How can I make my punches faster? Stronger?

Answer 1

Use the makiwara. It will help you focus your punches and make them stronger and faster. You should get some instruction from and experienced karateka before using one. And I don't recommend it for teenagers.

Heavy and light bags are good for building power and speed, but for focus, the makiwara is best.

Answer 2

From training in Shaolin dragon style, I learned that punches are much faster if your muscles are relaxed and not tensed. Your arms have opposing muscles that counteract and slow each other down when they are tensed. Keeping them relaxed allows a faster reaction time, faster acceleration of the fist. Just as you are about to make impact, tense your fist a bit.

If you can strike a punching bag with the heel of your palm without getting hurt, try and see how much more power is transmitted as opposed to hitting with the fist. The bag flies!

Weight transfer/shifting and body rotation help put more energy into a strike. Keeping your body planted on the ground gives a good base for power.

Breathing out as you throw a strike is important.

Put all of these together and practice.

Answer 3

Well, this is actually the same question because making your punches faster will make them more powerful as well. Not to get too technical on ya, but the equation for power is MA(2)- or Mass times Acceleration(squared). Basically, the acceleration is squared, so the faster you get, the better and more powerful you will be.
There are entire books based on each subject as well, so I could go on for a LONG time about how to train for speed and power. However, I can list some "training tricks" that will help you.
First, eliminate ALL unnecessary movements. Most people move their shoulders, or their heads or other things when they punch. Not only is this a give-away for an opponent, but it slows you down. You want to get your hips and shoulders into your punch, but not "lead into" your punch with them.
Next, RELAX. If you are tensed up to begin with, you first have to relax before you can throw a punch. Ideally, you shouldn't tense up ANYTHING until the exact moment of impact anyway because this allows for maximum speed until point of impact. Just before you strike, THAT is when you need to be flexed.
I have found that it is a good idea to train with hand weights- NOT wrist weights. Wrist weights tend to hurt your wrists and will fly off when doing full speed punches. Weights that fasten to the back of your hands themselves are good though. Simply do your normal practicing and concentrate on speed.
Weight training will certainly help. However, you are trying to get fast and not necessarily build massive bulk. With weight training, use a lighter weight and do high repetitions to gain better muscle tone rather than bulk. IN this way, the weight training is less "body building" and more "exercise with weight." You are trying to improve your white "fast-twitch" muscle fibers and not the "slow-twitch" fibers that normally improve sheer strength and endurance. When weight training, concentrate on "explosive" movements- fast as you can and still control the weight easily doing the "positive" repitition and slowly on the way back down.
Finally, it's a matter of practice, practice, practice. You have to get your body used to moving without much- if any- thought. Practicing actually trains your nerve fibers to carry the messages to and from your brain faster. WIth enough practice, your brain won't actually be involved at all- the movement will be so "second nature" to you that the impulse can be interpreted at the brain stem. This is how many people can say that they "don't even remember doing it." The brain wasn't involved at all.
Hope this helps...
Sensei Cox

Answer 4

Well put Hitman,

As he put it, you need not any unnecessary movment, point a-b.

Less movement for greater gain.

The theory is that a straight line will get to the target faster, now remember that a tense muscle moves slower than a relaxed one.
A point to remember is to have your body behind your punch on your centerline so the muscles from your whole body are inline, from the floor to the heal, up your leg to the hip, up the spine with your shoulder, through your arm to the fist.
Also the punch is whipped out as you would flick a booger(excuse the analogy) from your finger only out straight, not just pushed out.
This will give you the speed and the power behind your punch.

ps. work on building your Qi too...


lr

http://www.wingchunassociation.com
http://www.pacificwingchunassociation.com

Answer 5

The muscle strength is an obvious requirement for both, but also a great technique. Try making exercises for the upper body (chest, back, arms, but also abs and waist). And at the same time, improve your technique with the punching bag, a speed bag and some sparring.

Ask your coach (if you have a boxing coach) for that

Answer 6

Faster = speed bag
Stronger = heavy bag

If you don't have a speed bag or a heavy bag, another way to do it is with a training partner. Have him wear hand targets, then punch at them. This can be better if he knows what he's doing because he can move the hand targets like your opponent will move.

Answer 7

Getv a strong stance and Pivot in your hips. I suggest taking either Kung Fu or San Shou if youd like a good martial art that allows sparring with the upper and lower body.
Good Luck!

Answer 8

good advice from the last guy....but he didn't mention doing explosive motion when doing the positive(up) portion of the weight lifting and doing the negative(down) portion slower

also look into powerlifting workouts
christian thibideau is a good author for power training

learn to punch with your legs also

Answer 9

u make them faster by repition, u make them stronger by punching correctly using your wieght, work your abs, calves and hips and your punches will get stronger and faster

Answer 10

practice punching ... as soon as time extends, your arms will get used to the speed you use and will have flexibility to increase speed.... to get stronger, weights are nice...

weights first, then start punching fast.... but warm-up first in order not to stretch veins n stuff...