Striking Speed

[RichardHangHong]

For speeding up your punches try rubber tube training. Get some old bicycle inner tubes (about 4 or 5) and tie them together to make one big one. Attach one end to a secure base and hold the other one so there is no slack (slightly tort [sp?]). Practice punching with as much fast acceleration as you can. This is very useful for developing explosive speed in your punches. You can do the same with your kicks and moving around for kumite too. There's an article about it by Scott Langley, 4th Dan JKS in Shotokan Karate Magazine. Do a google search for "Rubber Tube Training" and you should find something.

[RichardHangHong]

I work on my striking power with the most obvious of methods, the heavy bag, however, there has to be an exercise or exercises to build up the speed my strikes travel.

Bag work/makiwara training generally builds your impact potential and not your speed. But keep practicing that along with the other methods suggested.

[elbows_and_knees]

I work on my striking power with the most obvious of methods, the heavy bag, however, there has to be an exercise or exercises to build up the speed my strikes travel.

Bag work/makiwara training generally builds your impact potential and not your speed. But keep practicing that along with the other methods suggested.

you hit the bag during speed training to give you something to impact. speed without impact in a punch makes for a useless punch. Also, having something to hit prevents hyperextension.

[bushido_man96]

I work on my striking power with the most obvious of methods, the heavy bag, however, there has to be an exercise or exercises to build up the speed my strikes travel.

Bag work/makiwara training generally builds your impact potential and not your speed. But keep practicing that along with the other methods suggested.

you hit the bag during speed training to give you something to impact. speed without impact in a punch makes for a useless punch. Also, having something to hit prevents hyperextension.

On a side note, to hitting the bag. I have read recently that we in TMA train the reaction hand for equal and opposite reaction (as one reason). The author of the book stated that when striking another object, such as a person or bag, that the reaction hand does not need to be used, because we are getting the equal/opposite reaction from the object we are striking. Therefore, bag work could improve speed and reaction force.

[Tef]

the way i train to get faster is to do to the techniques and katas i know with 5 pound weights in my hands. This conditions my arms to be used to some resistance/weight, so when i actually do the technique/kata, i get much faster.

[bushido_man96]

the way i train to get faster is to do to the techniques and katas i know with 5 pound weights in my hands. This conditions my arms to be used to some resistance/weight, so when i actually do the technique/kata, i get much faster.

I have done punching sets with weights in hand in the past as well, and I really liked the results that I got.

[dragonwarrior_keltyr]

I'm not sure what style you do, but try to have your hip/hand timing down. That'll increase your efficiency and power. Try swinging your hand in a front stance in time to the turning of your hip to get the timing right and then try punching with hip rotation. Again, this is an exercise from karate but it might be applicable to you.