Increasing hand speed

Any good suggestions on increasing hand speed?

Paper drill: Take a 4 in x 4 in piece of paper and put a string through it. Hang it from the ceiling about chin high. Learn to develope a snapping sound as your hand makes contact with the paper. This teaches you to put snap in your punches, to be faster and more relaxed, and you can learn to explode closing distance and remember to explode out just as fast.

Candle drill: Light a candle put it on a table or something and punch at the candle. Let your snap be just an inch from the candle. A beginner should be able to put the candle out 1 out of 10 times. Practice the drill until you can put the candle out about every other time.

Both drills will also increase your overall focus.

Those two drills are classic drills to work on targeting your speed on your own.....

I personally like to work with a partner with speed drills.

For this drill you may need protective gear (helmet & gloves)

One person works on developing offensive speed as the other hones his defensive speed.

To perform the drill, you face off in matching stances at a distance of about six-to-12 inches further than arm's reach. Each person holds their lead hand below waist level. The objective of the offensive fighter is to execute a backhand strike to their opponent's temple. The defensive fighter, then attempts to deflect the blow by raising their lead hand.

The offensive fighter try to sense his opponent's weaknesses by looking at muscle tension, breathing patterns, and movements.

Both partners should try to maintain the basic speed qualities of relaxation, economy of motion, etc. To add to the degree of difficulty, the offensive fighter can attempt to strike from a longer range.