Note: This post was submitted by a friend and fellow student at the University of Utah. If you want to submit an article to be considered for publication, drop me line.
Putting Basic Combinations together
One of the most elementary skills all strikers must learn is often one taken too lightly or quickly forgotten in practice; combinations. Most just associate the act of throwing combination punches more as routine to practice the individual punches themselves or simply as a violent aerobic exercise – but in reality, these punch sets are mainly designed to teach fighters how to roll their bodies with punches to increase the power and speed of each action.
One very basic combo that most people will associate is the basic jab, cross, hook combo. But why in that order? Why not just throw 3 cross punches? The reason is balance and the removal of the next punch’s windup.
Imagine you have just thrown a powerful cross, what does it take to throw that same cross again immediately afterward? It sounds fairly easy but in reality so much force is lost in the recovery. Assuming you threw the first cross correctly, your crossing shoulder would be in front of your body to lead your weight into the punch. In order to re-throw that punch you would need to recoil your arm and twist your shoulder back in your stance to its starting position.
It sounds like a simple motion but in the midst of a fight it is laughably slow especially if your intention is to throw another long cross once the starting position is regained. Instead you want to use your twisting torso to your advantage and allow each to punch to wind up the following action.
So in the cross scenario, the full extension of the punch in your leading shoulder (the one that throws the jab) has been rocked backward just as it would be if you were winding up a hard jab. As you throw your right, you simultaneously wind up your left; and as your throw your left you wind up your right and so on. This allows your punches to fly in at the maximum speed and power possible all while keeping your body balanced and well defended – should your opponent try to sneak through a well-timed counter punch.
From a birds-eye view, your shoulders should look like a teeter-totter with your head as the fulcrum. This same concept doesn’t just apply to basic striking – it applies in a to kicks, knees, elbows and even take-downs. A 1-2-3 combo doesn’t necessarily have to be a jab, cross, hook if you don’t want it to be. Try throwing a left jab, right elbow, left knee or a left jab, right cross, left kick or whatever other combination you feel like suits your skills and situation but remember to stay in balance with your moves.
Here’s a quick video of Frank Shamrock teaching a couple of points on basic punching. If you’re just beginning, don’t worry too much about getting everything right. With practice, you’ll get there. The first time you tied your shoes, you sucked at it. Same thing for all the skills in the combat arts – especially striking.
Mike Tyson, Chuck Liddell, Roger Mayweather – there are just some guys whose punches hit like the sledge hammers. Even if one of these devastating blows doesn’t KO – it can change the whole feeling and destiny of a fight instantly.
For example, Saturady the 19th had two very interesting fights – Fedor Emelianenko vs Tim Sylvia and Anderson Silva vs James Irvin, videos shown below. (If you haven’t already heard, Fedor gets the win via rear naked choke and Silva by knock out.) Both fights were remarkably similar – the winner unleased a powerhouse punch early in the first round, sending their opponent to the ground stunned. Once on the ground, the victor took quick advantage of the dazed man, ending the fight.
The appeal of such power is obvious, but how do you get it?
The Bitter Truth
First, a dose of realism. Some people are genetically wired to be heavy handed punchers, some not. Your muscles have a predetermined number and ratio of different muscle fibers (fast-twitch glycolytic fibers {white fibers}, slow-twitch oxidative fibers {red fibers} and Type II-B fibers {intermediate fibers}). Furthermore, the length of your muscles, tendons and bones gear your body to have a mechanical predisposition for strength or speed. Frank Lotierzo over at www.Eastsideboxing.com goes as far as to say that despite strength training knockout power “... is God given, and punchers are born, not created.“
The Good News
You may have less-than-Olympic genes, but the good news is that with enough effort and intelligence, you can increase your punching power substantially. Initially, the best way to develop power is to have great form. You must develop a technical mastery for each individual type of punch, and a good boxing coach can certainly help out. However, there are a few over-arching themes that apply to all strikes.
Grounding and Kinetic Linking
Previously, I wrote:
All punching power ultimately comes from the earth. The reason you can bench press a barbell while lying on your back is because the ground is supporting you. The greater amount of weight you lift, the greater amount of force the earth “pushes” back to support you. To punch powerfully, you need to have a keen awareness with your relationship to the ground. A mighty oak doesn’t withstand harsh winds and weather because it has a large trunk or limbs. The oak tree has become symbolic of strength due to its prodigious roots. Similarly, great punching begins with great footwork and stances. Practicing stances and footwork is not exciting, but it is the foundation of the body’s ability to generate force.
Kinetic linking is a boxing concept involving the flow of power from the ground to your fist. In an article about punching power, Sammy Franco points out that you have three power generators that assist in kinetic linking: your feet, hips and shoulders. “Maximally torquing your body into the blow will increase both the force and penetration of the blow.” He further mentions that the timing and coordination of these generators is a tricky balance of speed and power.
Mastery of Relaxation and Tension
Without speed there is no knock-out power; without proper relaxation there is no speed. Frank Benn, in an article from Stickgrappler remarks, “…[Y]ou have to develop your kinesthetic perception if you really want to be able to hit with power. There is a correct sequence of muscular contractions for every punch, every kick, which happens very quickly in rapid succession. In addition to contractions, there is a correct series of RELEASES (very important) — i.e. when a certain muscle in the chain has done its job, and now needs to let go before it starts to hinder your function.”
In general, you tense muscles to throw the punch, relax, then tighten up right on impact.
The Right Muscles, The Right Exercises
I’ve always liked an exchange between Dan Inosanto and Bruce Lee in the book, ” Art of Expressing the Human Body”-
“I remember once Bruce and I were walking along the beach in Santa Monica, out by where the ‘Dungeon’ (an old-time bodybuilding gym) used to be, when all of a sudden this big, huge bodybuilder came walking out of the Dengeon and I said to Bruce, ‘Man, look at the arms on that guy! ‘I’ll never forget Bruce’s reaction. He said, ‘Yeah, he’s big — but is he powerful? Can he use that extra muscle efficently?”
The major muscles to strengthen for power punching are the following:
Lats, shoulders, and traps
Abdominals and lower back
Quads, hamstrings and calves
To a lesser extent you need to strengthen these:
Forearms and hands
Pectorals
Train the important groups most often and first. Out of the hundreds of exercises that could be done to strengthen these muscles, a few stand out:
Pull-ups, upright rows/seated rows, skipping rope and shadowboxing/heavy bag work with 16 ounce gloves
The combat abdominal twist, janda sit-ups and russian twists
Squats, deadlifts, tire flipping and kettlebell windmills
Bent press, Turkish get-ups, military press and bench press
For some more ideas, see this article from the bodybuilding forums.
In conclusion fighters who have that ability to drop bombs are hated, feared, imitated. Be one of those fighters.
