punching speed

how do you increase the speed of your attacks? i know shadow boxing is a good way.but any other helpful tips? thanks.

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Practice loosness, sparking, then loosness some more

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Relaxation is the key to speed and power. Its hard at first, but one of the easiest ways to learn to relax is to practice until you have no gas in your tank. When there is no energy for extra tension, then you know what relaxation is.

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heh ic so basicly do some shadow boxing till im all out of energy then do it some more in a relaxed state

also i got a question. if i use these hand grips to increase my strength in my wrist forearms and fist. should i close slowly or just as fast as possible as many time as possible?

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also just try throwing a punch as fast as you can as many times as you can. You may not be able to generate a lot of power but you will pick up speed. Then try to add power to it as time goes on.

I would recommend power bands and weights. Try punching drills like chain punching on a wallbag, rolling punches and side punches and use weights to push yourself to the limits. Drop the weights and see how incredibly different your speed and power are. This is the sort of bag that would help you develop your speed and constitution Crouching Tiger Martial Arts and Boxing Supplies and this is what you can achieve rtsp://ukwingchun.com/assets/videos/WALLBAG-(RealVideo-DSL).rm

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i cant get the link. but thnx for advice.

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“	Originally Posted By: Kuli if i use these hand grips to increase my strength in my wrist forearms and fist. should i close slowly or just as fast as possible as many time as possible?	”

Clench and hold for about 1 second, then release and repeat. That is the training advice I have read from several sources recently.

Back when I did Karate we did a drill where we held the arms out at shoulder height and open/closed hands as fast as possible for a few minutes (palms down), then turned palms inwards, and finally palms up. That one did not emphasize the grip, but the speed.

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"I see no virtue where I smell no sweat"
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Perfect technique results in speed. I find that if I focus on the exact technique then the speed is automatic; if I focus on speed my technique gets sloppy and the movement is slower. Visualisation is also useful. See the completed technique before you start and then be there.

Of course, all of this stuff is abstract. It's good to be able to punch very quickly but it has to be balanced with the ability to recognise a good oportunity to use a punch in time to make the most of it...

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Band training will slow your speed down of not done correctly. They key is to not activate the restrictor muscles in your arm, only the extensors. Get a good anatomy chart, find the extensors, work those groups when punching.

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Good advice above on staying loose etc.
Keep the waist and footwork free and easy while shadow-boxing, and attend to other form matters there,
as you won't remember while sparring.
Just remember that much of speed is the interaction between opponents (ie it's relative).
Sometimes a smarter/more skilled fighter just looks faster.

I feel these are pretty indispensable for speed work,


as are these for the hand-eye coordination needed to make speed useful.


...best thing about the equipment is that you can train by yourself.
If you have a partner, the possibilities are many, but Thai-pads and focus mitts should be in there somewhere.
Have fun!

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Thanks for the tip Sifu Chuck.

I have a boxing tape from Title where they use some bands with handles as part of training and he was very specific about having correct form and using the right muscles.

I haven't tried it myself, but I am interested.

The suggestions for weights is also good. I do shadow boxing with 3pound weights and it's great. There are weights specially shaped for punching, but I don't have those.

The suggestion of going from really relaxed, then exploding with full power, then going back to relaxed is also something I train a lot. I think it's very effective for generating speed.

A nice drill to develop that explosive power is to have a bag, or a partner holding a Thai pad or whatever you like. Then you move around in your stances and count to 10 in your head, you keep your body relaxed but as you count you visualise that the punch/kick/whatever you are going to do is going to be the hardest one you have ever done. When you get to 10 you explode, then immediately relax again. I like having something like it for realistic Self Defense training because you don't have time to warm up when someone jumps you.

Another way I thought was quite interesting that was on a Paul Vunak tape, he used the example of the Jab ( but can be anything you like ). You break the jab up into 2 pieces. First you practice just the initial twisting and shifting of your feet/hips/body/shoulders that will launch your strike, but you don't actually strike. Just the initial launch. Then you practice just from the snap of the strike to withdrawing your hand back to your body. Then you practice the full jab last.

Of course, simply repeating and practicing your punches over and over and over and over again is the best way to increase your speed ( genuine boxing secret ). Just make sure your body mechanics are correct. Though subtle body mechanics can often be fixed by pure repitition.

Gotta say, I agree with everything people have said above.

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I have been also shadow boxing regularily to Bas Rutten's MP3 audio workouts ( mainly Boxing and Thai Boxing routine ), and even just a few days of that will have you spewing out fast, powerful combos. Again, it's repitition combined with correct body mechanics.

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“	Originally Posted By: Doughboy Thanks for the tip Sifu Chuck. I have a boxing tape from Title where they use some bands with handles as part of training and he was very specific about having correct form and using the right muscles. I haven't tried it myself, but I am interested.	”

I use bands myself. They are a great way to develop not only speed, but ging.

“	Originally Posted By: Doughboy The suggestions for weights is also good. I do shadow boxing with 3pound weights and it's great. There are weights specially shaped for punching, but I don't have those.	”

I would caution anyone using weights for punching. It can put a lot of unnecessary stress on the shoulders, not to mention hyepr extend your elbows. It can also make your strikes "hand-heavy" which can be taken advantage of by someone who knows how to.

I think that you would find better results with the bands. You can tie the band off at the appropriate level to make sure you utilize the proper body mechanics and not just work your shoulder.

“	Originally Posted By: Doughboy The suggestion of going from really relaxed, then exploding with full power, then going back to relaxed is also something I train a lot. I think it's very effective for generating speed.	”

I do this a lot also. I try to do it with emphasis on not loading (a form of telegraphing). But it does a lot to increase speed. Overcvoming inertia is a son of a gun at times.

“	Originally Posted By: Doughboy Of course, simply repeating and practicing your punches over and over and over and over again is the best way to increase your speed ( genuine boxing secret ). Just make sure your body mechanics are correct. Though subtle body mechanics can often be fixed by pure repitition.	”

Amen. Great posts.

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“	I would caution anyone using weights for punching. It can put a lot of unnecessary stress on the shoulders, not to mention hyepr extend your elbows. It can also make your strikes "hand-heavy" which can be taken advantage of by someone who knows how to. I think that you would find better results with the bands. You can tie the band off at the appropriate level to make sure you utilize the proper body mechanics and not just work your shoulder.	”

Well I'm willing to try that out and see which one suits me best. Maybe I'll end up doing both. Shadow boxing with weights is something I only do every now and then. More often I do a 12 minute exercise ( 4 sets, each set is 3 minutes with 6 different exercises (( each working a different set of muscles )) of 30 seconds each no rest until end of set, 30 seconds rest between sets ). Only 2 of the exercises consist of punching. I would do this normally twice a week. It is a Boxing routine I learned where the main skill learned is to never drop your hands no matter how exhausted you get. Small weight is used ( 1 - 5 pounds ) and the movements are done quickly with explosive speed and power the whole way through.

“	I try to do it with emphasis on not loading (a form of telegraphing).	”

Very important I agree. Telegraphing at a skilled fighter is like saying " please knock me on my ass guy ? ".

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