Welcome to this guide on how to improve your punching speed! Whether you’re a boxer, martial artist, or just looking to improve your hand speed for fitness or self-defense, increasing your punching speed can help you become more effective and efficient in your movements.
Speed and mass combination give power to the punches in boxing. When we talk about the mass of the fists, we ideally cannot change it.
Hence, if we want to improve the power of the punches, we have to increase the speed. And this speed can only be enhanced through rigorous training and practice.
So, let’s learn more about it.
Where to Focus to Improve Punching Speed?
It should be noted that boxing is quite a challenging sport. In boxing, as it seems, it is not easy to punch your opponent because the opponent is constantly moving and bouncing around while trying to punch you back.
Hence, to improve the skill set of boxing, it is essential to focus on the following elements-
- Head – You need to defend your head all the time against your opponent by swaying away or bending down at the hips.
- Arms – Arms need to be used properly to defend the incoming punches from the opponent, especially if they are fast and hard.
- Hands – Mostly hands need to be used for throwing the punches. However, you also need to learn how to make use of hands for defensive moves. And when we talk about defense, hands can be used to wipe away the light punches or jabs or to create distractions.
How to Punch Fast and Accurate
In order to train correctly and develop good boxing skills, a player needs to do the following-
- Never Leave the Feet – Leaving the feet directly translates into a loss of balance. A fighter should never compromise on balance. If a good balance is maintained, a player can deliver not only a faster punch but also an effective one. To sum it up, good footwork is very important.
- Never Throw the Punches Wildly – A fighter should never throw punches at his opponent in a wild way. Rather he/ she should plan the punch intelligently, and time it in such an optimal manner that the opponent goes into the defensive. Wild punches often miss the target and they tend to give the opponent the upper hand.
- Never Try to Overreach – Overreaching surely adds power to the punches and might surprise the opponent. But, doing it over and over again is self-defeating. Overreaching causes injuries or joint pain. Hence it is always better to avoid this and practice natural moves.
Punching the opponent hard is a vital part of boxing. However, more than the heavy blows, the impact’s speed, accuracy, and timing of the matter.
Rhythm is the Key
The boxer’s rhythm is something that can ultimately push the opponent on the back foot. The following are the exercises that a fighter needs to do to improve the punching speed.
- Shadow Boxing – Shadow boxing is one of the best routines which you can do anywhere to improve your speed and form against the visualization of an opponent. With regular technique and practice, you can develop good speed which would then become like second nature to you.
- Speed Bag – With regular use of the speed bag, rhythm, speed, and timing get improved. Speed bag also helps a boxer have better control over his/ her punches. So, make sure to invest in a good speed bag and practice.
- Double End Bag — Something, which is very similar to the speed bag, a double-end bag is a bag that hangs on a light tension on the ceiling due to which it moves randomly. The random movements of the bag stimulate the moves and the motion of the opponent who would be constantly on the roll while trying to prevent your punch and looking at an opportunity to land a punch in your face.
- High-intensity Interval Training Heavy Bag – A High-intensity Interval training Heavy Bag is a bag that is designed to wear out a boxer quicker, helping him or they build his/ her strength, muscles, and form. Using this bag, the boxer learns how to focus on rhythm and speed, rather than trying to hit hard. Here, in this workout, the boxer should never focus on the power punches. Rather the boxer should use different permutations of hook, cross, uppercuts, and jabs while trying to land a blow faster.
- Pushup Variations – With pushup variations, the boxer develops strength & endurance. The boxers should also try clapping between the pushups. This makes him/ her more dynamic with speed & coordination.
Final Words
Improving the punching speed is a difficult task, but not impossible.
With the proper guidance and practice, you can increase the speed of your punches to a considerable amount. The only thing you need is to focus and practice.
Along with that, you also need to focus on your breathing. I have written an article about taking control of your breathing while boxing that can help you.
So, to improve your punching speed, focus on your breathing, and start practicing. You can practice with a speed bag, hang it using a speed bag swivel, and practice on reflex bags.
So, I hope that with these tips, you’ll see improvements.
