To make a strong punch, you need to not only train, but also understand how the force necessary to deliver a powerful blow is generated. There are several techniques that allow you to punch truly powerfully and strongly.
A strong blow is formed not only due to high speed, but also due to its own weight. If you invest your full body weight, the result will be as powerful as possible. Avoiding dislocations is possible by following the correct execution technique, which involves never straightening the arm completely, and striking at different angles. They bring truly serious damage to the opponent.
Feet
They play no less a role in the impact force. Their position and movement must obey the following nuances:
- The feet must be placed wider than the shoulder girdle.
- The foot is turned in the direction of the movement made by the hand, while the heel is always raised first.
- When a blow is made with the right hand, the left foot does not move, the heel of the right one rises and vice versa.
Proper foot placement allows for much stronger and more powerful strikes, but is not the only thing to consider.
What else do you need to know to give power to your fist strike?
- Keep your knees slightly bent, shifting your body weight forward.
- During the strike, the hips should turn in the direction in which the opponent is located.
- In close contact, full movement of the entire body allows you to increase the force of the blow.
- You can't reach forward. The body should turn sharply.
- Pulling the arm back during the swing allows the opponent to predict and prevent the strike.
- When striking, the fist must be clenched as tightly as possible.
- Each new blow is performed with an exhalation of air.
These requirements must be met not separately, but simultaneously.
Exercises to develop a strong strike
To punch powerfully and strongly, you also need to train. This is facilitated by a set of exercises.
To perform the exercise, you must have enough free space. The ball should be taken heavy. The one that boxers train with is best. An alternative would be a basketball.
The execution technique is as follows:
- legs are spaced shoulder-width apart;
- the body is kept straight;
- the ball is raised high above the head;
- the ball is hit with force on the floor and caught after the rebound.
Stuffing is done at least 15 times.
Performed according to the following scheme:
- stand straight, legs at shoulder level, and arms at your sides;
- squat until the knees form one line with the hips;
- jump up, raising their arms at the same time.
You need to jump as high as possible. Do so many repetitions that there is no strength left. You can enhance the effect by using dumbbells held in your hands.
Training for triceps, shoulder girdle and back muscles
These muscle groups play an important role in increasing the force of a punch and are trained through the following exercises.
When pulling up, keep your arms slightly wider than your shoulders. To increase efficiency, weights are hung on the belt. They try to do as many repetitions as their own physical fitness allows.
Hands are placed as close to each other as possible. You can't arch your back. It should remain straight. The exercise trains the triceps, pectoral and back muscles. The bench press has a similar effect. To strengthen your hands, you need to do push-ups with your fists.
Performed with a bench. They stand with their backs to her, lean on their palms, and squat slightly. They lower and rise by bending and straightening their arms. Do at least 3 sets of 20 repetitions.
Strengthens the hands and develops deltoids. The latter have a significant impact on the impact. In addition, the kettlebell is a piece of equipment that promotes muscle growth.
Legs are placed on the sides. A weight is held in a straightened arm between the legs, and the legs are slightly bent in knee joint. The weight is lifted forward with a sharp movement so that a right angle is formed between the projectile and the body. You need to ensure that your back remains straight at the top extreme point. Do up to 8 repetitions on each hand. Tension should be felt in the muscles.
It is performed similarly to forward lifts, but only the projectile is lifted above the head. The recommended number of repetitions on each side is from 8 to 12 times.
The projectile is placed between the spread legs. Place your hand on it so that your hips remain behind. They make a sharp jerk upward, throwing the weight directly onto their shoulders, and then push the projectile above their head. Return to the starting position. You need to do 10 lifts for each hand.
Kettlebell raises from a seated position
They throw the weight over their shoulder and squat down. To maintain balance, they push forward left hand. They lift the kettlebell up, wait a second, do another lift, and then change hands. The buttocks and calves should be constantly tense.
Lifting with a kettlebell from a lying position
They lie with their backs down on the floor, take a weight in their hand and lift it. The hand is held in a vertical position and then begins to rise. Bend first one and then the other leg. If lifting is difficult, help yourself with your free hand. Do about 10 repetitions.
Two shells are thrown onto the shoulders. Having taken air into the lungs, the weights are jerked above the head and then slowly lowered. During muscle exercise abdominals must be tense.
To make a punch stronger, you can use the following techniques and methods:
- Work out with wrist expander. You need to take the toughest one. The projectile must be compressed sharply and with maximum force. Working with an expander helps develop the interdigital muscles and forearms, which makes the fists more powerful and stronger.
- Jump rope every day. You should try to raise your hips as high as possible and reach your chest with your knees.
- Training with a sledgehammer also has quite the effects. It is taken in the hand and hit on old tires, which activates the muscles that also work during impact. This should be done outside, for example, next to the garage.
- Working in pairs, you need to try to hit the “paws”, imagining that the target is a few centimeters further away, trying to pierce through it. This makes it possible not only to hit harder, but also not to lose speed.
- Shadow boxing should not be neglected. This exercise allows you to learn how to deliver unexpected blows, which are the most effective, since the opponent does not have time to react. You need to exercise every day for at least 10 minutes.
- Explosive blows help develop push-ups both on the palms off the floor and on the fists. The number of approaches should be at least three with ten repetitions each.
Summarizing
The above exercises help increase endurance and make the tendons and muscles of the arms stronger, and develop the power of strikes. If they are performed on a regular basis, the results become noticeable within seven days.
In boxing, fights are most often won through technique and intelligence, rather than through brute strength and power. However, some boxers are so physically strong that it doesn't matter what their opponent's game plan is. Ultimately, power makes all the difference.
With the kind of power some boxers possess, the gap between technical science and good old-fashioned punching in the ring is closing. We have seen this more than once. The killing power of a blow is an amazing thing. It provides incredibly exciting fights where the spirit of knockout is literally in the air. Casual fans come to boxing to see thunder and lightning, not technical finesse.
However, not everyone has such a blow. Some boxers are simply not blessed with this unique attribute. While knockout power is largely a physical gift, punching power can't be trained, at least a little.
Want to turn your hands into heavy artillery? Here are some exercises to help you with this.
1. Medicine ball throwing
Medicine balls have long been used in boxing to increase punching power, and there are at least two ways to throw them.
First. You can lie on your back and grab a very heavy medicine ball. Taking the ball in both hands, try to throw it as high as possible, pushing it away from your chest. Catch the ball with both hands and repeat.
Second. Take a medium-heavy ball and take a fighting stance. With one hand, grasp the ball in your palm and push it forward as hard as possible. You can throw the ball against a wall or have a partner throw it back at you. Throw as if you were throwing a punch.
Both methods train the explosive power of your arms. It is important to throw the medicine ball with the greatest explosion. Do these exercises regularly and you will probably notice an increase in your punching power in the near future.
2. Plyometric push-ups
Plyometric training, also known as “jump training,” is an exercise that forces the muscles to exert maximum force in short bursts. The goal is not only to increase power, but also speed.
Plyometric push-ups are one of the most underrated exercises that can help increase your punching power. Start by getting into a standard push-up position. Lower yourself down as normal, but as you extend your arms, explode so that your hands come off the floor. This exercise trains the strength of the arms, shoulders and chest - all those parts of the body that are responsible for hitting hard.
You can also vary the exercise slightly by clapping your hands in the air or clapping your chest. Be sure to keep your torso and legs straight while doing this. If you don’t have enough strength yet, you can do these push-ups with your knees touching the floor.
This does wonders for your explosiveness, which then shows up in the ring.
3. Work on a heavy bag
One of the most important tools in the gym for increasing punching power is the heavy bag. With this projectile you can practice delivering your strongest blows to an inanimate target.
Work approximately according to the following schedule: 3 minutes of work, 1 minute of rest. Divide the work into cycles of 10-15 seconds. For 10-15 seconds, try to hit as hard as possible, hitting the bag with a series of crosses, hooks and uppercuts. Then 10-15 seconds active rest, involving light jabs and footwork.
Make sure you pay close attention to technique, as proper technique will ensure that you hit with optimal power.
A legendary boxer who spent a lot of time working on the heavy bag was Roberto Duran, known by the nickname "Stone Fists".
4. Shadowboxing
Believe it or not, shadow boxing is one of the... best exercises to train your punching power as it will ensure that you focus on technique and proper execution of punches, completely forgetting about punching power.
One of the biggest pitfalls in boxing training is that boxers blindly focus on increasing their punching power rather than learning the technique behind it. Shadow boxing helps train correct technique, which in turn helps to train striking power.
Make shadowboxing an important part of your training. Ideally, you should dedicate 3-5 rounds to this each time. Stand in front of a mirror and shadow box, paying close attention to your technique and how you throw your punches. It will be best if a coach or friend monitors you and makes adjustments if necessary.
As you become more technically savvy, your punching power also increases. In addition, shadowboxing develops defense, head movements and footwork.
Every male representative is concerned about the issue of impact strength. All fighters want a strong and sharp blow, but not everyone has it, so the question arises. What should you do to train such a strike? And preferably at home. The answer is simple. For this there is special exercises, which contribute to a strong impact in the future. Let's look at each of these exercises in more detail and talk about the technique for performing them.
First exercise - Push-ups
The most important exercise you can think of to develop a strong kick at home is push-ups. We strengthen it shoulder girdle, pectoral muscles and arm muscles.
If you understand what a blow consists of and how it goes, then it’s easy to understand that it goes from the supporting leg, through the whole body into the striking fist. Therefore, the stronger the whole body, the hit harder. Push-ups strengthen a fighter's entire upper body and make the punch faster. But we know that force is speed multiplied by body mass, so the faster the blow, the stronger it is.
Picture 1. Push-ups
Second exercise – Fist push-ups
The second exercise is almost identical to the first, but is aimed at something completely different. These are push-ups on fists, which are aimed at strengthening the fist itself. From such push-ups it hardens and becomes heavy. Therefore, over time, the blows become very hard and difficult for any opponent. Any fighter always does push-ups with his fists, thereby teaching his body to endure and react less to rigidity in the fist, and also makes the blow very heavy.
Picture 2. Fist push-ups Exercise 3: Bodyweight Press
This exercise is performed using a chair or sofa, and is based on dips. You need to stand with your back to the object and place your hands at an angle. Lower your body to the floor and stretch your legs forward. In this position, you need to lower your arms to the very maximum and quickly pull yourself up solely using the strength of your arms. This strengthens the deltoids, and the shoulders and upper chest.
This exercise increases the speed of the hands, and thereby increases the force of impact at home.
Picture 2. Bodyweight press Fourth exercise – arm training
To perform the fourth exercise, you will need something heavy, and if you have dumbbells, this will greatly help in performing the exercise. Here you do the usual biceps exercises, which are best done with dumbbells, but you can just do it with something heavy, for example, a loaded school bag. To perform the exercise you must hold the object in your hands. reverse grip, place your feet shoulder-width apart, and break your arms, then bend them again, overcoming the heaviness under the influence of weight on the object. The exercise perfectly develops arm strength and the full force of the blow.
Fifth exercise - home shadow boxing
This training exercise allows you to practice everything you have planned in the air. Here the fighter trains at maximum speed with own weight. It perfectly helps develop punching power, but only when performed at maximum speed. Over time, when the body becomes more or less accustomed to the exercises, weights can be attached to the arms and legs. First, 1 kilogram, after a month of training, you can do 1.5 or 2 kilograms at once.
Important! It makes no sense to put on such weights right away, since the body is not used to it, and it will simply hurt for a very long time, preventing you from training normally.
Picture 5. Shadowboxing Conclusion
It is quite possible to train your punching power at home. There are special exercises for this that anyone can do. This does not require any additional skill or training equipment. All you need is a desire to practice and develop your striking power.
As a rule, the exercises provided help to develop sufficiently strong striking force. You just need to perform them regularly and give your best in each of them.
Contents:
On what nuances does the force of impact depend? How can you train her? What exercises are suitable for this?
Many people wonder how to increase punching power. At the same time, one can increasingly hear the stereotype that key factor is the speed. But this is not true at all.
The main thing is technique and the ability to put mass into the hand heading towards the opponent. But keep in mind that full straightening of the limb at the moment of impact can lead to serious injury, so it is advisable to hit without full extension. Adds effectiveness by striking from different angles.
Peculiarities
So how can you increase your punching power? There are several answers here. The first one is strict adherence to technique. Pay special attention to your feet. When moving your hand, the latter should be at shoulder level. The heels are raised first, the foot turns in the direction of the impact. Please note that the movements should not be of a cross nature. For example, if you strike with your right limb, then you also need to tear off the heel on the right side. Wherein left leg should fit tightly on the surface.
The remaining nuances are as follows:
- Rotate your hips towards your opponent. In this case, the punch and the turn should be carried out simultaneously (this allows you to increase the level of impact);
- move your body as you strike (especially if we're talking about about short-range combat);
- bend your knees and move your torso slightly forward;
- You can’t reach for your hand, just rotate your body. Otherwise, you can quickly lose your balance;
- at the moment of the swing, try not to move your hand back too much - this way you give away your intentions and allow your opponent to prepare;
- at the moment of impact it is necessary to release air;
- watch your fist - your fingers should be clenched with maximum strength.
Best exercises
Now let's look at how to develop punching power with the help of special training. Here are the following exercises:
- Try to carry a wrist expander with you at all times and practice with it. In this case, give preference to the toughest option. Proper execution exercise involves squeezing a projectile with maximum force. Thanks to this training, you can significantly strengthen your fist and make it more powerful.
- Train with a jump rope every day, making sure to raise your hips to their maximum height. The ideal option is to touch the femoral part of the chest.
- Use a sledgehammer as a practice tool. Take it and hit the tires with all your might (you can do this in the garage). The peculiarity of the exercise is that those muscle groups that are specifically involved during the impact are involved in the work.
- Use a helper to hold the paws. Hit as if the target were slightly above the set paws. At the same time, set the task not just to hit the projectile, but to penetrate it. In this case, you can develop maximum strength.
- Organize a “fight” with an imaginary opponent every day. This will allow you to develop the reaction and speed of the “shot” of your hand. Please note that a blow that is unexpected for the enemy is effective.
Then you're ready to do exercises that will increase your hand speed!
Speed kills, everyone knows it. Many great fighters have it: Muhammad Ali, Thomas Hearns, Ray Leonard, Mike Tyson, Roy Jones, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, I could go on and on.
Being able to hit your opponent with a blow before he can hit you with his own is perhaps one of the most great benefits in boxing. The difference of a split second can make the difference between raising your hand in victory and lifting yourself off the canvas. Even if you were not born with speed, you still need it. Even if it's not part of your style, you still need to develop it. And I ask you to include these important exercises in your regular program, because everyone knows: SPEED KILLS!
I know the goal is speed, but don't rush yourself with these exercises. Most important factor in achieving maximum strength it is relaxation. Relaxation is first of all a state of mind, which then becomes a material reality. Keep your mind clear and don't focus on one thing too much. Relax! Relax! Relax!
Instead of complementing speed with strength and precision, focus on balance and coordination. A lot of beginners try to put both power and speed together at first, but this only slows them down and forces them to load up for punches. Don't load up on your punches or try to focus on hitting the target. Instead, give your arms free rein, just try to keep your balance underneath you and your movements coordinated with the speed of your arms.
Sharp and Relaxed Breathing = Sharp and Relaxed Movement
Shadow Fighting (Pure Speed Training)
Shadowboxing is everything! The more time I spend in this wonderful sport of boxing, the more I realize that sometimes shadowboxing is all you need. This simple practice allows you to master each technique without wearing out your joints or straining your body. This underrated exercise can help you develop almost everything in boxing: footwork, balance, strength, technique, and of course in our case, SPEED!
Shadow boxing is perhaps the purest form of speed training. There are no bags to stop your blows, no gloves that press your hands down with their weight. You punch the air with just the weight of your arms. Without anything slowing you down, this is the fastest speed you can move your arms. You can hit as fast as you can imagine your combinations. Shadowboxing can develop your mental speed, your punching speed, and your hand return speed.
Shadow Boxing Exercises:
Start moving around the ring and relax your whole body. Don't worry about squeezing your hands completely. Strike correctly, but not in a way that makes your shoulders tense and tired. You need your whole body to be relaxed when you do speed shadowboxing!
Here are the beat numbers I use:
1 = left jab
2 = right straight / right cross
3 = left hook
4 = right hook / right overhand
5 = left uppercut
6 = right uppercut
*vice versa if you are left-handed
Ok, HERE THEY ARE! Follow them and combine!
|
Basic jab
Double jab
Lined jab
Jab, Right Cross
Left Hook
Left-Right-Left-Right!
|
Skillful Combinations
Uppercuts
Long Combos (focus on sharp, fast breathing!)
|
Work 3 rounds. Exhale with every stroke and with every movement. Don't worry about doing all the combinations in the list above. Stick to your favorites and then try one or two new ones each time. You should NOT be tired. If you're tired, you're too stressed. Relax your shoulders even more and maybe even slow down a little. If you're exhausted throwing punches in the air, imagine what it will be like in the ring.
When you step during combinations, take VERY SMALL steps. You only need to take 2-3 centimeter steps, so your legs can move as quickly as your arms. If you take large steps, your feet may still be in the air, leaving your kicks without any support on your feet and without power.
Don't worry about strength! Some sequences with double backhands or double forehands will feel weak. Once again, you are only working on speed, not strength. Just let your hands fly and add a little rhythm. Take a few breaks from time to time between combinations and then get back up to speed.
One last note, watch Manny Pacquiao shadowbox in the video below. What he does is a perfect example of high-speed shadowboxing. Sharp breathing, very small steps, focus on quick strikes. He doesn't focus on single hits, he focuses on entire combinations. And for the 923084723rd time, RELAX!
Quick Strikes on the Bag (Speed Endurance)
Fast strikes are not always speed. Sometimes it's endurance. Moving weight faster always takes more energy. So it's quite difficult to apply fast strikes or even practice quick strikes if you don't have the stamina for it.
Throwing a bunch of fast punches can wear anyone out. You don't realize it at first, but as you get tired, your slower opponent suddenly becomes faster than you. An even greater danger from fatigue is that your punches become too slow to hit your opponent. So let's work on your speed endurance so you can throw quick punches throughout the fight—not just the first round.
Exercise Impacts At Intervals:
Find yourself a partner and stand with him on opposite sides of the bag. One boxer holds the bag motionless while the second punches the bag without stopping for 15-20 seconds. Then you change. Do this until the 3-minute round is over and then take a minute break. 2-3 rounds of this exercise is a great way to finish off your bag training.
Some Thoughts About This Quick Strike Drill:
- Don't waste time bothering someone to count down 15-20 seconds for you. Instead, just count in your head or out loud while you throw your punches. When you're done, just stop and your partner will instinctively know to start throwing punches.
- You can perform various variations on the bag. In the first interval, throw regular punches, aiming high (palm down, aim for a point on the bag 15-20 cm above your head). In the second interval, throw vertical punches, aiming at shoulder height on the bag. By "vertical strikes" I mean strikes where the palm faces to the side, like a "stationary fist." In the third interval, throw SMALL short uppercuts to the bag at body level. Continue repeating until the end of the round.
Interval punching exercises develop endurance in your arms and shoulders. Which is VERY important in the later rounds of a fight or sparring. It doesn't matter if your whole body doesn't get tired...
When your arms and shoulders get too tired
your punches become too slow to hit your opponent.
Sure, you can still have your power in the later rounds, but if you don't have speed, that power won't matter! So work to make sure you increase your arm and shoulder endurance. In case you haven't noticed, this fast-punching exercise is a boxing rendition of Tabata exercises (in case you want to know more about the theory behind this training method).
A very important reminder, don't get too proud and try to hit the bag at that pace for the entire 3 minutes. Rest pauses allow your arms to regain energy to hit at maximum speed. You should always train at your true top speed (working at 100% when you are exhausted is not “true top speed”). Think about it, sprinters don't train for speed by running 2 miles at a time. Instead, they run short sprints, take a break, and repeat (aka Interval Sprints). The pauses allow their legs to regain energy to run at full speed again. This way, you spend more of your time training at full speed, rather than at half speed, which is what happens when overly ambitious beginners work out for 30 minutes without a break!
Another point about not skipping breaks is that your workout can be better when you constantly have to stop and start again. Throwing punches without stopping is easy when you are already on the move. But stopping and starting again, like in a real fight, is much more difficult when you have to keep running your rhythm. So please don't skip breaks. 15-20 seconds for each, then change!
Forced Speed Training (Pneumatic Bag and Punch Bag Stretch)
An air bag and stretch bag are excellent equipment for developing speed. In addition to improving accuracy, timing, reflexes and coordination, they are also very good for “forced hand speed” exercises. Hitting quickly is quite easy if you only hit when you feel like it. Unfortunately, this never happens in real battles. In real fights, you are always FORCED to throw punches, even when you don't want to. Since you're throwing these punches out of a panicked reaction rather than as an act of your own intentions, these "forced punches" wear you down faster. So let's go back to the pneumatic bag and the stretch bag, they force you to hit even when you don't want to. No matter how tired you are, you MUST hit the bag.
The pneumatic bag and the stretching bag also have their own exceptional qualities. The pneumatic bag develops arm endurance and shoulder endurance. The stretch bag helps improve accuracy and timing. This projectile forces you to constantly react quickly and think quickly. Learning how to work a punching bag is an art in itself. I'll save that long explanation for another day. For now, just know that these implements will improve your hand speed. Perform 2-3 rounds on the pneumatic bag and stretch bag.
Resistance Training for Speed Muscle Development
Push-ups (Explosive Speed)
Push-ups, when performed with speed-oriented technique, can help you add speed to your punches. Since everyone's hands are different, you need to find the perfect fit for where to place your hands and how low to go. Focus on speed, not strength. You need to finish this set FAST!
TRICEPS PUSH-UPS
- Because of my long arms and thin frame, I prefer to do push-ups where I only go down a third. This means that I only work the triceps in this “stretch” phase of the push-up. I do about 10 short sets with only 10-15 reps each. Once again, I only work at the top of the pushup to maximize fast speed and try to explode with each pushup. Focus on going down fast and going up fast (most people go down slow, go up fast). When you pause, pause at the top of the push-up, not the bottom.
PUSH-UPS WITH MEDICINE BALL
- Lower yourself into a push-up position, but place one hand on the medicine ball. Once you do a push-up, quickly move your body to the other side of the ball, resting your other hand on the ball. Do push-ups as fast as you can. 3 sets of 15 times. Another variation you can do is to take 2 medicine balls and place them at a distance wider than your shoulder width. Keep one hand on the ball and the other hand on the floor between the balls. Once you do a push-up, you move your body to the side, so both arms are constantly moving to the side and to the center. (If you need a more detailed explanation of this exercise, leave a comment). Again, 3 sets of 15 reps.
COTTON PUSH-UPS
- Another type of pleometric style pushup that I like is the clap pushup. You can do 3 sets of 10-15 push-ups with clap. What is important is to spend a minimum of time in the bottom push-up position. You don't necessarily have to fly high, but just make sure you don't spend too much time with your arms bent at the bottom of the push-up.
Resistance Training for Speed
Harnesses
You can also develop fast punching speed through harnesses and isometric training. The harnesses apply constant force as you throw punches. This constant resistance allows you to develop speed and explosiveness throughout the movement. Regular weight training cannot do this because the weight is only heavy at the beginning. Once you push the weight out, your momentum makes it easier when you throw your arm out. Swimming can be a very good aid to resistance training because the water is constantly working against you.
Isometric Workouts
Isometric training is a type of training in which you apply force, but your body does not move at all. But how can you apply force without moving?! You can do isometric arm training by walking up to a wall and getting into a punching position where you could theoretically punch the wall. Now push off the wall for 10-15 seconds, 3 sets at a time. You can stand under different angles, which simulate different blows and target different muscles (chest, shoulders, triceps).
The theory behind isometric speed training is that you train your arms as if they were rubber bands. You train your arm muscles to store energy so that as soon as the hold ends... SNAP—your arm flies out like a charged rubber band.
Return Muscles
The speed of the arm's return is something that MANY boxers miss in speed training. Everyone loves to work on the striking muscles such as the chest and triceps, but rarely does anyone work on the return muscles such as the back, lats and posterior muscles shoulders What many boxers don't realize is that the return phase is half the movement of a punch, so being able to get your hands back faster allows you to punch again much faster!
I've also noticed that many beginners do nothing more than work on the bag in training. The bag is a strong object, meaning if you hit the bag, it will always spring your arm back, which does not train your return muscles. Sure, you can easily work the bag for 10 rounds, but what happens when you spar? After you miss just a few punches in the ring, your arms will be completely tired and you won't know why. That's because you're not used to missing and you're not used to punching through the air, and your return muscles (back, back of the shoulders, and lats) aren't developed to bring your arm back quickly enough.
The best exercises to strengthen the reflex muscles of the arm:
A fight with a shadow
- You're constantly throwing punches through the air while shadowboxing, which forces you to use your muscles to bring your arms back. Try shadowboxing at 100% speed with gloves and you will understand how weak your recovery muscles are. You don't need to add weight or do anything else. Even regular shadow boxing will help you balance your back core muscles with your front core muscles.
Pull-ups
- Pull-ups are a great exercise for the back and lats. Do 3 sets of 6, 8 or 12 reps. Whatever you can't do, just do it. Now yours top part the body will no longer look so hunched over.
Stretching Exercises
- I'm too lazy to list all the names of the exercises. Any exercise that simulates the throwing motion of an arm should do the trick. I have TRX Suspension bands in my gym and they work great for this, but lowering the rope or stretching stretch ropes will also work.
Stretching
Loose, relaxed muscles have the potential to move faster. Don't fight with pain in your shoulders or body. Make sure you do good stretches and spend significant time warming up your muscles. Even on days when you don't train, try to stretch. Many of the fastest fighters I have met have often been the fastest flexible people that I know. (I wrote an article about .) FYI, you should stretch AT LEAST 30-45 minutes before each workout and then another 10-20 minutes at the end of each workout. Professional boxers, and perhaps elite athletes, usually do this at double the rate.
Final Thoughts About Hand Speed Exercises
Speed starts from the head and ONLY THEN in the body...
If you can't think fast, you'll never be able to move fast.
...be that as it may, your body can't box on autopilot. Relax your mind, concentrate and stay focused, but be aware of everything that is happening around you. Don't focus on every single shot. Try to focus on the whole combination or the whole bunch. Each combination of strikes has its own purpose, be it to approach short distance, or to land a hook to the body or simply to force the opponent to defend himself in order to create space for his escape.
Oh, and one more thing. Don't try to do every exercise above on one day or every training day. Use several variations and focus on one thing a day rather than everything every day.
