to be a guest blogger here or you submit an article and get informed if approved?
Interesting Blog. My first time here. The slogan is cute and catchy.
That was a thumping first guest article. Really informative. I haven’t punched anything or anyone in my life… and this makes me seriously wanna give it a try.
Very nice article hthth, I’ve also watched the video on national geographics, they showed different martial arts, and the advantages of each, some had incredible balance(ninja), others focused on speed(not sure which one this was but the challenge was to throw a punch faster than a snake, and the result was much faster than the snake,4x !), power(thousand pound kick), close combat, etc. You can read about the documentary here: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/08/060814-fight-science.html
Once again, very nice article and congrats on being the first guest star on One Man’s Blog :)
@Derek – ah, I haven’t seen it. Just came across this clip.
@MG – hahaha! Great :)
@Kim – I’m pretty small, so I have to use physics to throw a good punch ;)
Happy punching! :)
I am a big guy, so I think the good ol’ Bud Spencer knockout works well :)
Joking aside, another interesting and well researched article.
Kim:)
Yeah, I told Hrafn that this article seriously makes me want to hit something. Reminds me of my days in the USMC! ;-)
John
Great post Hrafn!
You know you’ve done it right when a reader is reading and making slow punching motions in his chair as he practices in slowmo. Now I just need to find a punching bag :)
Hey very nice article, hthth! I thought it was really interesting. I’ve seen the actual show where that video is from (I forgot the name but I know that it was on National Geographic). The whole post makes sense. Thanks for posting it. And I’m glad that you’re not walking around practicing this on people!