How to hit harder in boxing? (Our 11 tips and tricks)
Have you ever wanted to hit as hard as Mike Tyson and move as fast as Manny Pacquiao? This guide will show you how to hit harder and knock out your opponents while maintaining maximum speed during a fight.
No matter how many kilograms you weigh, you can learn to hit harder and faster.
Have you ever tried to throw a punch to knock out your opponent, but they avoided it? This tutorial will teach you how to deliver a powerful blow in any situation!
1. How to hit harder and faster – Master the technique
If your technique is bad, you have little chance of hitting hard. Take the example of a bodybuilder who challenges you in a street fight and it takes five seconds for his punch to reach your face.
Why would you want to look like someone who is muscular but slow when you can be both?
Have you ever seen Mike Tyson against Clifford Etienne in a fight? It's an example of how technique can lead to perfection: Etienne was knocked out in the first round after Tyson demonstrated world-class technique.
When you punch, use your entire body, not just your shoulders and arms. This will help you hit not only harder, but also faster.
Keep your chin down as you rotate your hips, feet, and shoulders to deliver a powerful punch.
Technique is an aspect that you must improve every day. When you get home after your training session, think about it, focus more on your mental training and imagine the hitting pattern.
2. Excessive extension of the arms – A mistake if you want to hit harder and faster
If you extend your punch too much, it won't do much damage. Why does this happen when a long-range punch is easier to throw?
It is difficult to judge distance, especially when starting out in boxing. Each strike needs precise distance, and it is important to practice this aspect of combat to be effective in striking.
In 99% of cases, when you extend your arms too far, your feet lift and you lose your balance. This makes you vulnerable to counterattacks while reducing the strength of your blow.
Hyperextension is detrimental to your elbow as it can cause significant damage.
If you fully extend your arm, you will not be able to contract your forearm muscles in the final phase of the movement before impact, which reduces your power.
If you want to hit harder and faster, don't push your target; beat him!
Train your distance: If you are a beginner, work on determining the ideal distance for each shot. The adage "practice makes perfect" certainly applies here.
3. The center of gravity – The great secret of professional boxers
What effect does the center of gravity have on the force of your punch? It is not a myth; It truly delivers world-class power with every hit!
The only thing you need to do is lower your center of gravity by bending your knees. Does it seem difficult to you?
Not only do you risk injury if your knees are fully straight, but you also won't be able to maximize the force of the impact or put your entire body into it.
If you lower your center of gravity just 10 centimeters, you will be able to hit three times harder! In effect, your joints will be closer to each other, allowing you to launch more quickly.
4. Relax your arm and contract before impact – The difference between an average boxer and a world class one
Have you ever been so excited that you contracted all your muscles and tried to hit a bag as hard as you could when you were younger? It's time to forget that and enjoy harder, faster strokes without causing excessive constriction.
If you want to increase the power of your punches, the best thing you can do is relax.
Remember to keep your mind on the opponent while relaxing your shoulders and arms; The only time you should contract is to block an opponent's blow.
Watch Joe Calzaghe vs. Roy Jones Jr. Fight; He won because he stayed focused and relaxed throughout the fight.
When you make a punch, your arm should remain relaxed until your punch is a few inches from the target. Contract your abs, shoulders, forearms, and fist in the last part of the movement to send your opponent to the ground.
Do you think it's impossible? You will notice a difference if you hit by contracting your entire body towards the end of the exercise.
5. Observe your position during every second of the fight
A good boxing position is essential for a powerful punch. If you don't have a solid stance, you won't be able to fully transfer the energy of the punch, and your punches will be weaker, regardless of your strength.
There are many different fighting positions, but it is essential to follow some common guidelines.
Are you left or right handed? If you are in an orthodox (right-handed) position, your leading leg is on the left; otherwise it is to the right.
Keep your legs shoulder-width apart, your feet parallel, your back heel off the ground, your back arm on your chin and your back elbow on your ribs, your main fist in front of your face, your head tucked into your chest, and wrists slightly bent.
A correct position will protect you from your opponent's attacks while allowing you to improve your footwork, your counterattacks and your body movements.
Check out Wayne McCullough, who uses a basic stance and hits at lightning speed.
6. Hit “through” your opponent
Have you ever wondered why your punch lacks power even though you did everything correctly? The trick is that you must seek to “pass through” your opponent to reach a fictitious objective that is behind him.
Indeed, to considerably improve your power, there is a very simple trick that will allow you to do much more damage, without modifying any element of your technique. Imagine that you have to cross the goal when you hit! Your goal should not be to reach your opponent's face or body, but to pass through them. You will see that this makes a considerable difference. You just have to do the test on a boxing machine to find out.
After just a few training sessions, you will notice an increase in your ability to hit harder and faster.
7. The movement improves the power of the blow
Every fighter must be able to move well. With better movement, you have a better chance of escaping.
Here's a simple example: During a storm, what happens to a willow tree and an oak tree? The willow is very flexible; can lean towards the ground and away from it, while the oak cannot; therefore, the storm cannot uproot the willow from the ground in most cases.
Just like a boxer, if your movement is good, you will be a harder target to hit, and you will be able to deliver punches from any angle.
Because when an opponent misses his blow, he opens his guard and therefore leaves you a perfect window to deliver a powerful blow if you move fast enough.
8. Use counterattacks and be patient
When it comes to defensive boxers with nerves of steel, counterattacking is crucial. You will need a lot of experience, movement, skill and speed to be able to react quickly to an attack.
Remember that when an opponent misses his punch, your punch becomes stronger, in accordance with Newton's third law, which states that there is always an equal and opposite reaction to any action.
The following formula can be used to determine the strength of your punch:
Force (power of blow) = mass x acceleration
Did you know that your counterpunch can be two or even three times stronger if you add the power of your opponent who moves towards you after missing his blow?
All you have to do is relax, be patient and wait for your opportunity. Slide and counterattack when you see an opening.
9. Resistance is the key
In many battles, your stamina will determine whether you win or lose the battle.
If your gas tank is empty, you may have all the heart in the world. An opponent will move faster and deliver more powerful blows than you.
If your stamina is low, you are less likely to win the game. If you don't have energy, how can you hit someone harder?
Do explosive exercises, jump rope, run intervals, do sprints... Simulate real situations, such as training with 3-minute rounds and precise combinations to improve your resistance.
Here are some examples that you can adapt to your level:
- Burpees for 10 seconds, shadow boxing for 10 seconds, powerful punches on the punching bag for 10 seconds, repeat six times without stopping. Between sets, take a one-minute break.
- Do ten rounds, changing the requirements each time, for example, 10 seconds of powerful punches on the punching bag, 10 seconds of push-ups, and 10 seconds of uppercuts.
If it seems difficult to you, you are on the right track. If you want to hit harder and faster, you will have to push yourself in training. If you want to train from home, you can find the best workouts to do with a punching bag by clicking here.
10. Why is it so important to strengthen your upper body, legs and abs?
Every boxer needs powerful muscles. You can have excellent technique, but if your body is weak, you will not be able to knock out your opponent.
You should know that the muscles, and in particular the abdominals, work throughout the fight, in each blow given or received.
The same goes for your legs, which serve both to maintain your balance and to exploit your attacks to strengthen your blows. Therefore, it is important to strengthen these parts of the body. The ideal is to go to the gym, since there is all the necessary equipment for muscle strengthening.
Here are some simple examples of exercises you can do at the gym to strengthen your body:
- Monday – deadlift, bench press, cable crossover, wide grip bar pulldowns;
- Wednesday – sumo squat, bodyweight squat, lying leg curls, lunges;
- Friday – shoulder press, rear press, pull-ups, fist bumps (perform these exercises 30 times for both hands, 5 sets).
11. Strengthen your fists and forearms
Take a weight in your hand and spin it in a circular motion.
Perform as many hand extension or flexion movements as you can in the gym. Keep in mind that the power of the impact is transferred to your forearms.
Use a punching bag and deliver powerful punches over and over again to get your hands and forearms used to absorbing impacts.
Never hit a punching bag with bare, unprotected hands, as it can be dangerous. Always use at least well-fitting boxing bandages to train safely and avoid sprains.
Conclusion
What does it feel like to hit your opponent harder than anyone else and knock him out? A victory by KO is the best way to win the competition.
Don't worry if you're not naturally strong; Go to the gym, train, be persistent and never give up.
So what exactly are you waiting for? Now that you know how to hit harder and faster, put it into practice in the ring!
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