What sound do you make while punching?

• “AGHHH!” sound
• “EEESH!” sound
• “IMHHH!” sound
• “OOOSH!” sound
• “UNNGH!” sound

What difference does the exhalation sound make? Learn how your breathing sound can affect your punching power, speed, and endurance…and of course: which sounds do the pros make?

How does your breathing sound affect your punch?

I’m no expert on breathing but I do feel the changing the sound of your exhalation while punching changes how you generate punching power through your core. It also changes how you hold your head and how you apply leverage into your punches. You’ll quickly find that some punching sounds make it easier to throw more powerful punches or faster punches.

Another thing you may worry about is how different sounds require you to hold your jaw or clench your teeth (mouthguard) differently. It ultimately will come down to personal preference but I’ll go over the choices the way I perceive them.

The “AGHHH” sound is the most POWERFUL.

IS IT the most powerful? I can’t say for sure but it definitely feels like it. I feel the hacking “AGHHH” sound activates your back more and channels a powerful chopping energy through your entire body and core. The sound seems to come from the back of your throat through an open mouth (easier with a lifted chin as well). Some fighters will leave their lips closed which greats a “PAH” sound instead. You’ll also find the “AGHHH” sound is great for throwing wider punches or hooking punches as you have more time to really chop that “AGHHH” sound throughout your body.

If there’s any drawbacks, I would guess that it exerts a lot of energy and you feel like your jaw is wide open and vulnerable to counters. I also feel the “AGHHH” sound uses a lot of air and so you can’t throw more than 1 or 2 punches with it at a time. It’s not as ideal for combinations. Not surprisingly, the “AGHHH” is the most common choice among power punchers.

Who uses the “AGHHH” sound?

• Power punches – Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Adrien Broner, Canelo Alvarez, Anthony Joshua
• Hooks/Body punches – Ricky Hatton, Danny Garcia, Miguel Cotto, Andre Ward
• “AUTCH!” version – Keith Thurman

The “EEESH” sound is the FASTEST (and MOST RELAXED).

The “EEESH” sound is the fastest, quickest, tightest sound to me. The sound comes from a small exhalation at the throat squeezing air through closed teeth, and timed with a slight force from your core. Some fighters who close their lips will get a “BEESH” sound. It uses only a tiny bit of air so you can throw many punches with this sound without running out of breath.

You can use this to get explosive speed on your counters. It’s very commonly used by all fighters who like to surprise opponents with quick counters. Great for speedy punches like potshots and also shoeshine flurries. The only drawback is that since this punch uses only a small tight activation of your core, it probably won’t generate the most power but IT’S STILL POWERFUL.

Who uses the “EEESH” sound?

• Speed/Potshot punches – Mike Tyson, Marco Antonio Barrera, Nonito Donaire, Canelo Alvarez

The “IMMHH” sound combines SPEED (and STRENGTH).

The “IMMHH” sound is somewhat like a modified version of the “EEESH” sound in that your mouth is closed but instead of only a small tight exhalation, you let just a little bit more air out and your core works a little harder to push punches through. Some fighters who keep their lips closed will sound more like “HMMMF”.

This can be used for longer speedier combinations, or adding more power to your fast punches. I personally don’t like it because it feels like it uses too much air. I also feel like this sound isn’t suited for long arm punchers like me and will make me tired faster.

Who uses the “IMMHH” sound?

• Snapping punches – Yuriorkis Gamboa, Paulie Malignaggi
• Speed combinations – Manny Pacquiao

The “OOOSH” sound is for LEANING FORWARD (AGGRESSION).

The “OOOSH” sound to me is for when you want to punch with your head tilting forward. This is great for aggressive fighters, pushers, or those wanting to wing overhand punches over the top. I think this sound comes out when you’re leaning forward with your mid-section slightly contracted. The “OOOSH” sound seems to come from the front of your body (chest) rather than from your back muscles. Some fighters will push out less air which gives a tighter “OOH!” sound instead.

This sound is great for just putting your chin down and coming forward with strong straight punches, and big overhand rights or left coming over the top. I think the “OOOSH” is also good for putting lots of strength behind your punches without having to explode. You’ll find the “OOOSH” sound is more relaxed and doesn’t require as much burst as the “EEESH” sound. Depending on how your body moves, the “OOOSH” sound can be either slower and more tiring…or more relaxed and stronger than using “EEESH”.

Who uses the “OOOSH” sound?

• Overhand punches – Gennady Golovkin, Marcos Maidana
• Relaxed combinations – Manny Pacquiao

The “UNNGH” sound is for DIGGING POWER.

The “UNNGH” sound is similar to the “OOOSH” sound since that it also comes from a forward lean and using frontal body muscles. I would say the difference is that the “UNNGH” sound seems to come more from your core/abdominals rather than your chest like “OOOSH”. This gives it more power for digging punches like hooks and uppercuts to the body, and also speed combinations on the inside.

The “UNNGH” sound is indeed more effort but you can use it in different ways. Some fighters will dig many punches with urgency using this sound. Others will throw singular shots win a more relaxed manner. The “UNNGH” can actually be relaxing when thrown slower or one at a time.

Who uses the “UNNGH” sound?

• Speed/Digging combinations – Adrien Broner, Vitali Klitschko, Roy Jones
• Digging punches – Danny Garcia, Errol Spence

Breathing Control = Body Control

How you breathe greatly affects your punching power/speed and overall body control.

As you start to experiment using different sounds from different positions, you’ll come to find that the sounds you make really can affect the way you fight. It affects your punching power, speed, explosiveness, ability to relax, reduce telegraphing, and just overall body control.

Generally speaking, I find “AAA” sound fighters to be more powerful. “EEE” sound fighters to be faster, more relaxed. “OOO” sound fighters to be stronger or more aggressive. And “UNG” sound fighters to be more tense (for better or for worse). Most fighters will use at least 2 of those sounds regularly if not all of them. Do explore, get to know yourself better and change things up as needed.

How do YOU like to breathe? And how do your favorite fighters like to breathe?

OVER 100 PUNCHING TECHNIQUES!

Develop explosive punching power for fighting! Throw punches with more confidence and power than ever before. Unload fast flowing combinations without getting tired. And set up angles to land deadly counters!

Refine every punch in your arsenal from jabs to crosses, hooks, uppercuts, and over 40 different variations of them!

I share all the punching secrets I’ve picked up over the years in this special 30-DAY intensive training program. 8 HOURS of instructional video and a 42-page workbook dedicated to improving your punching technique.

Learn OVER 100 killer punching techniques used by boxers to strike with incredible power, speed, and timing!

FOREWORD: I am humbled and honored to have you as a ExpertBoxing fan/reader. I’ve spent the last 3 years working on this special course. After many long hours, I’ve arrived at last with something I believe can take any fighter’s game to the next level. It has been a true labor of love and I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did making it.

Want to have KNOCKOUT punching power?

• EXPLOSIVE POWER – unload crushing power on all your punches!
• LIGHTNING SPEED – fire off combinations with blinding speed!
• DEADLY ANGLES – set up angles to land deadly counter punches!

Defense and footwork has never knocked anyone out.
Only punching power can do that.

Do you want RESPECT?

Some fighters have never felt what it’s like to have A-level punching power. It’s not only the ability to punch hard, but the respect that comes with it. Everyone notices you. People turn their heads every time you hit the bag. All the parents, girlfriends and little kids standing around the gym keep watching you train because you look like you can really hurt somebody. And for some reason, no matter what gym you visit, EVERY trainer wants to work with you.

Your opponents respect you more, too. They get nervous when they see you warming up on the mitts. Their coaches worry about putting them in the ring with you. Their game plan always changes to “stay away and jab more”. They keep a distance more. They don’t rush you as much. It’s like you’re carrying a baseball bat into the ring.

Knowing that you can hit hard gives you confidence and security! You don’t worry about another fighter’s punches when you know you have more power. Fighting is way more fun when you can bang. People get hurt when you touch them. They flinch, they back off, they groan, or they go down. You can even take on bigger opponents. Everyone remembers your punches and you get a reputation for being “that guy”.

Do you want to WIN fights?

Aside from the respect, punching power makes it easier to win fights. You can get the job done with LESS EFFORT and LESS RISK. You get to relax more, even use less energy. Instead of swinging wildly and leaving yourself vulnerable, you can be just as dangerous relaxing from behind your guard.

Imagine having jabs that can break noses, right hands that put opponents on the canvas, hooks that crack ribs, and uppercuts that chop heads off. Power can also push opponents off balance or hurt their arms (or even dislocate shoulders) when they block. Having power makes you dangerous even when you’re tired.

Whoever has the power, controls the pace.

Punching power also helps your boxing strategy. It can keep aggressive guys at a distance, slow down faster opponents, make power-punchers shy, or make defensive guys even more defensive. Punching power makes opponents stop and think. They don’t throw as much when they’re worried about defense.

Do you want to be a CHAMPION?

How far do you want to go with your boxing? No doubt about it—champions tend to have more power, but it’s not only this. To reach the elite levels in boxing, you need to be proficient in every skill set. And having punching power frees up your time to develop these other skills. Instead of focusing on power, you could be working on your angles, defense, and footwork.

It’s easier to work on higher-level boxing skills when you’re not busy worrying that you don’t punch hard enough. It’s also easier to fight intelligently when opponents respects your punching power.

At the end of the day, many boxing skills fall under the same universal principles. The same skills that give you a great offense can also give you great defense. The athleticism used to generate punching power can also generate balance and foot-speed. Mastering any area helps you improve in all other areas.

Where does REAL punching power come from?

Punching power comes from technique!

The best punchers have the best punching technique! Some might have had great genetics, while others may have had great trainers or great training. But ultimately, they all have great technique. There is something beautiful in the way that they punch. The punches look clean. Everything is strong, solid, and supported. There’s no pain, no awkwardness or weird movements. Every punch lands with 100% pure energy transfer.

Does this mean I’m saying that athletic ability or physical conditioning don’t matter? Absolutely not. I’m simply stating that technique comes first. All you need for a powerful punch is a little effort applied from an effective position. You won’t have to do much if you’re in the right place. You could relax and still hit pretty hard!

The best punchers can hit hard even without trying.

High-skill physical training

I like to categorize physical training into two levels: the first level is what I call “low-skill physical training“. For me, this is your basic strength & conditioning work. It’s got cardio, some strength-training, some endurance work, and basically an all-around total-body workout. This low-skill level training is great for getting you into fighting shape, but isn’t likely to be the thing that helps you break punching records.

The second level is what I call “high-skill physical training“. For me, this is any kind of physical training that focuses on muscle coordination rather than muscle exertion. I’ve referred to it before in various ways: muscle coordination, muscle timing, muscle habit. Let’s call it, “muscle memory”. The first time you learn a movement, your mind has to think it through numerous times before your body can do it. After enough repetition, your body remembers this coordination and just fires everything together without you even thinking about it.

Having muscle memory not only takes less mental effort, but also less physical effort. Have you ever seen those old out-of-shape retired boxers that can still hit hard?  Or how about the pro who hits 3 times harder than you do while using only a fraction of effort? How is that even possible? THIS, my friend, is the magic of “muscle memory”. Once the movement patterns are ingrained in your body, you’ll always be in perfect alignment.

Pros focus on muscle coordination,
NOT muscle strength.

A great example of “muscle memory training” would be shadowboxing, or high-skill mittwork like Mayweather’s pad routines. Training with lots of conscious thought and body awareness is far more beneficial to a fighter’s development than wailing away on the heavy bag. Many beginners will never develop the fine coordination because they’re so busy trying to throw punches harder and harder.

Angles and timing

Power alone isn’t going to cut it against trained opponents. No one stands around with their chin in the air, right? Smart opponents will be moving all over the place, attacking and countering from a billion angles. So guess what, this means you need to know how to punch from many angles as well. You’ll also need timing, to be in the right place at the right time in order to land your shots.

Without understanding how to use timing and angles, you’ll always be a step behind. It’ll feel like you’re punching at something that’s always covered up, or always running away. You’ll spend all your energy but never hit a clean target.

The SECRET to getting knockouts has more to do
with timing and angles than it does with power. 

Punching at the right time actually causes MORE DAMAGE to moving opponents (by using their momentum against them). Punching from the right angle not only hurts them even more but also keeps you safe from their counters.

What’s the best body type for punching power?

This argument has gone on forever. Some people say you need a big upper body and big arms like Evander Holyfield. Others will argue that real power comes from the legs like Felix Trinidad. Young kids might like the stocky, muscular build like Mike Tyson. But old school trainers may prefer a smooth-muscled body like Muhammad Ali. There are also people who feel a broad back and long arms has more snapping power like Julian Jackson. And finally, some people will just say, “If you got it, you got it.”

Incredible punching power can come from ANY body type!

I can honestly tell you that I’ve seen power come from all body types. Tall, short, muscular, slim, big arms, skinny arms, thick legs, chicken legs, etc. The beauty of technique is that it works for everyone. Put your body in the right position, crank a little and *BOOM!* Technique really does all the work for you.

Watch videos of my favorite POWER punchers:

• Julian Jackson
• Sugar Ray Robinson
• Mike Tyson
• Thomas Hearns
• George Foreman
• Prince Naseem

Watch videos of my favorite SPEED punchers:

• Muhammad Ali
• Sugar Ray Leonard
• Roy Jones Jr
• Hector Camacho
• Manny Pacquiao

Watch videos of my favorite COUNTER punchers:

• James Toney
• Roberto Duran
• Floyd Mayweather Jr
• Guillermo Rigondeaux
• Vasyl Lomachenko

The PROBLEM with boxing instruction nowadays…

Most boxers will never get access to quality boxing instruction. Many boxing gyms (if you’re lucky to find one nearby) will only have a few trainers. And the trainers are always busy with their top fighters, their sons, or the guys who already have natural power. For everyone else, they show you a few punches and that’s it. So unless you’re a spring chicken with Olympic potential or pay a lot of money, you’re most likely not going to get the best training possible.

If you’re either a beginner, adult-aged, female, fitness client, or any other kind of everyday-person, you’ve probably been left unsupervised during a training session at some point. The trainer shows you a few combos on the mitts, and then abandons you on the bags while he prepares his top fighters for their weekend matches. This isn’t to say that the trainers care little for your progress; they’re simply busy multi-tasking and focusing more on their prized fighters. Fair enough.

Some trainers won’t even correct you.
They’ll just assume you’re not a “natural”.

Aside from the lack of quality time with an experienced trainer, there is also the issue of only having one viewpoint. Most of you will never get to learn from more than one trainer and so you’ll only be exposed to one style and maybe even be taught that other styles are “wrong”. The worst part of all is that many trainers won’t even try to figure out your problem if you don’t hit hard. They’ll just assume you’re not a “natural”.

The MOST COMMON PROBLEMS with punching technique:
1) weak core involvement
2) poor impact stabilization
3) low punch variation

PROBLEM #1 – Weak Core Involvement

The first problem with punching technique is a lack of core involvement. Many fighters cannot generate powerful punches because of poorly-developed muscles, poor technique, or poor positioning (of the body).

Lack-of-core is common because trainers teach by showing the FORM of a punch. Which means you learn to throw punches based on how they LOOK, rather than by how they FEEL. Poor positioning is common because fighters often inadvertently take their body out of alignment when attempting to be more offensive, defensive, more agile, or to copy their favorite fighters on Youtube.

Without integrating your core properly into every punch, you’ll never be able to generate the maximum power possible. You CAN still throw a very hard punch, but it would take far more effort and unnecessary movement which come with serious drawbacks. You could lose balance, waste energy, or throw slower/wider punches that leave you vulnerable to counters.

Keeping their core engaged, the best punchers can move and punch powerfully without requiring extra effort or preparation time. This allows them freedom to move around instead of being stuck in one position for the whole fight.

PROBLEM #2 – Poor Impact Stabilization

The second problem with punching technique is a lack of impact stabilization. You can generate all the power in the world but it won’t transfer if your body doesn’t stabilize during impact.

Poor impact stabilization is the #1 cause of a power leak. Many fighters will generate tons of power just fine. But then something happens when their fist makes contact—instead of holding the alignment, a joint falls out of position. Maybe the hip is pushed out, or the shoulder is out of place.

Muscles GENERATE power.
Bones (and joints) TRANSFER power.

Fighters who SEEM to have good punching technique but still lack power are probably dealing with this problem. You might have strong muscles and hear a loud *BANG* when the punch lands but little power will transfer if your joints don’t hold stable. Punching with your joints out of alignment not only decreases power but could also hurt your joints (hand/shoulder).

The best punchers know how to position their body during impact to transfer power cleanly. They know exactly how to activate the right muscles and control their joints, to prevent the usual “power leaks”.

PROBLEM #3 – Low Punch Variation

The third problem with punching technique is a lack of punch variation. Many fighters are unable to use their power because they don’t know how to throw punches from different [realistic] positions.

It’s unlikely for fighters to know many ways of throwing punches because 1) trainers won’t teach them other variations until they master the basic ones, and 2) trainers may have their own style bias and shun other variations as being “wrong”.

The problem with throwing punches the same way every time is that your attacks start getting predictable. Unable to land punches, fighters will inevitably invent their own “tricks” and unique ways of throwing punches (usually by taking their body out of position). These creative punch variations may be crafty enough to score but are often not strong enough to cause serious damage.

The best punchers always have more than one way to do something. They know 10 ways to throw the jab, 10 ways to throw the cross, hook, uppercut, etc. If you were to count out every possible variation, they would probably have over 100 different punches. The best punchers will also know the strengths of each variation instead of being confused by conflicting ideologies or blindly believing that only one technique is the “best”.

What’s inside the “SECRETS to Punching Power” training program?

You’ll get access to a comprehensive 30-day training program with 8 hours of video. You’ll learn many new punching methods, drills, exercises, and secret tips each day to completely transform your punching technique and maximize your punching power. I guarantee you will punch harder, faster, and with better timing than ever before!

The most detailed punching technique program….EVER! 

Nothing like this exists anywhere. (I know because I looked.) This level of detail isn’t found in any gym or anywhere on the internet. In fact, I doubt anybody has ever learned or taught it this way. Typically, this kind of knowledge is acquired through years of training in different gyms, learning from different trainers, and sparring with different fighters. That’s pretty much how I learned it. However, it’s hard to get access to that nowadays.

So if you don’t have access to multiple gyms, trainers, and sparring partners, it’s honestly really hard to pick this stuff up. Many of these moves are commonly used but they don’t have names. Everyone just assumes that once you get to the competition-level, you pick it up magically somehow. But what if you don’t want to wait all the years and go through all that? I hate to use the word ‘shortcut’, but here is one of the FASTEST shortcuts to take your game to the next level.

Techniques, drills, examples, and lots of explanation!

I recorded hours and hours of video, explaining concepts in various ways and showing movements from multiple angles. We’ll be exploring a hundred new ways to throw punches. You may have seen some of the variations, but I highly doubt you’ve seen ALL of them. You’ll get to see techniques up close, on the bag, as well as on a live person.

Tons of punching tricks and secrets!

I’ve picked up hundreds of fighting secrets over the years and I bare it all here. A few of these tips might be stumbled upon by accident through years of experience. But many of them are truly impossible-to-discover gems! And can only be passed down from someone who’s already been there.

This isn’t the usual 20-point checklist style of technique, where you have to remember a million details (the fist, the shoulder, the hip). I’m talking about simplistic technique! I’ll say, “do this one little thing with your back” and you feel the difference in your body right away. There’s no fluff or long complicated drill process. Every tip is so golden you’ll be itching to try the next one. I’ve even had people tell me certain tips alone were worth the price of the entire course!

A complete course on punching technique – POWER, SPEED, TIMING, RHYTHM, ACCURACY!

Improve your technique in every single way—NOT JUST POWER! Speed gets punches past defenses, and returns your hand quicker (for defense or to punch again). Timing increases punch impact and also creates opportunities against defensive opponents. Rhythm gives your combinations flow and efficiency. Accuracy maximizes damage and increase the chances of a knockout.

Learn not only how to THROW knockout punches,
but also how to LAND knockout punches!

A real lesson on punching power isn’t complete until you know how to LAND your punches. The final days will cover the most difficult skill of understanding timing and angles. This is literally THE skill needed for landing KNOCKOUT PUNCHES!

Kacper Dudziński
(POLISH PRO BOXER & 2014 WELSH AMATEUR CHAMPION)

“Welsh champion in 2014, finalist in 2015. Had 21 amateur bouts (won 19, lost 2) and got 2nd pro fight in 3 weeks time. Apart from being involved in so many gym sparring/training with world class amateurs and pros, ExpertBoxing probably played the biggest role in my career as I was following the tips, corrections and little adjustments through the last 5 years of my career. Funny enough sometimes in changing room before a fight, instead of listening to the trainer I was thinking about all of Johnny’s advices and stuff and it’s even more funny that it usually worked.

The way he presents stuff is so much more advanced and helpful as is not as obvious as all other cheap boxing videos you can find on Youtube. His videos are something different as he is describing the way of feeling stuff, describing it in many details and it very often help to understand your body better, so then it helps you to correct ur technique and simply get better in boxing. U got me sparring there with world and British champ Craig Evans and Dale Evans. And also Lee Churcher WBU world champion. Well done Johnny. Keep doing what u doing and hopefully in 3 weeks time I come back with some good news again. Stay sharp guys.”

Here’s what you get…

Here is the topic list and daily breakdown of the training program. I’ve included a few highlights from each day—don’t look too closely—I purposely didn’t list everything that’s included in my videos. 

Open All | Close All

PS: Still have questions about “SECRETS to Punching Power”?
Leave a comment below or send me a direct email and I’ll answer it right away. It’s an incredible course with MANY benefits. Find out for yourself.

5 deadly punching mistakes that can get you knocked out.

As a beginner, it can be difficult to remember the 50-point checklist of possible mistakes every second of the fight. Technique, strategy, breathing….OH, AND DON’T FORGET TO RELAX! All that is impossible to do when you’re worried about getting beat up.

For now, I’ll focus on some of the more critical ones that can leave you the most vulnerable. As long as you’re careful not to commit these in the ring, you’ll probably be alright (assuming you’re fighting someone of comparable ability).

Learn how to fix these mistakes (in yourself) or take advantage of them (in others):

1. Exposed Chin During the Jab

Many fighters will somehow expose their chin when throwing the jab. Some do it by lifting their chin during the jab. Some do it by leaning forward and pulling their head in with the jab. Some fighters don’t even have their other glove covering their face when they jab (probably because the other glove is preparing to punch). This is often the case for guys that turn their head sideways when they jab. Also a common scenario during southpaw-vs-orthodox match-ups.

EASY COUNTER – Land a counter jab or counter right cross. If he’s leaning in, try a left uppercut to snap his head up, and then knocked it off with a follow-up hook or right cross.

SELF DIAGNOSIS – How to check if you have this issue: have a trainer throw a hook every time you jab. You should be close enough to land your jab, but far enough that he can’t land his left hook.

2. Dropped right hand during left hook

This is one of the deadliest and most common mistakes. Even for professionals. I too, am guilty of this at times. Just about every boxer at some point in his career will drop his right hand when he throws his left hook. Most guys will cover their chin but hardly ever the forehead (it’s just not comfortable to do this). Other guys drop the right hand all the way down to their chest when they throw the left hook.

EASY COUNTER – The easiest way to take advantage of this mistake is to throw a left hook. This common mistake is the reason why many trainers say that the best counter for a left hook is a left hook. No need to be fancy by rolling under, just throw your own left hook and make sure your right hand is tighter than his. The left hook exchange has created many knockouts in boxing history.

SELF DIAGNOSIS – Throw punches at a bag, and during sparring. Have a friend watch you during a sparring match to see if you’re guilty of this!

3. Telegraphing the right hand

Many fighters have a terrible habit of moving their right hand from position before they throw a right. Some telegraph by lowering their right hand, others will pull back the right just before the punch.

EASY COUNTER – If you’re a sharpshooter, you can pop him with a jab. Jabbing him accurately in the face will stop his right hand before it gets released. The danger of countering with a jab is that he might throw an overhand right and you end up trading a jab for a right hand—not a very good exchange.

The better way to counter a telegraphed right hand, is with a left hook. You can throw a short hook on the inside. Throw it early and time it so that it hits him right as his right hand pulls back from his face to load the right. You can also throw it later to have it land after his right hand has already launched; mind you, this should be a wider hook if it’s going around or OVER his right hand/arm. If you pivot with your hook at the same time, you will land your hook while your head turns away from his right hand. Even if his head is covered by his glove or his shoulder, your left hook can still push him off balance.

SELF DIAGNOSIS – Record a video of yourself hitting the bag or sparring. You may be surprise at how far your right hand drops from position. This mistake can be shockingly apparent in sparring.

4. Exposed Body

This is a common and inevitable fact of punching. Your opponent’s body will be exposed if his arm is extended during a punch. He can tuck his chin behind his shoulder or lean his head out of the way but his body will be wide open if you can get to it.

EASY COUNTER – The only way to reach his body while he punches is to rely on slipping. Let your slipping protect your head from punches, as you use your hands to counter from the bottom. Slip under his jab and land a jab on bottom. Or slip outside his right hand as you land a left hook (or right cross) to his body. The big tip is to COUNTER WHEN YOU SLIP. By countering simultaneously as you slip, you can attack him right as the opening presents itself. If you defend first before you try to counter, you might miss the opportunity.

SELF DIAGNOSIS – It’s not really a mistake. but you can definitely be more aware of your body’s openings while you punch. When you work the mitts, have you trainer counter your jab with a right to the body, or counter your right hand with a left hook to the body. This will force your elbows to come down faster after throwing punches.

5. Lifted Balance

This is another common mistake committed by just about 90% of all beginner boxers in the gym. They lift their hips when they punch. It’s like a “jumping” elevation of the hips. The 2 reasons this problem is common are probably because 1) they believe it’s necessary to reach with a punch and 2) they believe it gives the punch more power.

It’s probably the incorrect attitude of believing that exploding upwards during a punch adds power. Which is wrong, but I’ll leave that explanation for another day…let’s work on taking advantage of this.

EASY COUNTER – There are several ways to take advantage of this mistake. One way is to ground yourself and counter at the same time. But right after your counter, use the same hand to push him off balance. For example, if your opponents is lifting his hips as he jabs: you throw a pushing jab, using your glove to push him back. Even if he blocks it, he will still fall back off balance…and vulnerable to your next punch. Remember to keep YOUR hips down.

Another thing you can do is slip or get out of the way entirely and watch him fall through his punch. Make him miss that first punch and then follow up immediately with a counter combo. Even if he lands his follow-up punches, he’ll be too off-balance to cause any real damage. It’s easy to win exchanges when your body is grounded and his is not.

SELF DIAGNOSIS – How to see if you have this vulnerability. Throw a jab and freeze…holding it out in the position that it lands. Have your trainer throw a left hook at your right hand (you’re blocking it). If you fall over, your hips are probably lifted (ORRRR, you have a bad stance). Now throw a right hand, and hold it out as you trainer tests your stance with a left hook. Again, if you’re falling over then you have a bad stance. Lastly, throw a jab to the body as you bend your knees a little and crouch down. Have your trainer throw a hook at your right glove. This one gets about 95% of the new boxers I test this with. (The trick, by the way…is to relax your hips and “drop” your weight when you punch. It’s the only way to stand properly grounded during a punch.) It’s more about RELEASING your hips rather than LOWERING your hips, which is a totally different thing.

What makes something a “MISTAKE”?

I don’t think it’s so much that a mistake is when you do something the wrong way (“bad technique”). Or that everything always has to be done the same way each time. It would be impossible to adapt to situations if you were to throw the same punch the same way every single time. If anything, these “perfect” techniques could make you predictable and enable smarter opponents to take advantage of you.

A mistake is something you’re not aware of.

I like to define a “mistake” as something you’re not doing intentionally. For example if I exposed myself somewhere without knowing it, that would be a mistake. And one that could be exploited by an opponent at my own expense. But suppose I exposed myself somewhere INTENTIONALLY, then it becomes a bait, and then it becomes a strategic ploy inviting my opponent to fall into my trap, at which moment, I would have a counter prepared for his attack.

You may have wondered in the past why it seems that some professional fighters make so many “mistakes”. The truth is…they might not be mistakes after all.

The “mistakes” that pros make
may actually be strategic gambles.

The uppercut is probably the most improperly thrown punch in boxing.

Everybody knows how to throw a sharp jab, and a hard right hand, and killer left hook. But when it comes to uppercuts, oh man…it’s like everybody has their own creative interpretation. If you’ve never been closely adjusted on your uppercut technique by a coach before, there’s a good chance you’re leaving out tons of potential power.

The hardest part about mastering the uppercut
is to disregard the way it looks.

You have to get past the tendencies of dropping the arm, and crouching low, and exploding upwards with the uppercut. And even once you get past these beginner mistakes, you’ll have to adjust a dozen more details before it feels like ‘what the pros do’. It took me at least half a dozen variations by different coaches before I refined my uppercut technique to what it is today. And I’m proud to share those tips with you!

Learn how to get more power out of your uppercut!

Basic Uppercut Technique

1. Basic Stance

Get into your basic boxing stance.

You can throw the uppercut from any stance but for now we’ll stick to a neutral stance. Position yourself for the uppercut the same way that you would for a right cross or left hook.

The COMMON MISTAKE is to try and duck down or bend your knees or drop your hands low to “prepare” for the uppercut.

The uppercut can be thrown from your basic boxing stance,
no preparation or modified positions are necessary.

2. Pivot the Body

The body mechanics of the uppercut will be the same as your other power punches.

• For the left uppercut, rotate your body the same way you would for a left hook.
• For the right uppercut, rotate your body the same way you would for a right right cross.

Your body moves the same way like for a cross or hook, even though your arm is coming with an upwards angle now. The shoulders, hips, leg, and feet, will all pivot the same way. Don’t change anything or visualize the body movement differently just because your hand is going upwards instead of straight (cross) or around (hooks).

The COMMON MISTAKE is to lean back or “pop” upwards with your legs or do weird things with your body because you’re visualizing an upwards momentum.

The only thing that changes for the uppercut
is the angle of your arm, not your body movement.

3. Don’t Shift Weight (During the Uppercut)

BEFORE the uppercut, make a small weight shift to side you’re punching from.

• For a left uppercut, shift more weight to your left foot.
• For a right uppercut, shift more weight to your right foot.

You only need a SMALL weight shift, think 60/40. Shift the weight by moving your head and hips towards the foot. This might seem like basic punching technique except…

The key is NOT to shift weight when you throw the punch. I REPEAT…DO NOT SHIFT WEIGHT…during the uppercut.

• This is an important detail that makes the uppercut technique I teach different from how some other coaches teach the uppercut.

The reason I like to stay on the same leg as the punching arm during the uppercut is because it lets me get UNDER the uppercut and get more leverage out of the punch. By staying on the same side as the punching during the uppercut, I feel like it lets me get my hips, my back, and my punching arm under the uppercut and generates more power this way. So again…what I do is shift to one side and then pivot in place as I dig the uppercut.

This isn’t to say that you can’t or shouldn’t shift weight, it’s that it has a different effect. When you shift weight and switch your weight to the other foot, your uppercut will have less solidity under it and it becomes more of a forward punch than an upwards punch. Basically, the uppercut has less “upwards” power when you shift weight away from the side of the punching arm. Now, shifting weight on the uppercut still has other uses such as setting you up to punch with the other arm, or moving your head to a new position (evasive purposes)…but the bottom line is is has less power than an uppercut that doesn’t shift.

You may have also noticed that this approach to shifting weight can also be applied to left hooks to the body. If you watch pro boxers carefully, you will notice that some of them will lean in and keep their weight forward on the front foot when they dig the left hook to the body rather than shift weight back to their rear foot.

See how Mike Tyson stays on the same foot as the throwing arm when he throws the uppercut? He’s definitely not shifting weight to the other foot. And it’s so much more powerful this way.

Get under the uppercut,
and DON’T shift weight during the punch.

4. Loop the arm.

The arms make a sharp compact loop.

You don’t need to release the fist all the way out or drop the fist before the punch. Remember that the uppercut is a short punch; if you have to reach, you’re probably not in range. Simply relax the arm as you release the uppercut and tighten the hand on impact. Keep your elbows down and your palm facing you throughout the uppercut.

Keep your opponent in view. Your head should not be leaned over or leaned back or moving in a way that makes it hard for you to see your opponent. If anything, keep a small distance between your head and your opponent’s head so that there’s a nice compact space for your arm to travel.

With your elbows down and palms facing you,
release your arm in a fast sharp compact loop.

Common Uppercut Mistakes

UPPERCUT MISTAKE #1 – Dropping the hands

Many beginners will drop their hands for the uppercut. Some will even drop their hand as low as their waist. This movement is completely unnecessary because it doesn’t add any power and only leaves you vulnerable. But not surprisingly, it happens a lot because many people like to visualize the uppercut as going from “down to up”.

In reality, the “release” of the arm will drop the hand enough for the uppercut angle. You don’t need to drop the hand at all. Your arm is already connected to your shoulder. So if you throw your hand at the “natural level”, it is already as low as your shoulder. And if you “relax” your arm a little further, the hand will easily drop to chest level and this is low enough for you to loop upwards into your opponent’s head. Watch my uppercut video and take a close look…I don’t drop my hands very much. Try to keep your hand above your elbow when throwing the uppercut.

Instead of imagining your hand that’s dropping,
imagine your ELBOW is doing the dropping.

UPPERCUT MISTAKE #2 – Letting the hand fly past the opponent

Many beginners will miss wide when their uppercuts don’t land. The reason is because their uppercuts are traveling in a straight motion rather than a looping motion. Remember to visualize a tight compact looping motion with your arms. Even if you’re throwing a long uppercut, make sure you visualize a loop so that your hand returns to you. This visualization not only returns the arm but also adds power.

Throw your uppercuts with a compact loop,
instead of letting your hand fly into the sky.

UPPERCUT MISTAKE #3 – Lifting the elbow

Don’t lift your elbow when you throw the uppercut; it should only be the hand that goes upwards (not the elbow). Keep your elbow down during the uppercut so that you have more stability and leverage in the punch. This will not only give you more power and a more compact uppercut but also helps to keep your hand from flying into the sky when you miss.

You should also make sure your elbow doesn’t lift out the side like a chicken wing. Making sure your palm is facing you will also help to keep the elbow down towards the middle. The elbow can move a little but it needs to be pointing down and preferably not extend past a 90-degree angle (unless you really need a long uppercut).

Keep your elbows down during the uppercut,
for more leverage and power.

UPPERCUT MISTAKE #4 – Lifting your hips

Many beginners will lift their hips and “pop up” with the uppercut because they’re over-visualizing the “UP” in “uppercut”. Again…your hips need to stay down. This will give you more speed and power and ability to throw faster follow-up punches or other follow-up moves. Just as I’ve said before: the only thing going “up” during the uppercut is the hand (and even then, it’s very little), the rest of the body stays down and grounded. If anything your body needs to go DOWN during the uppercut. This will give you more power and leverage.

You can test your technique to see if you’re doing it right by throwing 2 uppercuts in a row from the same hand. If you do it right, you’ll feel like you’re body is going down with each uppercut and it feels like you’re going ‘DOWN, DOWN’ and you’re delivering 2 fast powerful uppercuts.

But if you’re doing it wrong, it’ll feel like your body is popping up with each uppercut and you’ll be going ‘DOWN-UP, DOWN-UP’ which is so much slower. And of course, the DOWN-UP feeling is wrong because it takes you off the ground, decreases balance and power, and slows you down because you can’t make the next move until you’re back down again.

In the past I’ve had many people argue with me because they saw Mike Tyson popping up with each uppercut or other pros popping up with each uppercut. I have 2 explanations for this: 1) the pros are good enough that they know how to stay grounded and send their energy down even when their bodies are going “up”. This is why pros can jump around a lot and still have power and stay grounded whereas beginners only get off balanced and tired quicker. 2) Pros are sometimes jumping up for strategic reasons. And doing that to set something else up. But for sure…when they want power, they stay down. For sure, Mike Tyson can throw 2 powerful uppercuts in a row from the same hand, and you should be able to do the same before moving on to the flashier versions of the move.

A final tip I can give you to help you stay down is NOT to shift weight during the uppercut. Stay on the same leg and if anything, try to drill that leg into the ground. So it’s like you’re pushing yourself INTO the ground rather than pushing yourself OFF the ground. Big difference, ok?

Go DOWN with the uppercut, not up.
This gives you more power and keeps you ready for the next move.

Power Tips for the Uppercut

1. UPPERCUT TIP #1 – Hips under the uppercut

Keep your hips under the uppercut as much as you can. And you can do this by not letting your upper body lean away from your hips during the uppercut:

• If you’re throwing a left uppercut, keep your upper body and hips over the left foot.
• If you’re throwing a right uppercut, keep your upper body and hips over the right foot.
• Even a slight lean greatly decreases the power.

The common problem is when fighters shift weight during the uppercut. For example: when throwing a right uppercut, many fighters will shift weight to their left foot and what happens is the hips are in the middle and the upper body is over the left foot or even leaning beyond the left foot. The ideal situation would have been for both the hips and upper body to stay over the right foot and the right hand is the only thing that extends out towards the opponent.

Keeping your upper body over the hips, or your hips under your upper body…depending on how you look at it…gives you somuch more power and leverage because you’re adding other joints of support between the ground and your fist. When you the upper body and hips are not stacked on each other, there is a good chance nothing is supporting you’re uppercut from directly underneath and it turns the punch into more of a forwards punching than an upwards punch.

Keep your upper body and hips over the same side.

2. UPPERCUT TIP #2 – Elbows under the uppercut

Try to get your elbow under the uppercut. Remember how I said earlier that beginners lower their hands too much for the uppercut? Well I want you to do the same…but with your elbow. Use your elbow to DIG under the uppercut. Keeping the elbow under gives you more leverage and support for your fist…and definitely adds power to your uppercut.

Use your elbow to dig under the uppercut.

3. UPPERCUT TIP #3 – Big Load, Tight Pop

This is more of a visualization tip to help you see the uppercut in a more powerful way. Visualize yourself loading up a prepping for a big move but in reality, the uppercut is only a very tight compact punch. This way is better than what many beginners do…which is they will load only a tiny bit but then release a wide uppercut.

Visualize yourself prepping for a big uppercut,
but then throw only a tight compact powerful shot.

4. UPPERCUT TIP #4 – Rotate around your back, not your front

This is a tricky visualization to understand but adds tremendous amounts of power to your uppercuts. Many beginners like to visualize the uppercut as rotating around the front of their body. Instead, I want you to visualize the uppercut as rotating aroudn the BACK of your body. This is far more powerful and devastating.

Try to see it like this:

• For a left uppercut – INSTEAD of imagining yourself pulling your left arm across your chest to the other side, TRY to pull your right shoulder around your back towards your left elbow.
• For a right uppercut – INSTEAD of imagining yourself pulling your right arm across your chest to the other side, TRY to pull your left shoulder around your back towards your right elbow.

You may notice that when you think about the uppercut contracting around the BACK of your body, instead of the front of your body, that it keeps your body down instead of letting you pop up with the punch. It can be a very awkward visualization at first but if you keep practicing it, you will see the point where it becomes truly powerful and you’ll start to see other fighters, especially the pros, doing the same thing.

Another way to see this is that since the punch is contracting around your BACK SIDE, then it is your back that is compact during the uppercut and your front is stretched and expanding. This is far different from the norm…which is where most fighters will compact the FRONT of their body (for defensive purposes) and expand the back of their body. I won’t go into the defensive ramifications of this technique but it’s important for you to understand and feel the difference in punching power. I would say this secret is one of my best secrets for maximizing punching power.

Visualize yourself rotating around the back of your body,
instead of the front.

Another visualization tip:

• Imagine yourself contracting your BACK while expanding your FRONT (your chest) when throwing the uppercut.

See how Mike Tyson’s chest is expanded when he throws the uppercut? Most fighters are doing the opposite during the uppercut…which is contracting the FRONT of their body because they’re either trying to rotating around the front of their body or trying to be defensive-minded.

Another way to visualize this…is to imagine that instead of LIFTING the uppercut over your body, you are doing the opposite, which is getting your body UNDER the uppercut.

Check out my other boxing guides on the uppercut:

• How to Throw an Uppercut
• How to Land the Uppercut
• How to Defend Against the Uppercut

I was able to get UNDEFEATED professional super middleweight boxer Frank Buglioni to share some power punching tips for us here at ExpertBoxing. He’s currently 11-0 with 8 knockouts! And fighting again on February 15, 2014.

This will the first part of a series where he shares some key tips to boxing training. I hope you guys enjoy and if you have any special questions for him, please let me know in the comments section!

Read on for Frank’s basic keys to training for punching power:

*** Watch the video for a professional power punching demonstration! ***

Always Protect Your Hands in Training

Always wrap your hands

Make sure your hands are well supported with wraps for every training session. For added support, you can also use bandages, crepe, tape, gauze and any other padding. It’s always a good idea to avoid hand injury especially before a fight.

The proper boxing glove size for training

For training, it depends where you’re at in your camp. Frank recommends using 14-16oz gloves for training and even up to 18oz gloves for sparring. The bigger gloves can give you added protection for your hands AND your opponent. You can also use smaller 8-10oz gloves for pad work and bag work if you want to work on your speed. Using the smaller gloves can also get you more accustomed to a realistic fight timing as smaller gloves are used in actual competition.

How to Train for Punching Power

How do you increase your punching power?

Is power something god-given or something you can build and improve upon? Frank believes it’s a bit of both but definitely something you can improve upon. Technique makes a hell of a difference.

As Frank explains, “Power is SPEED times FORCE.” So basically you can increase your strength or increase your speed. Now because boxing is a weight-making sport, boxers are will have to go for speed to increase punching power. If you were to go for size and strength, it would be harder to make weight and also give you endurance.

There’s also timing and accuracy. The real damage is done when you’re hitting people in the right spots. So timing, accuracy, and increasing that speed are the keys to developing knockout punching power.

Training for power on the heavy bag

Accuracy

You should visualize realistic body positions on the heavy bag. Head punches should aim around the head height, with your arms aiming right to where you expect your opponent’s chin would be. For body shots, you want to aim at lower positions on the heavy bag where you expect your opponent’s body to be. It’s key not to stand at the bag hitting at the same spots. You have to mix it up as if it’s a human body.

Keys to the right hand and left hook

The secret is all in your hips. When you throw a right, the whole body rotates into the punch. You want to land, if possible, at the end of your reach. Turn your hands so the knuckle lands flush against your opponent. And that will limit damage to your hands. Line him up, turn the body, and let the punch come over. The same principles apply to the left hook. Turn your body and pivot on every shot.

For punching power, you also need a nice firm stance. Your feet should be slightly wider than shoulder width apart. They can also be a little when you want to load up on your shots ( for more balance and strength). When you throw a right hand, the back foot pivots. With a left hook, the front foot pivots. This pivoting movement of the foot generates momentum in your hips for more punching power.

Unorthodox training methods for punching power

Many people wonder about the unorthodox ways of training for punching power. For example: Rocky Marciano chopping down trees or Muhammad Ali punching under water. Frank feels there is definitely truth in those methods and that cross training and other methods can definitely help to increase punching power and rotational strength.

However, when it comes to boxing, if you want to increase punching power, you need to be on the bags and pads and practicing your punching technique.

Punching is the training for punching.

The real title of this article is actually “Why Lifting Weights Won’t Increase Punching Power – PART 3”.

Why do I keep revisiting this sensitive topic? It’s not because I want all the sports experts to come on here and hate me. (No, I don’t need that.) It’s simply because I want to change the way people look at punching.

It is of no importance to me whether you lift weights or not. What’s far more important and beneficial for YOUR punching power is how YOU look at punching technique.

What I’m going to share is not NEW. I didn’t invent it. It’s been around forever and now I share it for those with a curiosity to look at things differently. This is the way many of the best boxers I know look at punching technique.

DISCLAIMER: Weights and Punching Power

To save time and prevent unnecessary arguments in the comments section below caused by any misunderstandings, I’m going to establish my basic viewpoints before starting the article.

1. Are you saying lifting weights won’t increase punching power?

Not at all. Lifting weights, along with other resistance training methods, may or may not increase your punching power. I can’t clearly say yes or no because it really depends on how you’re training and for what aspect of your punching power.

2. What is the point of this article?

My main goal is to improve YOUR punching power. The easiest way to do this is to change the way you look at punching technique. And one of the easiest ways to know somebody is looking at punching technique in a flawed way is when you see that they believe so strongly in lifting weights.

3. Why should I listen to you?

You don’t have to. I’m sharing ideas freely. And you don’t have to like them, you can read something else. Being angry or offensive in the comments section is unnecessary. Nobody is forcing these ideas on you.

4. What credibility do you have? Have you ever lifted weights? Who did you train with?

I did powerlifting a long time ago. I’ve trained both with and without weights. (More importantly, I’ve trained using a variety of different methods that cannot simply be categorized as “weights” and “no weights”.) I’ve trained with many amateur and professional boxing champions and spoken with many knowledgeable boxing trainers (young and old). I’ve tested my own results and supervised several other fighters in the gym. My opinions are a result from years of my own boxing training as well as seeing many other different fighters and training regimens.

5. What if weight-lifting actually IMPROVES my punching power?

Good for you! If it works and you like it, keep doing it! In the meanwhile, you might want to consider looking at other things to see if it can help you or improve you. It doesn’t cost you anything to try something new and then switch back to what you were doing if you don’t like it.

6. Are you saying I should stop lifting weights?

Of course not. You should do what works for you. Lifting weights (as with any resistance training) can help with strength, endurance, power, speed, etc, etc in boxing movements overall. If you find it beneficial to your boxing conditioning, keep doing it. This article is purely to explain how much or how little I feel lifting HEAVY weights affects your punching power. What’s important is that you change your training if you feel that it does not benefit you. Always look to change and improve what you have. That’s always a good idea.

The biggest thing is to learn how to use your body (which means understanding punch technique). Even if you gave up lifting weights but still tried to punch using the old technique (as if you had your weightlifting muscles), it won’t help you much either.

7. What if I’m angry about what you’re saying and think you’re an idiot?

I can understand you being emotional/offended because it’s different from how you think. However, I will delete your comments below if you can’t be respectful of my opinions (as well as those of others). If anything, I prefer you to complain about me on your blog so all your readers can find my website.

Let’s analyze punching technique

There are many different ways to analyze punching technique but here is the breakdown I use for this breakdown for these specific topics that I’ll address today.

The 3 phases of a punch

• FIRST PHASE – the power generation (creating power)
• SECOND PHASE – the power delivery (release of the hand)
• THIRD PHASE – the power transfer (impact integrity)

Here’s quick breakdown that I’ll use to explain the different ways of looking at punching technique. First, there’s the generation of power in your body created to cause damage. Then comes the release of your hand which you’ll use to connect the power to your opponent. Finally, there’s the transfer of power from your body, down your arm, to your opponent.

The first phase of punching is only the FORM, not the technique

Beginners are usually focused on the FIRST PHASE of the punch. This is the initial body movement where the entire body activates, turns, pivots, rotates, and extends into the punch. This is the actual punching motion that you learn.

Remember that time your trainer taught you how to throw a punch? The hips turn and the feet pivot, and arm extends, and the hand turns over. Remember all those little tiny technical details? Those are only the first phase of the punch.

All those details are only the MOVEMENT of the punch. They aren’t completely responsible for the entire feeling and the power of the punch. The common mistake would be to learn the proper form to punching and thinking that’s all there was to punching technique. And for this reason…you have many guys thinking they have great punching technique when all they really have is only great punching form, and they can’t figure out why their punching power sucks.

There’s so much more you have to do INTERNALLY and then there’s timing and several other things. Extending your fist into your opponent is not the only technical detail there is to punching power.

Punching TECHNIQUE is much more
than punching FORM.

The most important parts of punching power are the 2nd & 3rd phases

The second phase of punching technique is the RELEASE of the hand. Not only the release of the hand but the entire arm. And perhaps if you can, it’s even better to release the entire body. Now of course, it’s hard to explain the “release” of the entire body. It’s not like you’re letting go when you lay down on the couch. It’s more like letting your body harden into a rock. Basically, it’s a relaxed but very CONTROLLED release. This is hard to explain because it’s hard to grasp the concept of controlling something as you release it. (It’s even harder to do…but hey, that’s why we train these difficult techniques.)

The second phase is so hard for beginners because they don’t know how to create power through a release. The common problem is requiring tension to move the hand rather than relaxation.

The third phase of punching technique is the IMPACT INTEGRITY. This is your ability to give a firm support during the moment of impact. Your whole body should be hardened and structured perfectly to pass all that power down your arm into your opponent. There’s stiffness and tension (for only a split-second) and you don’t want to over-do it because ultimately, you’ll have to move again for offensive/defensive purposes.

The third phase is so hard for beginners because they don’t know when to time the impact. The common problem is creating the tension too early or holding it for too long afterwards. The more skilled you become, the more exact your timing will be and the less tension you will need.

Now the reason why I say the most important parts of punching power are the 2nd and 3rd phases is because punching is very much a SKILL movement. If you were a karate guy breaking bricks and boards well then yes, power generation is of utmost importance as your only focus is to generate enough power to break the object.

But here in boxing, you have a moving opponent and one that resists getting punched. Your delivery is extremely important because you have to come at the right angles and with enough speed that you can hit the target before it’s gone. Likewise, you need to impact the opponent in a way that transfers power BUT also allows you to remain fluid and move again for throwing more punches are evading counters.

The conflictions in punching technique

So here we are with 3 phases of punching technique that need to work in harmony with each other to give you the best possible punch.

• power generation
• power delivery
• power transfer

The problem is that techniques that improve one area can work against another area. Even worse are techniques that may impact your defense or ability to throw other punches.

Examples of technical conflicts in punching technique:

• techniques that take too long to generate power can slow down your power delivery
• techniques that speed up power delivery can decrease power generation
• techniques that increase power transfer can impact power deliver on follow-up punches
• some methods of power generation can leave you in a weak position to transfer the power
• some punching techniques are not fast enough in a live fight
• some punching techniques may leave you unnecessarily vulnerable to counters
• some punching techniques are not realistic of fighting conditions

So it’s like first you have to generate tremendous amounts of power BUT you have to quickly release it so that the body and hand sends out the power faster BUT then you have to quickly tense up again so that your body hits with the solidity of a rock at the moment of impact BUT you have to release again so you can throw more punches.

How is it possible to be powerful and fast and relaxed and tensed and controlled all at the same time? It’s hard!

We can argue all day about which punching techniques are the best but at least you can see that it’s hard to find a well-balanced punching technique. There are so many more things to consider when you’re punching a live opponent versus punching an object.

It’s not so much about GENERATING punching power
as it is about DELIVERING punching power.

Beginner Fighters vs Advanced Fighters

Beginner fighters focus on power GENERATION,
Advanced fighters focus on power DELIVERY & TRANSFER.

Beginners are also so focused on the power generation. They see Mike Tyson knockouts on Youtube and all they can dream of is power. They see a punching bag in the gym and the first thing they want to do is smash it with all their might. Then they get in the ring and get beat up because they can’t land any of their punches. But guess what…they walk out thinking they need even MORE POWER!

And so they go back to phase 1 again, focusing on the “perfect punching technique” and form for more power. They’ll even argue about which punching technique is the most powerful. And then what…it still doesn’t take them anywhere. So they start trying to come up with new conditioning methods and training methods to supplement their punching “technique”. And while they FEEL STRONGER and hit the bag stronger, they’re still nowhere close to hitting as hard as the advanced guys.

Now what about the advanced guys? They’re hitting hard as hell. The advanced guys sometimes look like they don’t care for technique, they just kinda relax and move around the ring and BAM! They hit so much harder. The advanced guys come back from vacation out of shape and STILL, they hit so much harder. The advanced guys are breaking all sorts of rules, throwing punches from odd angles and positions and STILL, they hit so much harder.

…And why?

It’s because the advanced guys aren’t so worried about power generation. The don’t care so much about initial movement of the body and the perfect form and technique, and where the shoulder’s gotta be, where the foot’s gotta be, etc. They’re just moving around, flowing, and they hit when they feel like it. Nothing forced, nothing rushed, everything relaxed but MAN, what a punch! They understand how power REALLY works and they’re able to be powerful from seemingly any position or technique.

Watch a young Marco Antonio Barrera on the heavy bag.

• Where do you see him making effort?
• Is it in the power generation?
• Or the power delivery and transfer?

It’s obvious to me he has little focus on the power generation because he’s moving around and relaxing. You don’t see him tensing and loading for every punch. His arms look more like they’re releasing rather than loading up. When he pauses to think, it looks more like he’s pausing to think about strategy rather than power generation technique.

The most important parts of punching technique,
are the power DELIVERY & TRANSFER, not generation.

Our bodies are already powerful

Why is the power generation phase the least critical in terms of punching power? It’s not because it isn’t important but rather because it is the most natural. It doesn’t take much to be powerful and IT SHOULDN’T take much to be powerful. You only have a split second to generate that power and land it. The less effort it takes you to be powerful, the better.

Think of it like this. Our bodies are ALREADY powerful. We don’t need more power. We only need to learn how to apply the power in our body into functional boxing moves. The fastest way to improve a beginner’s power (someone with 5 years training or less) is to adjust his technique. I could make him 50% more powerful simply by adjusting how he uses his body. I wouldn’t need him to bench-press 50% more weight (as there’s no guarantee this would translate into functional power).

Learning how to be powerful is basically learning how to move your body (muscles & joints) in a way that creates the most force from your body weight (using the help of gravity). We already have natural leverage for power in our body, using our body weight and gravity. Once you know how to use your body, all movements become more powerful.

What takes time and training is the ability to make all parts of your body simultaneously powerful within a split second and then relax again in order to remain fluid, save energy, make other movements, etc.

Learn how to use your body!

So yes, you can lift all the weights you want in the world but that doesn’t mean you know how to use your body. I like to think that everyone, if they knew how to use their body, would see how unnecessary it was to lift weights. If you know how to use your body, you will ALWAYS be powerful. You don’t have to be in shape and STILL you can knock somebody out. You could be sick with a fever, 50 lbs overweight, and STILL throw a mean punch. Stand your ground, turn your whole body, and BOOM—you’ve got power. It’s not that hard.

Let’s pretend we weren’t even talking about punching technique; let’s pretend we were talking about how to do a back-flip. You could pick the strongest guy in the gym, the one with the strongest back and there’s no guarantee he would be able to do it. Not even a back handspring. I suppose you could lift weights for all the muscles but you’d still be missing out on the coordination and skill aspect of the movement which makes the biggest difference. Now YES, of course, you could lift weights AFTER you learn how to do a good back flip, but by then…how much of that back-flip ability was contributed by your weight lifting versus your technique?

Generating power is the EASIEST part of punching technique.

Anybody can generate power. Watch all the beginners on the heavy bag. They’re all throwing hard enough punches. Then put them in the ring and oh look at what happens. Nothing lands, nothing’s fast enough. They get tired, they get countered, they get beat. And did they really get beat because they weren’t POWERFUL enough? Or did they get beat because they couldn’t land any punches?

Lifting weights doesn’t help your punch DELIVERY & TRANSFER

I would actually argue that lifting weights doesn’t help any of the punching phases but just for fun, I’m going to let people argue that lifting weights helps the first phase. Although I totally don’t believe it, I’m going to pretend that lifting weights actually helps your power generation. But now what?

You still have a few problems:

• Lifting weights doesn’t help you deliver the punch. Lifting weights trains you to contract your muscle, not release it. And real hand speed comes from the RELEASING the hand, not pushing it.
• Lifting weights doesn’t help you transfer the power. At the moment of impact, all you need to do is momentarily harden your body. You’re simply becoming more still, you’re not actually moving anymore. It’s more of an isometric exercise (apply force without moving) rather than a dynamic exercise where you’re applying force as you move a part of your body. Besides the moment of impact is only a split-second of force, nothing more.

Of course we could argue that maybe I’m looking at punching technique incorrectly…and that you ARE supposed to PUSH your hand at the release point and PUSH your hand at the point of impact. But then that would make it a PUSHING PUNCH technique which is something I (along with many other fighters/trainers) have said was completely inferior punching technique.

I’ve had a few people argue with me on the internet that lifting weights CAN make you faster. And to that I have to ask, “Are you loading with your punches?” Lifting weights can improve your “pushing handspeed”, which I mean by your ability to be fast WHILE CARRYING A WEIGHT. But I don’t see how lifting weights can improve your “releasing handspeed”, which I mean by your ability to be fast WHILE CARRYING NO WEIGHT. So it really all goes back to…how do you punch? What is your punching technique? This ultimately determines how much lifting weights can help you.

Lifting weights can negatively affect your entire punching power

Dare I say it, not only would I feel that lifting weights doesn’t help your power DELIVERY & TRANSFER, it can actually hurt your DELIVER & TRANSFER.

As I’ve already said before, the DELIVERY & TRANSFER are the most important aspects of punching power. And the biggest problems with beginners is that the way they generate power makes it harder for them to deliver and transfer this power.

Generating power the wrong way can hurt your power delivery by making you tense, telegraphing your shots, slowing your punches, slowing your combinations, and wasting energy. If your power generation technique relies so much on muscle contraction, it will be much harder for you to RELEASE the arm out for faster hand speed. It’s hard to move quickly when you’re busy squeezing your muscles.

Generating power the wrong way can take you out of position, raising your center of gravity or tilting you off balance, and make it harder for you to transfer power at the moment of impact. You need to be grounded at the moment of impact…which means you cannot use punching technique that makes you pop your hips off the ground or tilt off axis. (These jumping or tilting motions can add power but they take away from your power TRANSFER.)

It’s important that your power GENERATION technique,
does not take away from your power DELIVERY & TRANSFER.

It’s not so much that lifting weights makes you weaker. It’s more that lifting weights does not give you the proper way to look at punching technique and the muscle coordination to make full use of your NATURAL body weight. The worst mistake of all is to think of lifting weights and throwing punches as similar movements and using similar techniques. Throwing a fast and powerful punch is far more SKILLED than simply pushing a weight with all your effort.

The worst way to think of punching technique is to imagine it as a lift or as a push. The better way is to think of punching technique as a RELEASE. Try to release more and you will hit much harder with more speed and using much less effort.

Think about how much “weight” you’re pushing when you’re lifting weights…now think about how much “weight” you’re pushing when you throw a punch. Throwing a punch should be pushing nothing! Look at the pros…their hands come out so fast because they are not pushing any weights. The less effort you create for yourself during the punching motion, the faster and more powerful your punch can be. At best, the only “pushing” moment you might have is at the very end during the impact and even then, that’s only the last 1% of the punching movement.

Think of punching technique as a RELEASE,
not a push.

And again…”punching technique” is MUCH MUCH MORE than “punching form”. Just because you move your limbs to the right positions doesn’t mean you have good punching technique. Punching technique also has to do with timing and precision and understanding of internal movements in your body. Great punching technique is so much more than “pivot the feet, rotate the hips, and turn your hands over.”

Can you still lift weights for boxing training?

Of course. If you do it for general conditioning and your body responds well to it, why not? But to lift weights with the intention of increasing punching power and hand speed, I would be concerned about that. Another one to watch out for is to lift weights with the mindset that weight-lifting is a similar movement to a punch.

Wouldn’t it be the most perfect idea to have good technique AND LIFT WEIGHTS?

Well…good punching technique doesn’t need weights to be powerful. And even then if you lifted weights, what aspect of the punching technique would you be helping? At best you’d be increasing the power generation but lifting weights wouldn’t help you for the most important aspects of punching power such as the release/relax movement for power DELIVERY or help you hold your form for that tiny fraction of a second during the power TRANSFER.

I have to be honest and tell you that I’m genuinely paranoid about lifting HEAVY weights (light weights are OK). I actually feel slower and perhaps even more tired when I lift heavy weights. I do feel a bit stronger but the strength doesn’t make me more powerful in punching. If anything, I would spend the extra time on the focus mitts or more sparring rather than lifting weights.

But you know what?

If you don’t have any great trainers around you, that you trust, then you basically have no choice but try it and see. Try it and see! Train with weights and train without. One condition I have is that you have to train in a real boxing gym and alongside other boxers. Your technique and training has to be compared against others, not only yourself.

How do pro boxers fight?

• What techniques do pros use that amateurs don’t?
• What are some special things that only pros do?
• What are the things that pros do really well?

I’ve put together a list of key fighting techniques that I’ve seen in practically all professional boxers but rarely in amateur boxers. Many of these special techniques are subtle and require truly refined skills that can only be developed through years of training. They are very hard to see and even harder to do. I share them to the best of my ability for your enjoyment and perhaps future boxing inspiration.

Here they are: 10 POPULAR pro boxing techniques!

This guide isn’t so much about giving instruction as it is about raising awareness. I will TELL you what they do, but I won’t TEACH you what they do (at least not in this guide). My hope is to at least open your mind to other techniques out there.

It’s time for you to start noticing the little details and things that you didn’t realize existed before and hopefully one day incorporate them into your game. If you’re too inexperienced that you can’t notice these details (even with my descriptions), you’re probably not at the right level to try them yet. It’s ok. Give it time and one day you’ll get there.

1. Staying HEAVY

Anybody who’s been in the ring with a pro before will know what I’m talking about. You know right away when you’re in with a pro because he feels as solid as a rock. You can feel his “weight” even when you’re only punching into his guard. You could put 140lb pro in with an amateur 160lb middleweight and the pro will EASILY push the amateur around. Pros have great balance and stay very grounded. You can feel their weight when they punch, when they push you around on the inside, and even when you throw a punch into their guard.

HOW do the pros stay so heavy? One thing I’ve noticed: they’re very relaxed that their weight can “sit” comfortably on the ground. They don’t move around or fidget around so much like the amateurs. And they hardly take their feet off the ground. It’s not about being low to the ground, it’s about not lifting your legs (and disturbing your center of gravity) so much.

They’ve also got an incredibly powerful core. It doesn’t matter if they’re in-shape and ripped or out-of-shape and fat, you always feel like you’re pushing a guy that made of brick on the inside.

Being heavy allows the pros to stand their ground very comfortably. They don’t fall all over the place or fall off balance like amateurs. They stand wherever they want and they move only when they want to move. Their great balance allows them to move faster and move to more angles. Last but not least their superior balance allows them to throw punches with so much more power.

2. Endless ANGLES

Just like I said, the pros have endless angles. When they’re punching you, you feel like the punches can come from all over. A jab can slice up the middle (passing the inside of your forearm) or around the side (passing the outside of your forearm). A right hand can come high, low, around, under, or straight through. It can come twice. The left hook can come high, low, at your chin, at your forehead, at the side of your head, at your body. The left hook can hit your body even when you think your elbow is blocking it. The uppercuts seem to come from all over as well…to your head, to your body, even battering you through your gloves.

You start to feel like a child hiding behind the door when you helplessly put up a peek-a-boo defense to keep out the pro. He always finds angles to hurt you even when you think you’re totally covered. You feel like his punches can squeeze through the tiniest of holes and hit your chest, your chin, your solar plexus, kidney, anywhere.

When you’re the one punching them, the pro always finds an angle to escape. He’s over, under, to the side, too far back, too close, or always somehow tilted or turned away so that your punches have no effect. Most annoying of all is that he’s right in front you…I mean LITERALLY…RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU.

3. Game-stopping JAB

I call the pro boxer’s jab a “game-stopping jab” because it can counter ANY punch. The pros have a jab that can interrupt the opponent NO MATTER WHAT. It can stop his right hand, it can stop his hook. It can stop him from coming forward. Obviously, there is one condition: it has to land!

How do they do it? Well, it’s more than just having that stiff sharp power and great accuracy. Pros have such precise timing with their jab. Sometimes they throw it with a fast snap to surprise you. Sometimes they add power to pop you with a counter jab right when you punch. Other times, they throw it as a lightning fast touch to distract you before you can even think of throwing a punch. From any angle, any position, the pro’s jab always finds a way to interrupt your thoughts and combinations.

It can be long or short, soft or hard, leaning in or leaning back, standing tall or crouched, while moving, while pivoting, well-timed and well-placed. A pro jab can beat any punch.

4. Make You MISS Wide

Pros are so amazing at slipping punches. Their obvious skill is avoiding your punch. Their not-so-obvious skill is making you aim at the wrong place. I can think of few better ways to evade a punch than by making someone miss in the first place.

This requires several skills and strategies and LOTS of sparring experience. Pros are very good at knowing which positions bait which punches. They also know the natural rhythm and flow of certain combinations. And statistically they’re able to guess that from *this* position, the opponent is most likely to throw *this* punch and then follow up with *that* punch.

And then what they’ll do next is bait *this* position to make you miss the first punch, and as you’re missing, they’ll quickly move their head to *that* position to really bait you into throwing an even harder follow-up shot. You might have only barely missed the first punch but you’ll totally miss the second punch for sure. Which buys him all the time to land whatever counter-punch or counter-combo he wants to throw.

What does this require? Skill AND PATIENCE. If the pro had countered after the first slip, he would have missed the opportunity to bait you into throwing (and missing) an even wider shot. And so pros will slip about 2-3 times to make you miss wider and wider before countering you. This is how they create the opportunities to land those devastating knockout punches!

The pros have been boxing for so long that they always know exactly what punches are likely to come next. Whereas the typical amateur boxer will fire back immediately because he might not get that opportunity to counter later.

5. Killer INSIDE-FIGHTING Game

Pros are especially adept at fighting on the inside for many reasons. They’re more comfortable with fighting and exchanging up close (compared to amateur boxers) because the pros have better defensive skills. Amateurs, although quite skillful, still rely more on footwork for defense. The amateur boxing system is based on a point system which helps taller longer guys throw a bunch of pitty-pat shots and run away. Pros have to land damaging shots to win over the judges which requires them to get closer and stay in firing range.

A pro boxing match can last up to 12 rounds whereas an amateur boxing match is only 3 rounds. This means a pro fighter does not have the energy to run as much and will need to stay in the inside to conserve energy and or clinch and buy time.

Years of being in the ring has allowed pros to become quite comfortable up close with an opponent. They understand punching rhythms and know how to roll off the punches even at point blank. It’s also important for pros to know how to fight on the inside because the referee might be biased and let the other guy clinch or use more dirty tactics on the inside. With no energy to run away, they have no choice but to get comfortable up close.

Pro boxers are really slick on the inside. They know how to wrestle a guy, push him, turn him, spin him, hold him, clinch him. They know how to use their body on the inside to defend, move, or create space for punches. They can punch and defend even without looking.

I can easily spot pros in a sparring match because they’re comfortable being RIGHT IN FRONT of their opponents. And I don’t mean this in the way like a reckless brawler being stupidly aggressive, but a slick guy who is inches in front of his opponent, slipping and sliding, and totally outmaneuvering even without letting his opponent lay a hand on him.

6. Painful BODY SHOTS

Body punching is another one of those things that differentiate the pros from the amateurs. In amateur fighting, head shots are easier to score because they’re clearer and easier to see. There’s more of a visual effect when the head snaps back. Body punches aren’t as easy to see and score and sometimes look like blocked shots. With amateur boxing matches being only 3 rounds, there sometimes isn’t enough time for the fighter to reap the long-term gains of body punching. Body shots can slow down an opponent but they may take some time to really affect the opponent.

Another concern for amateurs is losing out on the exchange by getting countered to the head as they go for the body. Quite often, some amateurs only use body punches to set up head punches. Many amateurs don’t rely on body punching as part of the their main arsenal.

Pro boxers on the other hand are very different! They LOVE body punches and they have the necessary skills to land them. It takes a tremendous amount of skill to slip inside without taking damage, time the punch to land as the opponent’s elbows are lifted, aim precisely into the body where it hurts the most, and then get out without getting countered. Imagine having to do all this with a full commitment of power and not get worried about getting hit in the face while your arm is down.

Pros use body punches for many reasons. Throwing punches to the body can make their opponents drop their elbows and expose the head. Body punches can damage their opponent’s core making it painful to move around (great for slowing down running fighters). Body punches can severely hurt a fighter and take out his wind, removing power from his punches. Body punches can be very painful and mentally crippling to an opponent. A perfectly placed body punch can actually cripple an opponent and knock him out. He’ll fall to the floor in so much pain and his legs will be so paralyzed that he can’t get up (even if he has the heart to continue).

Body punches can be a tremendous equalizer in fights where the opponent is too fast or has too much head movement. Body punches can be used to slow down the faster fighters. Body punches can also be used to drag better-skilled opponents into messy wars where the brawler gets more chances to cause damage. Many boxers with great chins have been known to drop their arms freely at times and throw body shots at close range to bait less durable (or less engaging) opponents into dangerous exchanges.

7. Deceptive DISTANCE Control

Pro boxers are so SOOOOOO incredibly clever and deceptive at changing the distance on you. I’m not talking about the ability to move quickly or have good footwork. I’m talking about the ability to move in a way that your opponent cannot feel you moving! Imagine a guy whose punches were so perfectly non-telegraphic that you couldn’t feel them coming. In the same way, imagine a guy whose footwork was so perfectly non-telegraphic that you couldn’t feel him moving in and out on you.

You think he’s far away and yet he hits you. Of course he moved in at some point before hitting you but you never noticed him moving in. Or sometimes he’s up close and right as you’re about to throw a punch he’s already gone. And again…you didn’t notice him moving away! It’s even more incredible than that. I’ve had pros close 3-4 feet of space and whack me with big combinations without me seeing it!

This is something you have to see in person, FROM INSIDE THE RING, to really appreciate. It’s easy to watch this on TV and say, “Oh he should counter him when he comes in.” But that’s the thing…YOU CAN’T FEEL HIM COMING IN! You cannot feel his body getting closer, you cannot feel his feet shifting and sliding or whatever he’s doing down there. This isn’t just good footwork, this is ULTRA-SLICK footwork!

Again, it’s not about speed, it’s about being undetectable. Part of how the pros do it is through using incredibly relaxed footwork. That’s the only way. It’s like punching. As long as you’re being totally relaxed and free of tension, the opponent cannot read you because you’re not “loading” any tension in your body. There is nothing to “read”. The other part of it is timing. The pros really understand when are good moments to come in and they have the experience to know when you’re not prepared for it.

8. LEAD right hand

Pros have great lead right hands. It’s not the most powerful knockout punch in the world but it’s a nice surprisingly quick shot with just enough pop to stop you in your tracks. They’ll land it right as you’re about to throw a jab or even right before you throw your right hand. A pro popped me good once with a lead right as I came in with my head while trying to throw my right hand. It taught me to keep that head back or maintain a distance always. The lead right is so much faster than you think and so hard to see.

The trick to the success of this right hand seems very much to be the result of two things: the body position and the punching technique. Pros use a wider variety of relaxed free-flow body positions. They’re able to punch and defend from every position so they’re not always forced to rigidly spring back into the “basic stance”. Because of their skill, they have more freedom to square up their shoulders or lean in at times which brings their right hand closer.

Their punching technique for the lead right hand is very much like a jab technique. A quick little pop in the shoulder and that’s it, not so much twist in the hips or pivoting in the feet (like with a normal right hand). They simply hold the ground right there and then *POP!* there goes the lead right. Because their punching technique is so minimal, they can get that right hand off so much quicker and from any position.

The pros lead right hand technique is all about setting up the arm and then firing it using a little pop in the shoulder. The real SKILL in landing this punch is knowing the timing and when to throw it. When thrown properly, you can stun an opponent right in front of you without him even knowing what hit him, it’s THAT fast. And then you can finish him off with some hooks and an even harder right hand.

Having a fast lead right hand makes your right arm a much more balanced weapon. It’s very common that you see a fighter with a well-developed left arm that can throw both fast punches (jabs) and hard punches (hooks/uppercuts) but the right arm is a bit one-dimensional and can only throw hard long range shots. Having that fast lead right allows the right arm to have both fast and hard punches at your disposal. This makes you far more threatening to your opponents because now they really have to watch out for both of your hands.

9. WALKING Around

This is one of my favorite qualities about pro boxers. They walk around a lot. They look so calm, relaxed, and nonchalant about fighting but they’re actually always ready to engage. They’ll walk in, hit you, and walk away. Slick as hell, you don’t even realize how easily they walked in on you. And you frustrated when you see how calmly they walk away. When they want to run, they don’t jump or panic or anything like that. They simply walk: a step to the left, another step to the right, maybe two steps to the left again and they’re out.

Walking keeps their feet grounded, energy conserved, and the fight relaxed. It takes a really slick fighter to be able to walk around the ring without a care in the world but that is what the pros do well.

10. Lots of TOUCHING

Pros touch their opponents a lot. And I mean A LOT. It’s a stark contrast to how amateur boxers fight because amateur boxers are usually keeping their hands up for defense and keeping their hands to themselves. When you watch pros in sparring, you always see them laying their hands on their opponents, touching here and there. It’s such an effective technique and when strategically used, it can create all sorts of offensive and defensive opportunities in the fight.

Offensively, you could touch an opponent simply to distract him. Instead of jabbing him to the head (which is slower), you could touch his head, or if his glove is up, you could touch his glove and then quickly throw a hook to the body. You can punch with the same hand that touched or use the other hand. You could touch any place to concentrate his guard there and then attack him from a different angle.

Defensively, you could touch an opponent to interrupt his punches. Suppose you didn’t have time to throw a counter jab, maybe your body wasn’t in position to throw a proper jab or your hand isn’t retracted back enough, you could just extend the hand and quickly push his face away. It’s a very annoying tactic and can buy you just enough time to move away.

It’s common to see pros touching their opponent’s head or shoulders. Touching an opponent’s shoulders can force him to fire a curved punch instead of a straight punch, which is then easily avoided by leaning back. It’s easier to defend because you knew what to expect. You can do the same by touching an opponent’s head as you move away from him. It’s annoying and can frustrate an opponent because it limits his punching options and can even prevent him from coming in.

On the inside, pros also like to touch an opponent’s head or shoulders to use that as a lever to push him or spin him away. Many pros will touch or even hold their opponent’s shoulders as they move around their opponents. It’s pretty slick and very fun to watch.

It’s important to know that nobody likes to be touched. Even the simple contact of your glove on your opponent’s body can make him anxious and exert more energy than he would have. I especially like to put my hands on guys with thick arms because it makes them more reckless and wears down their heavily-muscled arms. If you’ve ever fought a pro before, then you know how annoying it is to have to punch around his forearms all the time.

Watch a Pro Boxer Train

One of my favorite videos of a pro sparring an amateur. Notice the difference in technique, strategy, and mastery of the sweet science. Here’s another one of an international level amateur boxer fighting a pro boxing champion.

I highly recommend for you to watch how a pro boxer trains.

There are so many things you can learn simply by watching IN PERSON. So many things that you would have never thought of to ask. So many things that are impossible to explain and can only be understood by seeing. It would be a great benefit for you to see up close and in person how a pro boxer fights. It would also help to learn the pro boxer’s mindset.

There are so many things you will see:

• how they train
• how they move
• how they punch
• what exercises they do

And so many things you will realize:

• that pros are so incredibly relaxed (but yet still deadly powerful)
• they can fight in all positions (all stances, squared up, off-balance, southpaw, on the ropes)
• they break the rules all the time (dropped hands, walking around, not jabbing first)
• how intelligent they are
• how incredible they are

You don’t have to fight like a pro,
but at least you can watch how one trains and fights.

Should you punch with a horizontal fist or a vertical fist?

• Which is more powerful?
• Which is faster?
• Which is BETTER?

It depends on who you ask. Some trainers say you should punch with a horizontal fist. Some trainers say you should punch with a vertical fist. Factor in the various punching techniques from martial artists, kickboxers, and other kinds of fighting styles and you’ll hear a dozen more conflicting views.

I’ve heard arguments for all kinds of techniques and actually, everyone has a good point. Both horizontal-fisted punches and vertical-fisted punches can be effective but first you have to know WHY and WHEN to use them.

Read my definitive guide on punching with a HORIZONTAL FIST vs VERTICAL FIST.

Punching Technique – HORIZONTAL FIST vs VERTICAL FIST

COMMON THEORIES about punching with a horizontal fist

• More power because of the corkscrew motion.
• More support for the wrist because it won’t bend as easily when the fist is sideways.
• More defense because your shoulders lift to protect your chin.
• More useful because the horizontal fist can arc over your opponent’s arms.

The common standard in boxing gyms nowadays is to turn the hands over for a horizontal fist. They do allow exceptions but generally the horizontal fist is preferred. The horizontal-fisted punch is the default technique in virtually all major boxing gyms. It is the standard belief of today’s boxer.

Go into any boxing gym today and your coach will most likely tell you to turn the hand over. I’ve found this to be more practical and realistic of boxing conditions.

The common arguments for horizontal-fisted punches
are power and practicality.

COMMON THEORIES about punching with a vertical fist

• More power because your knuckles are better aligned for the straight-arm position
• More power because of full use of triceps.
• Faster because of less movement.
• More support for the fist and wrist because the arm is straighter.
• A vertical splits through the opponent’s guard easier.
• Less telegraphic because the elbow and shoulder movement is minimized.
• Better for bare-knuckle (or less padded) fighting scenarios.

I’ve found only very few boxers and boxing trainers nowadays who recommend vertical-fisted punches as the default technique. Most people who tell me the vertical fist is better are usually martial artists and/or people who don’t box that much. There have been a few great boxers in our time who used vertical-fisted punches but they are the exception, not the norm.

The common arguments for vertical-fisted punches
are power and speed.

How Should YOU Throw Your Punches? (HORIZONTAL or VERTICAL?)

The answer to me was obvious:
USE BOTH.

It’s a very easy decision to make after you’ve spent a bit of time in the ring. Different kinds of punching techniques allow you to do different things. And you have to trust that you will always be in a wide variety of situations. Many of these situations will be ones that you drilled in training and on the focus mitts. But many more of these situations will be ones that you only experience in a live fight.

You will not always be in your perfect stance. You will not always have perfect balance. You will not always be in the very position that you need. The opportunity may not come. Your opponent may be too different from what you trained for. And you must be flexible in order to be a good fighter.

Even if you want to limit yourself to only a certain technique, you still have to know that you will be facing opponents who use BOTH kinds of punches. If only for the sake of understanding opponents better, I think it’s worth learning both kinds of punches.

The best fighters use all kinds of punches.

Pick any pro you want, it has to be one that actually fights. You can pick a modern-day great like Mayweather, or you can pick an old school Jack Dempsey. And then watch his footage. You will see him/her throwing all kinds of punches.

It has to be a fighter (as in, someone who actually fights regularly), and to keep things relevant to this website, it has to be a BOXER. I’m not interested in hearing about how JKD said this and karate said that…this is a boxing website. Our focus here is on boxing principles…for boxers. I will not be speaking for other fighting arts because I don’t understand them.

*** Watch my video demonstration to see the advantages and disadvantages of both horizontal punches and vertical punches. ***

Advantages to Punching with a Horizontal Fist

Horizontal-fisted punches are more powerful

This is a general statement which means it’s true MOST of the time but not all of the time. The main reasons are because: 1) a punch is more powerful and better supported when the elbow is behind the fist and 2) a horizontal fist activates more of the chest and back into the punch, whereas a vertical punch focuses more on the shoulders.

The horizontal fist position is more powerful not so much because of the rotation of the fist but rather the rotation of the elbow. With a vertical-fisted punch, the elbow stays down and doesn’t support the wrist until the very end where the arm is extended straight. Whereas with the a horizontal-fist, the elbow rotates and lifts up immediately supporting the wrist much sooner.

Having the elbow come up behind the fist is the key difference here. The wrist has so much more support and delivers more power when the elbow is behind the fist to give your forearm a straighter impact angle. It’s important to know that punches can land with the arm bent at varying angles. Rarely does the punch land when the arm is completely straight. It’s more common to land punches with the arm bent (at the elbow) to some degree, even if only minor.

Because punches are so often landed with a bent elbow, it’s generally more powerful to land with a horizontal fist. When punches are landed at very close range (with a very bent elbow), you’ll notice the power output greatly favors a horizontal fist over a vertical fist. Think of the optimum benchpress position, where you’re more powerful when your elbows point out sideways (using the chest) supporting the wrists better, rather than pointing downwards (using the triceps) towards your feet.

Horizontal-fisted punches are definitely more powerful for uppercuts. The reason is because you can put more of your back muscle into the punch. When trying to throw an uppercut with a vertical fist, you’ll feel like it relies more on the shoulder.

Horizontal punches are more powerful than vertical punches,
because the elbow supports the wrist sooner.

Horizontal-fisted punches have more support

As explained by the previous point, the wrist and arm overall has more support because the elbow comes up sooner. This is especially important not only for punching power but also for injury prevention.

I’ve heard many people arguing about which direction gives the fist more support (horizontal vs vertical) and I feel people are far too focused on the hand more-so than the rest of the arm. I’ve heard different arguments for various ways to distribute the impact across the knuckles. Some people say you should land the first two knuckles because they’re bigger. Some people say you should land on the middle knuckle because it’s right in the center of your hand and aims straight down your arm. Some people say you should land on the last 3 knuckles because these are actually more aligned with the arm when the arm is extended straight and the because the last 3 knuckles give a nice flat surface.

In my opinion, the angle of the fist is not the main area of importance. What’s more important to me is the angle of the forearm at impact. If the wrist is straight and the forearm/elbow is behind the wrist and supporting it, the impact will travel easily through the fist and down the arm. HOWEVER, if the wrist is NOT in the right position (because the elbow is not behind it), then you have the problem of the impact being dispersed only across the hand. This isn’t to say that the position of the hand doesn’t matter, it only means that I focus more on the position of my elbow and leave my fist to land in it’s natural state which should be relatively straight and well-positioned for impact.

There is also the opinion that horizontal-fisted punches have more support because you’re stressing the wrist along the long side rather than the short side. The idea here is that most punches are thrown with a bit of a swing. And that if you impact your hand with a vertical fist, the wrist will bend much easier than if you impact your head with a horizontal fist. I do feel there is some truth to this but again, I am more concerned about the position of the elbow than the rotation of the fist itself.

Horizontal-fisted punches give the entire arm more support.

Horizontal-fisted punches can counter around opponent’s punches better

Horizontal-fisted punches are especially good at arcing around or over your opponent’s punches. Key punches like the overhand right or high left hooks are far more comfortable when thrown with a horizontal fist. The reason once again being that it’s not so much because of the angle of the fist but rather because of the angle of the elbow.

Having a high elbow makes it easier for you to bend your arm for curving punches that aim sideways or downwards at your opponent. The entire arm is far more anatomically correct and comfortable to arc punches around your opponent’s punches when your fist is horizontal. It’s hard to arc downwards with a vertical fist because the elbow simply doesn’t bend that way. Yes, you COULD theoretically lift your elbow high as you throw with a vertical fist but it will not make sense (try it and see how awkward it feels).

You may have also noticed that throwing with a low elbow might catch your arm on your opponent’s forearm which prevents your fist from reaching your opponent’s head. A higher elbow would help clear obstacles like the opponent’s shoulder and arms.

Regardless of whether or not a vertical fist is more powerful, it simply cannot deliver power at all the same angles a horizontal-fisted punch can. The reverse is also true.

Horizontal-fisted punches are more comfortable
for overhand rights and overhand left hooks.

Horizontal-fisted punches protect the chin better

Throwing punches with a horizontal-fist causes a chain reaction in your body, where your entire arm and body is affected by the rotation of the fist, giving you slightly better protection as you punch. The rotation of the fist is connected to the rotation of the elbow, which is then connected to the rotation of your shoulder, and ultimately even a bit of your upper body.

When your shoulder rotates (which allows the arm to rotate), the shoulder lifts a bit giving the chin a little more protection so your head isn’t just sticking straight up out there. Your upper body also tends to turn a little bit more when you throw horizontal-fisted punches, which also helps your defense because your head is slightly moving to one side (making it a slight “shoulder roll” motion from one side while simultaneously being a slight “slipping” motion to the other side).

Advantages to Punching with a Vertical Fist

Vertical-fisted punches are easier to throw

Your arms are naturally positioned for vertical-fisted punches, making them easier to throw and requiring less energy and effort than horizontal-fisted punches. Look at the way your arms are positioned when you’re standing. When your hands are down by your side, the wrists are naturally positioned inwards in a “vertical position”. It isn’t until your lift your arms up that your wrists start to turn into a “horizontal position” by some form of habit and/or anatomical comfort.

Vertical-fisted punches require less technique because it doesn’t take much training to lift your arm up like you’re going to slap someone (vertical fist). A simple lift of your fist and you’re ready to go. You may have noticed that fighters will turn their punches over less and less as they get tired.

Vertical-fisted punches are easier to throw,
and require less energy and effort.

Vertical-fisted punches are faster

Naturally, vertical-fisted punches are faster because they’re easier to throw. You may have noticed many fighters using vertical-fisted punches for a quick potshots or shoeshine combinations. While vertical-fisted punches are not as powerful (as horizontal-fisted punches), they can be much quicker especially when thrown in combinations. It’s easy to see how it’s much less work because you don’t have to lift the elbows as high and you don’t need to coordinate as much rotation in your arms. All you have to do is lift the hands and that’s it. If you need the fastest combinations possible to surprise an opponent, try a whipping out vertical-fisted punches and “slapping” him with your fists.

I have heard before that vertical fist are supposedly less telegraphic because there is less movement made in your shoulders and elbows. And that the elbows staying down makes it harder to detect arm movement. While this makes logical sense, I don’t think it matters so much at the highest levels of boxing. The reason being that skilled boxers are paying more attention to the commitment of energy rather than the commitment of movement. Skilled fighters are paying more attention to the feeling when you are going to strike rather than the actual movements in your body. In a high skilled fight, both are fighters are usually always moving and always very fast so the difference in technique between a horizontal vs vertical fist doesn’t matter so much.

Vertical-fisted punches are faster,
making them great for potshots or shoeshine combinations.

Vertical-fisted punches can penetrate an opponent’s guard better

Vertical-fisted punches are typically better at squeezing in between your opponent’s guard or curving around the sides for hooking punches. The thinner profile makes it easier for a vertical-fisted jab to cut straight up the middle between your opponent’s gloves. The vertical fist also helps the your bent arm hook to reach further around. You can use a vertical fist to hook around your opponent’s gloves (to the head) or his elbows (to the body).

It’s also less painful get your punched blocked if your opponent impacts the long fleshy side of your wrist (vertical fist) rather than the thin boney side of your wrist (horizontal fist). There have been many times when I felt pain because my opponent cut into my wrists with his elbows and forearms when he blocked my punches.

Vertical-fisted punches can slip through the middle
or hook around your opponent’s guard.

Vertical-fisted punches are more comfortable for throwing low punches

This principle could apply to all punches aimed at targets below your shoulder (not only body shots). For example, when your opponent is ducking under you.

Generally speaking, anytime you throw a punch that aims at a target lower than your shoulder AND/OR has a curve to it (hook), it’s more comfortable to throw it with a vertical fist. And in some cases, it may even be more comfortable to rotate the fist even more so that you have an upside-down horizontal fist (uppercut).

You COULD throw a straight punch downwards to the body with a horizontal-fist but there is a slight chance your wrist may bend and cause you pain because of the angle of impact. Or what some people will do is bend the knees so that the punch is more level to the shoulders and feels like a regular high punch. What you definitely DON’T want to do is throw any hooking type punches to the body with a horizontal-fist.

Once again, this is has to do with putting the arm in a more anatomically correct position. If you use a vertical fist for low punches, the elbow stays lower to support the wrist. If you use a horizontal fist for low punches, the elbow stays higher and impacts the wrist at an angle.

Vertical-fisted punches are better for body shots.

It’s all about punching STRATEGY (not technique)

Other random things I’ve heard

Time to address the random things I’ve heard in regards to punching with a horizontal fist vs a vertical fist. There’s truth in all these beliefs and I’ll do my best to explain why I think it does or does not matter so much.

“Vertical-fisted punches keep the elbows low to protect the body.”

I’ve heard random people (never a coach or actual boxer, though) say using a vertical fist keeps the elbow down to protect your body better while punching. And while this makes some sense from a technical standpoint, it makes zero sense from a strategic standpoint.

First off, what are you committing to? The defensive act of protecting your body? Or the offensive act of striking your opponent? Either your arms are protecting you, or they’re used for attacking. I don’t see how you can fully commit to extending your fist for a punch while holding your elbows down to protect your body.

From a boxer’s standpoint, we have many skills and strategies to deal with this. For example, we have special skills that allow us to punch freely without having to rely on the arms for defense. We know how to time our counters, use slipping or rolling motions to defend our body so we don’t have to block all the time.

I’ve actually heard theories that lifting the elbow is considered MORE defensive than keeping them down. Rotating the fists for horizontal fists lift your arms and elbows up, making it harder for opponents to throw counter punches over them. The shoulders are also lifted to give the chin more protection. I’ve heard people say it’s a good idea to throw hooks with high elbows so that if your punch misses, your elbow might land. Mike Tyson was known for doing this.

Most importantly of all, you have to factor strategy into the equation. What is going on? Is your opponent a shorter guy throwing many hooks at your ribs? Or is he a taller guy trying to land long counters over the top? What about your strategy? Are you standing tall or crouching down? Are you trying to bring your counters over the top, or are you trying to fire under and through his guard? Nobody should fight with a default technique without first understanding the strategic implications of using specific techniques.

“Horizontal fist takes the shoulder out of position.”

By “out of position”, we are talking about the shoulder being lifted and further separated from the upper torso. It does make some sense. The shoulder does feel more engaged and perhaps more powerful for energy transfer when the shoulder is locked in tight against your upper body. There is truth to this as I feel similar differences in strength when I change my shoulder position while doing a bench press. Having the shoulders down and locked in allows me to use more of the stronger chest and lat muscles, whereas having the shoulders out seems to isolate and rely more on the weaker shoulder muscles.

I have two important technical theories on addressing this concern:

1. You should be activating the LAT MUSCLE during all punches. It’s very easy to curve your body forward or lean forward to the point where your punching power seems to spill out over the top of your shoulder. This is especially common when fighters are trying to reach in during jabs or crosses. If anything, try to imagine your power spilling out from UNDER your shoulder (imagine the power coming from your armpit and inside of your arm, rather than from the top of your shoulder and outside of your arm). This lat muscle activation is a slight sharp contraction that is timed with the punch. It’s not a tense squeezing contraction.
2. Your punching technique must RELEASE the arm. This goes back to the argument about snapping punches vs pushing punches. If you’re throwing PUSHING PUNCHES, then yes, it’s perhaps better to keep the shoulder in so you can push harder. On the other hand, if you’re a SNAPPING PUNCHER, then you need to release the shoulder along with the arm so it can snap out more powerfully.

If you don’t already know by now, I support snapping punches as being far superior to pushing punches. I’m not alone in this as many other trained fighters, pro boxers, and trainers, etc all feel the same way. If you talk to a pro boxer, you may have heard him say, “You have to pop the shoulder when you throw the right hand.” This “popping” of the shoulder refers to the release of the shoulder. In other words, you are releasing your shoulder from its socket the same way you release your fist from your shoulder. The snapping punch would now become more powerful because you’re releasing your entire arm as a projectile. The shoulder is snapping forwards with the fist. This makes punches like the right cross FARRRRR more powerful and also faster.

So again, the decision to lock or release your shoulder depends on whether you want to throw snapping punches or pushing punches. Pushing punches hold the entire arm in to form a strong beam to push into the opponent. Snapping punches release the entire arm to whip out and smack the opponent. Regardless of what you do with your arm, it’s important not to forget that your punching power comes mainly from your core! And you’ll find that if you use your core correctly, you can do almost anything with your arm and your punch will still be powerful.

“Vertical punches are straighter than horizontal punches.”

Are vertical-fisted punches really straighter? And does it matter so much? Are you always throwing straight punches? (Not me, many of my punches have some curve or bend in the elbows.) What about when an opponent is right in front of you and you’re doing inside fighting?

And even when you do throw straight punches, are you really extending ALL the way out? I could imagine a jab coming all the way out but not so much with a right hand. You have to ask, are you hitting with the arm or with the body? If you’re generating and hitting with the force of the body, it doesn’t really matter how the arm is bent. This is actually a very advanced concept that beginners sometimes do not and cannot understand. If you’re using technique that relies on arm position to generate force, then you’ll definitely experience a decrease in power when the arm changes shape. If your technique relies primarily on the core, well then you’ll be free to bend and twist your arm anyway you like.

“Old school boxers, Jack Dempsey, whoever, said to use vertical fist.”

I’ve heard it, too. That old school boxers came from the era of bare-knuckled fighting and that they didn’t have the benefit of modern gloves with all the extra padding and support. And that the vertical fist protected their hands better. That the vertical fist aligns the knuckles better so the hands don’t break during impact. Or that vertical-fisted punches may be better for the hand when impacting against hard surfaces such as an opponent’s head.

While I do agree that perhaps the old school boxers did throw more vertical-fisted punches, they also still used horizontal-fisted punches. You can watch any old school footage you like and see for yourself. There are moments where you can clearly see the glove in a horizontal position. At high-speed moments where you can’t see the gloves, the giveaway can be seen in the elbows. As I’ve said above, a higher elbow will usually be linked to a horizontal fist.

“Bruce Lee, JKD, Kung-fu, martial arts guys say to use a vertical fist.”

I have yet to see any ANY martial arts fighter, in film OR in person, using a vertical-fisted punch, and throwing as hard as today’s knockout boxers.

Take a look at Julian Jackson, Mike Tyson, Tommy Hearns, Roy Jones Jr, Prince Naseem, Manny Pacquiao. The list goes on and on. Find any martial artist who can throw VERTICAL fisted punches with anywhere near the power of these boxers. I’ve seen martial artists breaking boards and landing knockout punches but none with the amount of power as a boxer.

I’ve personally felt the power of many martial artists in person several times. Some of them have been practicing their disciplines for 5, 10, 20 years…came into our gym to spar with boxers and didn’t punch anywhere near as hard as even a 3-year amateur boxer. Not only were they deficient in power, but also lacked the speed, fluidity, coordination, and versatility of angles and combination punches. They threw maybe 2 or 3 different punches over and over and were exhausted within a few rounds.

Perhaps it IS possible to throw devastating punches with a vertical fist, I have yet to see it done with regularity outside of the boxing setting. And the vertical-fisted punches that boxers throw are quite different in technique and application from the ones thrown by martial arts practitioners. Regardless of the punching technique being used, I would still rate the boxer’s punching technique over that of a martial artist.

What is the GOAL of your punch?

What are you trying to do?

Saying, “I want to turn my fist because it’s more powerful.” won’t do anything for you. It doesn’t make sense to pick your technique before picking your goal.

• What are you aiming for? (HEAD or BODY?)
• What distance is between you and your opponent? (NEAR or FAR?)
• What angle are you trying to punch at? (STRAIGHT or AROUND?)
• What angle are you trying to punch from? (TALL or CROUCHED or ANGLED?)
• What effect do you want? (Fast setup shot or Powerful damage shot?)

It’s not always about which punch has more power or more speed. Depending on the situation, either one could be the more powerful or more fitting weapon. Ultimately…the most anatomically correct and natural position in the moment, will be your best option.

You’ll find it’s not really about the rotation of the fist but more-so, the movement of the entire body. If anything, I don’t even pick my punching technique. I don’t actually DECIDE during the fight whether I want a horizontal fist or a vertical fist. I simply let it happen. I put my body into the position I want and then let my hands go in the most natural way possible. In that moment, the fist rotates naturally, organically, because that’s the way it feels most comfortable. (It goes without saying, that I have trained and become natural with many techniques so my body relies on well-trained muscle memory during a fight. An untrained fighter has no muscle memory and will only have AWKWARD reflexes while fighting.)

Fighting is something that takes time and experience. After years of doing something, you start to be more in tune and able to listen to your body and find newer and easier ways to do things. You become more able to let your body move the way it wants to move. No more wasting energy to force an awkward movement. The ONLY way to generate maximum force is through natural body movement. You have to be natural! Let your body move within its natural limits, the way it was SUPPOSED to move!

Let your body move naturally
if you want maximum power.

The goal of the arm is to deliver the power, NOT generate the power.

Remember, it is your core and legs that generate the power. The arm is only there to deliver the power, nothing else. The best thing the arm can do is position itself to offer the most support during the impact. And the ultimate goal of rotating your fist is to support your hand and wrist with your forearm and elbow. You want to land your punches with a straight line formed from your fist to your elbow. And then of course, the elbow can bend at whatever degree it needs to give you the punching angle you need.

To find out which fist rotation is better. Try holding your fist at the height and angle of the punch you want to throw, and rotate your elbow and fist back and forth to see which position gives you the best forearm support. You can also move your fist back and forth to see which hand/elbow position gets the forearm support there faster.

What does it MEAN to be HORIZONTAL vs VERTICAL?

This is a trick question. What is the point of reference? Are we talking about the fist being horizontal-vs-vertical IN REFERENCE TO THE GROUND?

• For me, the POINT OF REFERENCE IS THE TORSO, and NOT the ground. This means that if your fist is parallel to your spine, it is “VERTICAL”. And if your fist is parallel to your shoulders, it is “HORIZONTAL”.

This distinction is so incredibly important to make because the anatomical ranges of the fist and arm relate to the body, and not the ground. And the differences in technique caused by the rotation of the fist affect your body, not the ground.

So how does knowing this change the way you look at fist positions?

• JABS – If you stand straight up and throw a typical jab (with the palm facing down at impact), that’s a horizontal fist, right? Now what if you bend over and throw a jab to the body? You’ll notice that this might actually be considered a vertical fist because your spine is bent over.
• RIGHT HANDS – If you keep your weight at center and throw a right hand landing with the palm down, that’s a horizontal fist, right? But what if you’re leaning forward and coming in with an overhand right? Is that a horizontal fist or a vertical fist? This could be considered a vertical fist without you realizing it. You may notice that have a true horizontal fist from this position would require the fist rotating almost upside-down, which is what some fighters will do.
• LEFT HOOKS – Try throwing a left hook while shifting your weight to your back foot. Then try throwing a left hook while keeping your weight on your front foot. Now try throwing a left hook to the body while leaning your weight a bit beyond the front foot. You will notice that the more forward you place your body, the more your fist rotates comfortably towards a vertical fist position. And the further back you place your body, the more your fist rotates comfortably towards a horizontal fist position.
• UPPERCUTS – Try throwing an uppercut with your body right at the center. Then try throwing uppercuts with KEEPING your body to one side (tilt left for left uppercuts, tilt right for right uppercuts). You will notice that uppercuts where your body is at center feel more horizontal-fisted. And that uppercuts where your body leans to one side feel more vertical-fisted. Now try both again but keep your elbows tight to your body…it should feel more horizontal again. I won’t tell you which is better because you’ll need both depending on where your opponent is exposed.

Is my right hand horizontal or vertical?

• If the point of reference is the ground, the fist looks horizontal.
• If the point of reference is my body, the fist actually looks more vertical.
• Do you see what I mean?

As you explore more with different body positions, you will discover better and more comfortable positions for your arm. The tilt or your body and where you place your weight at the moment of impact has a great impact on how should you place your arm for maximum comfort AND power.

My grand point is…your fist might actually be in a vertical-fisted position even though it is horizontal to the ground. And that it’s not always so clear to define a horizontal-fisted punch from a vertical-fisted punch. Either way, I don’t care. Use what fits in your situation and gives you the best comfort and most power!

The ultimate goal of choosing horizontal vs vertical
is comfort and power.

It’s about strategy, NOT technique.

In the end, talking about horizontal-fist vs vertical-fist is really talking about strategy. And it’s helpful to have different strategies to win fights. The more ways you can adapt to your opponent, the better. Horizontal punches and vertical punches allow you to do different things. And to blindly follow one way would limit you from the strategic advantages of the other.

It’s so much less about the fist and much more about allowing your body to take advantage of different angles of attack. You are not always in one position and not always attacking in the same manner. For whatever reason, one technique will be more effective than the other simply because of the way the situation unfolds itself. And it makes no sense to pick the less effective technique simply because of some predisposed bias.

Watch all the greatest fighters and you will see that they utilize a wide variety of positions, techniques, and strategies!

HORIZONTAL PUNCHES vs VERTICAL PUNCHES
is really a discussion about strategy, NOT technique.
A good fighter can use both.

WHAT is the corkscrew punch?

HOW do you throw a corkscrew punch?

WHY should you corkscrew punch?

…and WHEN should you throw the corkscrew punch?

The corkscrew punch is no secret amongst trained boxers. If anything, it’s standard punching technique. But for everyone else from untrained fighters to even martial artists, it’s been built up to be some kind of magical secret weapon.

Here’s my explanation to demystify, once and for all, the “secret” behind the corkscrew punch technique.

What is a Corkscrew Punch?

*** Image from BoxRec.com

A “corkscrew punch” is a punch delivered with a twisting of the wrist.

• The fist rotates inwards as the arm extends so that the palm is facing down when the fist lands.

This punch was said to be invented by a famous boxer named Charles “Kid” McCoy who (fought from 1891-1916) learned the punch by watching a cat strike at a ball of string.

McCoy imitated this corkscrew motion to add power to the punch and cut the opponent’s skin (boxers had very little hand protection back in the days). Being that he was wildly successful and known to be one of the great punchers in boxing, you can see why his punching technique became famous over time.

Over the years, many other fighters and practitioners of different martial arts have made similar discoveries resulting in many more variations of the “corkscrew punch”. What remains the same is that a corkscrew punch is a punch thrown with a wrist rotation.

CLAIMED BENEFITS of the corkscrew punch

I don’t agree with many of these but here are the popular reasons I’ve heard over the years regarding the corkscrew punch. I also listed my brief thoughts regarding their validity.

• increased power – POSSIBLE, but it depends on how you do it
• increased speed – POSSIBLE, but it depends on your fighting stance
• cuts the skin – NO, we have better hand protection now and cutting the skin has to do with angle and timing of the punch
• better wrist protection – YES, a punch thrown with a sideways wrist is less likely to get injured
• helps the punch get around a guard – YES, it can be easier to throw overhands with a horizontal fist than a vertical fist
• protects your chin – YES, a great benefit especially while trading punches

Why do boxers use a corkscrew punch?

1. Increased power & wrist protection – a sideways wrist is more stable allowing for more power transfer

2. Faster reaction time – to go from a defensive stance to a strike

3. Overhand punching angle – boxers throw many overhand punches unlike other fighting arts that focus more on straight punches

As I’ve already said before, the corkscrew punch is standard punching technique for boxers. They’ve been doing it since day one whether they knew it or not. You can always hear old school boxing trainer in the gym referencing the corkscrew punch technique by yelling:

• “Turn your punches over!”
• or “turn your hands over!”

Like I said, if you’re a boxer, you probably already learned how to throw a corkscrew punch. But if you’d like some more tidbits for extra punching power, keep reading!

How to Throw a Corkscrew Punch

Corkscrew punch technique for straight punches – (JAB or STRAIGHT RIGHT)

• Rotate the entire arm (shoulder, elbow, fist) as you extend your fist, so that the punch lands with the palm facing down.

Corkscrew punch technique for head hooks – (left hook or overhand right)

• Rotate your entire arm (shoulder, elbow, fist) as you swing the hook, so that your punch lands with the elbow at the same level of the fist (hooks) or higher than the fist (overhand).

Corkscrew punch technique for uppercuts – (left uppercut or right uppercut)

• Use the reverse motion of the corkscrew. Rotate your entire arm inwards as you dig the uppercut, so that your punch lands with the elbow down inside to support the uppercut.
• This type of corkscrew technique isn’t necessary for all uppercuts (especially for strategic reasons) but very powerful for tight uppercuts on the inside.

Principles of the corkscrew punch technique

1. The fist needs forearm support to deliver a powerful punch.

Every punch must be supported by the forearm! This is why the elbow always follows the line of the fist. Try throwing any punch without the elbow (and forearm) behind it and you will feel that it’s far less powerful and may even hurt your wrist. This is why your wrist hurts when you throw punches with a bent wrist (where the forearm is not directly behind the punch).

• When you throw a straight punch, the elbow must shoot forward (not out sideways).
• When you throw a left hook, the elbow must swing across at the same level (notdrop at a lazy angle).
• When you throw an uppercut, the elbow must be low in for the forearm to support the fist at an upwards angle.

The corkscrew isn’t so much of a technique anymore once you see that it’s natural movement. Wherever the fist goes, the elbow must follow it in order to support the punch. And the palm will face in whatever direction that feels more natural (downwards for straights or hooks, sideways or upwards for low hooks and uppercuts).

2. The corkscrew motion is to rotate the entire arm and lift the ELBOW quickly.

The point of the corkscrew punch technique
is to bring the elbow up quickly.

Try these motions from your boxing stance — with your elbows pointing down.

Hold your fist at a vertical angle (palm facing sideways) and punch straight out. You will see that your elbow points down and the forearm does not support your punch until your arm is fully extended.

Now hold your fist at a horizontal angle (palm facing down) and punch straight out, you will see that it’s more natural for the arm to rotate and the elbow points out sideways much sooner.

If you compare these 2 methods (horizontal fist vs vertical fist), you will notice that the horizontal fist causes the entire arm to corkscrew and that the elbow comes up quicker. And because the elbow comes up quicker, your punch will be stronger and have more power especially even if it’s not fully extended. This is the main difference between horizontal-fisted punches and vertical-fisted punches.

Some people like to argue about “boxing punches vs karate punches” or “horizontal-fist punches vs vertical-fist punches” and the answer is THEY ARE DIFFERENT PUNCHES. I don’t care so much about which one is better and why and how, etc. The most important thing is that I use the right punch to fit my strategy. And for most boxing-specific purposes, the corkscrew punch is more applicable (which is why it’s the standard). Boxers are by far the most powerful, most skilled, and most versatile punchers of any fighting art.

3. The corkscrew technique is a motion, not a position.

Why is it that boxers corkscrew their punches? Can’t we just position our fists and elbows already sideways to be in position to punch? The obvious answer is no because turning your fist palm down will likely force out your elbows sideways and make it hard to defend your body from your boxing stance.

REMEMBER: the basic boxing stance has your elbows down to cover your body. And if the elbows are down, this means it’s more natural to have your palms either facing sideways or even facing inwards towards your face.

And so the corkscrew punching technique is the motion that allows you to punch from your defensive position. The corkscrew punch will allow your elbow to go from being point downwards (for defense) to quickly lift upwards and rotate into your punch for maximum power.

NOTE: another benefit of the corkscrew punch is that it activates your shoulder and rotates to protect your chin as you punch. Try throwing a vertical-fist punch vs a corkscrew punch and you will see that your shoulder covers more of your chin with the corkscrew punch (well, it should). The exposed chin from vertical-fisted punches are another reason why vertical-fisted punches aren’t thrown in boxing.

4. Some punching angles can only be reached with a high elbow.

Aside from the increased power and chin protection, corkscrew punches are sometimes the only way to get around an opponent’s guard. Take for example, the typical overhand right. If you’re used to throwing only vertical-fisted punches with the elbow pointing down, you’ll see it’s impossible to bend your elbow to loop over your opponent’s defense. In these cases, using a corkscrew punching technique allows you to bend your elbow up sideways at an angle which then allows your fist to come around the guard and downwards at his face.

In boxing, we throw all kinds of punches – straight, over, under, and around. Whichever way the elbow needs to bend, we let it bend. And in many cases, letting the elbow bend out sideways gives us the necessary punching angles.

Secrets of the corkscrew punch technique

Corkscrew Punch Secret #1:
Corkscrew the entire arm! Shoulder, elbow, fist!

Don’t think about the fist! Think about the entire arm, especially the elbow and the shoulder. Try to feel the snap and quick rotation in your elbow and shoulder. This will require a relaxed arm which then SNAPS into place with the corkscrew motion.

When you do it right, you will feel your elbow flick up quickly as the entire arm supports the punch. I recommend practicing your corkscrew punches with straight punches first. A big tip: you need a very relaxed arm to corkscrew right.

If you’re a PUSH-PUNCHER or someone who likes to drive through every punch, the corkscrew motion will slow you down and make you feel like you’re using a lot of energy. Instead you should feel like the corkscrew is a fast, easy way to snap your elbow from defense position to punching position.

Corkscrew Punch Secret #2:
Snap your lats and shoulders to rotate the fist.

Again, don’t focus on your fist. Try to initiate the corkscrew effect from the most powerful muscles farther back in the arm—mainly the shoulders and lat muscles. All you have to do is rotate the forearm and elbow and the fist will turn with it.

Relax your entire arm and then just snap with your lat and shoulder muscles. Once you get the snap right, all it takes is a little squeeze from the fist and forearm and you will feel a VERY POWERFUL SNAPPING CORKSCREW PUNCH!

ADVANCED BOXING TECHNIQUE
for balance, footwork & punching power!

The Advanced Boxing Workshop is now for sale! I’m releasing over 2 hours of footage from my live boxing workshop on advanced boxing techniques. You can now see all the techniques, drills, and exercises I shared with the boxers that day.
Find out exactly how I improved their balance, footwork, and punching power in only 2 hours!

Check out footage from the “Advanced Boxing Workshop”

Advanced boxing techniques taught in the workshop

The workshop covers only advanced technique. This is not an instructional for those wanting to learn the basics. It’s an in-depth view into how the body works, how it balances, moves, and naturally generates power. The instruction was designed for serious boxers, MMA fighters, martial artists, or coaches with an interest in learning world class footwork and punching technique.

1st hour – BALANCE & FOOTWORK

Learn the secrets to balance and footwork used by the world’s best dancers. We’ll be doing the same drills I learned while training under my brother—Brian Nguyen—a world renowned tango champion. (FYI: did you know Muhammad Ali trained in ballet?)

First you’ll learn how to train and activate your ‘balancing’ muscles for better footwork. Then I’ll show you some advanced footwork tricks. You’ll find there is more to grounding yourself than simply bending your knees and lowering your center-of-gravity!

Secrets to BALANCE & FOOTWORK:

• how to stand solid like a rock but move with the grace of a classically trained dancer
• how to block punches without being pushed back
• how to move around the ring without getting tired
• how to move like a cat, slick and powerful (yes, there is a way to learn this!)
• how to move your feet quickly without upsetting your balance
• how to bounce in & out THE CORRECT WAY (slicker & more energy-efficient)
• the difference between a push-walker and a pull-walker
• slick step-drag technique
• tricky footwork moves like: the “fast pivot” and the “one-legged bounce”
• special drills and exercises for developing your balance muscles
• …and much more!

***Note: these are NOT the typical skipping drills you did in football practice!

Become the HARDEST PUNCHER in your gym!

2nd hour – POWER PUNCHING

In addition to the principles you’ve learned for fighting footwork, you will learn how to ground yourself for incredibly solid punches. First, we’ll break down the body mechanics behind the jab, cross, hook, and uppercut. Then, we’ll learn how to generate maximum rotational power (HINT: it’s not as simple as moving every part of your body).

I’ll demonstrate the key punching mechanics and show you how to load a punch from the INSIDE of your body. Once you know how to move your body, I’ll review some little-known secrets to DOUBLE YOUR PUNCHING POWER IMMEDIATELY.

Secrets to POWER PUNCHING:

• how to throw a real step jab (the commonly referenced but notoriously misunderstood – “falling step” technique made famous by Jack Dempsey)
• how to throw deadly left hooks (even while popping your body up OFF the ground, a la Mike Tyson)
• how to throw killer right crosses without having to “load” the punch
• the proper way to “dig” an uppercut
• how to throw fast flurries WITHOUT having to think about handspeed
• how to punch non-stop without getting tired! (yes, it’s actually possible)
• how to generate maximum rotational force WITHOUT using all of your energy
• and much more!

Learning the truly essential skills of power punching will allow you to throw powerful punches even while using less effort and less technique!

(Day 1 of the workshop was  a success!)

Compliments from boxers that attended live

The workshop was undoubtly well worth the 2 and half hour drive. I would consider the training methods and instruction top notch world class. The second hour with the power punching blew my mind. I really felt more powerful than I ever felt before. The adjusments and little details and inputs you guys give us were making a dramatic difference instantly. I was always considered a good hard puncher but the 2 hour workshop took it to a whole other level. It made me more excited and motivated too keep training and learning new stuff.
The website and articles are a gift in the internet. Im glad I paid $50 and drove through LA traffic from San Diego because the 2 hour experience with Johnny and his crew was priceless. Any aspiring fighter would be foolish to pass up an opportunity like Johnny’s boxing workshop.
— Thair

The workshop was awesome! I learned a lot of details about advanced footwork, how to punch harder, and how to conserve energy. My favorite technique was how to conserve my energy by breathing more efficiently. It really helped and I can already feel the difference while I was shadow boxing today. Johnny is a great teacher and really knows his stuff.
My footwork and body mechanics have definately improved since I learned how to control the ground with my feet and also the hip and back drill. My fighting experience in boxing is novice level but I’m a grappler gravitating towards MMA.
— Sam

Thanks again for the workshop on Saturday. I thought it was great! Excellent workshop and would highly recommend for any level boxer. It was a very interactive and hands-on experience, where a lesson/concept was explained/demonstated followed by a short drill where participants could practice executing the techniques. Johnny would take time to focus on each person and give personalized advice based on what he saw in each person’s technique.
My favorite techniques were in the first half of the workshop on balance and footwork. I felt that these ideas and concepts shed a different light on how to improve movement. Johnny’s demonstrations of moving the head, hips, then legs was an excellent example of how and where our movement really comes from. Moving/punching using the core was also my favorite.
You totally delivered. This workshop shed a whole new light on how to execute basic techniques more efficiently and effectively. I was able to come away with a lot of new concepts and information…. stuff I will definitely keep in mind as I continue to train. I plan to practice the drills we learned, and am confident it will make a big difference in my learning process.
— Ray