speed and power?

Question

is there a way to increase the speed of my hands and feet? how do i make my punches more powerful >and is there a way to make my kicks higher and more powerful ? i also wanted to know if there is a way to improve my balance

Answer 1

The simple answer to this is simply practice, but you knew that. The key is practicing correctly. There are three primary components to hand/foot speed:

correct technique
strength
reaction time

For correct technique have someone show you the correct way to do a certain punch or kick. Then practice practice practice. One key to think about when practicing for speed is to relax. Speed and power come from having the muscles relaxed as the technique moves forward and tensing up at the last second. If you were to tighten every muscle in your arm and try to throw a punch, it wouldnt go too fast.

Also one needs strength for explosiveness of the technique. For kicks you can do squats, then squat, explode upward, and kick. Building the muscles (without getting to much bulk) will help.


Finally there is reaction time. All the speed in the world won't do you any good if you dont throw the punch at the right time, i.e. when your opponent shows an opening. The Best drill for this is to have a partner with a target pad and have him or her move the pad around and call different techniques in rapid succession and you try to throw them before the target goes away.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

For speed, the answer is simple. Resistance training. I definately recommend picking up a bunch of resistance bands. They have hugely improved my speed. All you have to do is do the technique, with the band on your hand/foot (depending on the technique) and fasten the other end of the band onto something so that when you do the technique, the band is being pulled taught. It's pretty self-explanatory. For power, well, speed brings power. And if you're faster, it doesn't matter if they're stronger. for balance, I recommend doing everything really slowly. That way, you can find your centre of gravity in every position, with every technique. Well, I hope that helps.

Answer 3

if your balance is lacking, you have found the answer to your problem. your technique and posture is wrong somewhere, and t hat means you have less than optimum power. only when you get your technique correct should you start to increase speed. going hard out when you have crap technique will increase the likely hood of you hurting yourself at the same time power decreases.

slow down, and perfect the movement. train the brain to follow the correct pathways. dont believe in muscle memory, it doesnt think, youb do. so train your brain to understand correct technique.

Answer 4

practice the correct form and speed will come

working on the fast twitch muscles in your hips, calves, shoulders and back will also help...along with working on your core strength