Explosive Speed

[Anbu Alex]

Me being a psycho again lol weighted wrist bands wear them and punch with them on or slowly so not to mess up your joints with weights puch SLOOOOOWLY i found that that uped my punching speed

[Aodhan]

Repetition, repetition, repetition.

The fastest nerve impulse in the body is the reflex. Like yanking your hand away from pain, the kick your knee gives when the doc taps it, etc.

The more you practice a punch/kick/whatever, the more the nerve pathway gets "used" to the motion, and the nerve impulse will eventually "channel" along the most efficient pathway. (Not sure I'm explaining it exactly correctly, it's been a long time since my anatomical kinesiology classes, but it's pretty close.) This will result in a faster response time from the nerves, and a faster technique.

Aodhan

[Jay]

I do biology so i get what you mean reflex stimulus in other words the more you do something the better you get at it.

[fangshi]

here is a link to an awesome product that helps me ALOT .

http://www.rossboxing.com/punchingwithpower.html

[Aodhan]

here is a link to an awesome product that helps me ALOT .

http://www.rossboxing.com/punchingwithpower.html

I'm going to have to look into some of this guy's training. Every time I turn around on here someone is providing a link to this site...

Aodhan

[Meguro]

I think the recommended training depends on what type of fast punch your trying to achieve: the knock-out kind or the point scoring, snap the dogi kind. In both cases, lots of repetition will get the muscle memory, nerve pathway thing going. Plyometrics, which include the hand clap pushups, will add more than just speed and sound-effects to your punch. Personally, I like punching the heavy bag. It builds strength, speed, muscle endurance. What's not to like?

[fangshi]

I think the recommended training depends on what type of fast punch your trying to achieve: the knock-out kind or the point scoring, snap the dogi kind. In both cases, lots of repetition will get the muscle memory, nerve pathway thing going. Plyometrics, which include the hand clap pushups, will add more than just speed and sound-effects to your punch. Personally, I like punching the heavy bag. It builds strength, speed, muscle endurance. What's not to like?

Absolutely , there is no one seceret excersize that gives you the perfect punch . Base level strength , balance and technique is a good place to start . Then go for the plyometrics and don't forget abs . Punching is a whole body thing .

[MenteReligieuse]

Taken from http://www.brianmac.demon.co.uk/plymo.htm:

Upper Body

A variety of drills can be used to make the upper body more explosive:

Press ups & hand clap: Press-ups with a hand clap in between is a particularly vigorous way to condition the arms and chest. The pre-stretch takes place as the hands arrive back on the ground and the chest sinks, and this is followed quickly by the explosive upwards action. Once again, to get the best training effect keep the time in contact with the ground to a minimum.

Medicine Ball: Another means of increasing upper body strength popular with throwers is to lie on the ground face up. A partner then drops a medicine ball down towards the chest of the athlete, who catches the ball (pre-stretch) and immediately throws it back. This is another high-intensity exercise and should only be used after some basic conditioning.

What is great about pylometrics is that you get results fast!. In highschool I was in the basket ball team, being only 5'10 (which is small for basketball) I had a hard time jumping over bigger guys. I trained my jumps doing the "Drop Jumping" exercise (which is also described on that website) and after only a few mins there was a few inches of difference in my jumps (two, two and half maybe)!! Of course you need to train regularly for the results to become more "permanent", else you'll get back at where you started.

[shorinryu912]

With utmost respect intended folks, I think Jay is primarily looking more for technique than for conditioning, i.e. how can he get more horsepower out of the engine he has now rather than swapping in a new one. Handclap pushups ARE an excellent way to build massive strength. They are also an excellent way to tear your shoulder and elbow joints to shreds. If you don't believe that I've got some x-rays to show you.

There is one way to always be faster than the other guy. Do less work than he does! I'll race Carl Lewis anyday if he's running 100 yards and I'm only running 50! As long as your hands are up where they should be, and you don't OVERdrive your punch too deep into the target (i.e. don't try to punch 3 feet behind his chest), making the littlest movement you can, with no wasted telegraphing of motion (shortest distance between 2 points is a straight line), you will almost always beat him.

Don't do any work that you can't just let gravity do for you. I have visited many schools where I've seen folks being taught to PUSH off their back leg to throw a standard lunging punch (in karate, oi-zuki). This is only half correct. You only propel yourself forward with the back leg to initate the forward inertia of the technique, after just a little push off the back toe, you just relax all tension in your legs and FALL forward into the target. The front leg catches you, and the end effect makes it LOOK like you drove the back leg all the way into the target because it is straight. This DOES NOT WORK, however, unless the hands start first and almost finish the technique before the foot even moves - i.e. hand is almost making contact with the target before the body is added. I have been to TKD schools where the instructor specifically told the students to move their foot first, but ask Dan Inosanto to this day how Bruce Lee executed the lead punch in Jeet Kune Do, and he will tell you, Bruce's knuckles actually touched the target for a split thousandth of a second before his foot even moved. This way 100% of the body movement goes into the technique and none is wasted.

Give your arm muscles as much help as you can, i.e. if you can rotate your shoulder/back just an inch further into the target, if you can push your hip just an inch closer to the target, if you can move your foot just an inch closer to the target... that's 3 inches less work your arms have to do. Above all else, RELAX. When your hands are up in ready position they should have only sufficient tension to keep them still. The muscles do not tense until the split second before you make contact. The less tension in the muscles throughout the course of the swing, the quicker and more explosive the final snap will be.

[markusan]

Give your arm muscles as much help as you can, i.e. if you can rotate your shoulder/back just an inch further into the target, if you can push your hip just an inch closer to the target, if you can move your foot just an inch closer to the target... that's 3 inches less work your arms have to do. Above all else, RELAX. When your hands are up in ready position they should have only sufficient tension to keep them still. The muscles do not tense until the split second before you make contact. The less tension in the muscles throughout the course of the swing, the quicker and more explosive the final snap will be.

Shorinryu, I think I'm one of those punchers who push off with their foot first. I've tried to break it down and I think the leg and hip start turning then the hand pushes out about the same time. But as far as I can tell the leg starts pushing before the punch lands. Doesn't your above quote sort of imply that the foot hip and shoulder movement precede the fist contact? I can't imagine making contact with the punch then driving with the foot. Could you clarify please.