Improve Your Punching Power

I have been coaching MMA fighters for many years now. One of the main areas I have focused on is developing a depth of understanding in striking, much in the same way as we have in our depth in our BJJ and Wrestling training. How we use our weight, position, and timing is so important if we want to improve punching power and awareness when striking. In terms of BJJ I hold a Black Belt and in Wrestling I coach good level wrestlers, but I would be the first to say I am a good coach but of course in the world of grappling I am very humble as I came into the game late. My main art as Chu Sau Lei Wing Chun – when I tell people I teach Wing Chun some MMA guys are like oh right. Maybe because people think Thai Boxing and Boxing are the main arts for stand up in MMA. But in fact these arts are great sports but not designed to control grappling. Wing Chun in general does have a bad rep as the good teachers are way out numbered by the bad ones. Good Wing Chun deals with weight control and power development in the same BJJ and Wrestling solve problems. My Iron Wolves fight team have had hundreds of fights and have won many titles.

So in this article I am going to explain some of the important factors that will improve your punching power and give a few exercise drills which will greatly help show how understanding you bodies movement and power feedback will increase your skills.

Peter Irving (Professional MMA Fighter)
I’ve trained with Alan since 2006, his guidance in all aspects of MMA technique, physical preparation, injury management and prevention, and strategy and game planning have been an integral part of my success in Mixed Martial Arts. I’ve been all over the World in search of training and technical information, and Alan’s style and knowledge is truly unique.

The problem started with Gloves!
The use of gloves changed, this in some ways is what has caused a loss of understanding in hand placement and knuckle positioning. Quite simply you can hit more with your whole hand as a club rather that focus with your fist. This means with gloves you can punch from more angles and land maybe more punches. But with this power is often lost and hand injuries go up! In terms of Real fighting for self-defence or MMA (mixed martial arts) competition the problem becomes worst. If you have no boxing gloves or as with MMA much smaller gloves then hand issues become a real problem.

The most common injury is what is known as “boxer’s fracture,” which is a fracture of the long bone that runs across the top of the hand (metacarpal) and/or the knuckle of the little finger and sometimes the ring finger too. The top of the hand is not well supported for the transmission of force because it connects to other bones of the wrist at an oblique angle. Other common injuries include the fracture of the wrist and/or the elbow
The shoulder joint must be strong and healthy if you want to be able to strike. Therefore the striking method we use – Elbow down and in. The shoulder ‘packed’ is very important to avoid stressing your shoulder joint.
The muscles of the rotator cuff are in position to stabilise and hold the joint in place. This is the job of the rotator cuff in striking. It should not be taking the full pressure of the punch.
Jack Dempsey was a boxer that understood the old skills of hand positioning and body weight transfer.
The extremely important POWER LINE in punching seems to have been forgotten.
Jack Dempsey

Extend the fist at arm’s length toward the spot on the wall-only toward it. The fist should be upright, as if you were holding a stick running from
ceiling to floor. The little knuckle is down, toward the floor.
Jack Dempsey

Now Western Boxing can be broken into pre glove training and post glove training. If you look at older bare Knuckle Boxing then it looks very much like Wing Chun. The vertical fist is seen and the elbow down position is very clear. This is because when you are punching without a glove you must land you knuckles not finger joints of the hand. Otherwise you will break your hand.

THERE ARE FOUR WAYS OF SETTING THE BODY-WEIGHT IN MOTION FOR PUNCHING: (1) falling forward; (2) springing forward; (3)whirling the shoulders by means of the powerful back muscles, assisted by shifting weight from one leg to the other, and (4) by surging upward, as in delivering uppercuts. Every punch combines at least two of those motion-methods
Jack Dempsey

I teach 4 basic methods for power in our Chinese Boxing skills.
1 Rising – Surging / We call Spring Power / Vectoring Upwards
2 Pressing – Driving forward / Vector Forward
3 Dropping – Falling / Vector Downwards
4 Exploding – Shoulder Whirl / Any Vector

Principles
A: A purpose belonging to a person (Intention).
All living systems have purpose, even if it is only the purpose to survive, but people can develop consciously by knowing what their purpose is, observing its success, and learning to adapt.
B: Sensory feedback
Once we have intention and begin to act we get sensory experience. This can be called feedback. We can see, hear, and feel what is occurring and what we are doing. It is feedback on our intentions. We can use it to adjust our actions to get our intended results. At the next level we may change how we approach things if our method doesn’t work.
C: An embodied set of structures
When we act physically we start to learn the different elements involved. How the different parts work together become known as a set of structures we understand. So a system is formed as we learn a structure of relating the different parts into one overall whole. Throughout, our purpose becomes responsive to feedback to achieve all the sub functions that are needed to maintain the whole. When we are mindful of the purpose of an action the feedback comes straight back to us and we can easily adjust and maintain its function. Simple actions that work become automatic. These simple functions can then link together to achieve larger more complex functions without the need for conscious thought. If you have learned with both intention and feedback cantered in yourself at each level then it will all come together as an integrated whole. You are the system and your overall intention will make all the elements work automatically and responsively. You have gained intuitive skill (unconscious competence) and the whole system is “self-alive”.

A teacher is like a parent. They must give you your first steps and point the way, but simply copying them is not enough to reach the higher levels of mastery. We must use the inherent systemic learning qualities within us. Children may need to be told what is right or wrong but later they must think for themselves. Even if your school has a style with all the answers it will not belong to you until you have experienced trying to make each part work and bringing it all together. Otherwise, you could easily end up with accumulated set of dead techniques with many gaps between them that require decision making.

In our system two students of a good level will be constantly flowing during practice. Even if they are equally matched they will not reach a clashing point or dead end. This is due to the systemic awareness. In other words, their intention to go forward and win is balanced by their acceptance of the opponent’s actions and incorporating these actions. Equally, it is not a case of switching from attack to defence but of feeling the whole system. At one level we may be redirecting their force whilst at another level we are simultaneously issuing a more powerful force to control the system. The superior student has the more complete systemic awareness. This finer calibration can only exist if you own your intentions.
Like in many sports. All the players are playing the same game, but they all have their own way of doing the same things. The game is the system and the way they play is their style. When the application of the principles and concepts of the system become personal that becomes style.
I think this is a main misunderstanding in the martial arts today. People talk about which style is the best, when in fact style is only truly a personal expression.
Structure gives awareness, as you feel comfortable in the space; this gives a feeling of confidence.
Having confidence allows you to express yourself more freely. This is now your style.
Knowing your system in depth is what will ultimately free you of it. As you no longer have to learn, just do.
If you want to hit hard and still have control of your balance you must understand where your center of mass / gravity is and understand how to control it and use it to produce power.

So I have put together a set of Kettlebell exercises which will require you to use and control you weight, vectors, timing, force flow feedback and much more!
To hit hard you must impact with your body weight at speed.
So you must be relaxed! If you are tense then you will punch slower and with less power.
If you tense before you hit then you will not transfer your bodyweight into the impact.
In order to hit hard you must link your kinetic chain of muscles together on impact. To do this you be able to contract and relax your muscles very quickly.
Torque is important in order to develop a faster whipping speed and to recruit and balance the power issued and the power feedback from impact controlled via your centre of gravity.

Imagine someone was to take a bucket of water and throw the water in your face. The result would be that you would get wet right? But if just before that water hit you it turned to ice, then what would the result be? Right the ice would be solid and therefore heavy. It would now hurt!
Before the impact of your relaxed punch you must feel the torque in the body and kinetic connection with control of your centre of gravity with your muscles loaded like a spring to help fire the muscles needed to direct and drive your power – then on impact you must transfer your centre of mass forward and connect the muscle contractions on impact linking vector forces.
Inch power is the term used for short range power. This is when you cheat by not having much distance to develop your speed. Many think it comes from wrist mechanics, but it not. This is when you can relax and contract your muscles very quickly and transfer your body one inch forward to gain maximum weight into your punch.

So this is why a small guy can hit hard. Using total bodyweight and maximizing speed. Or why a heavy guy that’s slow can lack power. Of course, a heavy guy with relaxed speed, good weight transfer and muscle contraction on impact is a problem!

BASE
Balance – Weight / Awareness
Alignment – Understanding Vectors and Distance
Stability – Positioning / Angles
Evaluation – Adjustment / Force Flow Control / Feedback
Power line to produce Vector Alignment and correct the Kinetic Chains of the body.
Breaking down Kinetic Chains
The classical 7 Bows taught by Robert Chu and Hendirk Santo
1) Foot Arch 2) Ankles, 3) Knees, 4) pelvis, 5) shoulders, 6) Elbows, 7) Wrists
In application the Bows start the focus of the whole body’s Kinetic power

Foot – Spring Wave / Pump / Points of Balance
Knee – Spring / Pump / Locks
Hip – Press / Locks / Pressure Changes / Lifting / Sinking / Torque
Spine – Spine Wave Forward Flexion and Extension
Spine Wave Rotations
Spine Thoracic Lateral Slide / Lateral Hoop / Forward Flexion and Extension
Spine Bow and Arrow Wave
Pelvic Pump Hip Lock / Wave
Cranial Pump Neck lock/ wave
Shoulder – Packing – Whirl
Head – Direction / Locking
Elbow – Locking / Spring / Twist
Wrist – Locking
Knuckles – Focus point
Fingers – Squeeze on and off

All these elements allow us to become like a coiled spring. Using each joint to store and control our potential power. The hips are our centre point of the focus of our spring. Making our lower body the first strong spring and when needed to issue power our upper body the second.
Single Kettlebell Swing Punch Drill

Bending from the hips, swing the Kettlebell, Catch with the elbow in the hip pocket keeping the wrist alinement and squeeze and punch out from the whole body, then release the forward drive and swing again.
Single KB will tax the balance and core

Double Kettlebell Swing Punch Drill

Double will build strong power

Bosu Ball Single Kettlebell Swing Punch Drill

Increases the Force flow feedback as you must deal with pressure on your balance from start to finish of the movement

Bosu Ball Double Kettlebell Swing Punch Drill

Again double up for more power development.

Check out my YOUTUBE clip for more instruction on the Swing Punch Drills

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOEoSdO2T-c