Punching power and weight

I read a lot of information from posters on what they think constitutes a heavy hitter. I don't recognize knocking people out to be the sole domain of a heavy hitter. One can be an average puncher and still achieve knockouts. You have guys that are considered knockout artist, guys who study placement and techniques associated with rendering a competitor unconscious. Then you have the true heavy hitters that no matter where they connect, it hurts. I think that speed and technique are major players in delivering the power but I think that bone density is what magnifies the effect. It's like hitting a person with a hollow board and then hitting them with a solid board.

 

its a combination of many things, genetics, technique, weight, bone density, etc. balance is one of the most important factors that rarely gets mentioned, it helps to place yourself in the best possible body position to get maximum leverage in any situation. core strength is also very important to achieve maximum torque as you rotate to achieve speed and a solid base from which to shoot out your punches.
some people are born with a natural ability to generate torque through body movement, even without much technical training, thats why some guys hit like theyve been training for years even on their first day in the gym. those are the guys that most people think of as having a god given powerful punch.
weight is a factor only so far as it offers more resistance to slowing down the punch as it moves through the target, whether your receiving the punch, or throwing it.
ko punchers of the past would still be able to ko current heavies because the human body can only be strengthened up to a certain point in order to withstand the whipping effect on the brain that is caused by a hard puncher. the bigger you are, the more chance you have of taking a punch that a smaller man couldnt because you offer a sturdier base to keep your brain from rattling, but it still wouldnt be enough to withstand the force of every punch from a 200 lb ko artist.

 

I remember back when I was around 16 I use to go to a gypsy boxing gym which use to cost 50p a day. I was a skinny somewhat lanky kid and there use to be this fat kid there who was the same age as me but his legs and arms were thick like an elephant's.

I'd hit the heavybag with ferocious blinding speed but the heavybag was hard like a brick wall and it use to barley move. Then I'd see this fat kid throw slow one two's and make the bag swing like it's about to come off the hinge.. Use to get really intimidated by him but he would to gass out after a minute though.

Couple weeks later.. I was feeling invincible so I get a mouth guard, sign my medical and got in the ring with this fat kid for a spar. I remember looking at his gloves because they were white with the USA flag on it across the fist area.

The sparring started and fatty was battering me, his punches were making me crease but I adapted and avoided most the shots (he was really slow). I knew he was going to gass out soon and could see him breathing hard just before the first round ended.. So I smacked him right in the belly which made him buckle, hold his belly with one hand and bend over forwards while covering his face with the other hand.. I then hit him with a overhand right to the top of his head.. He fell down very slowly and stayed down. I messed my right hand up after that and it was swollen for 2 weeks.

 

Yeah, fair enough. There are plenty who think Vit would win both, but I've noticed (and railed about) that there are many more people who draw the "progress" line right before Ali. Personally, I think if either of them had a chance against Vit, it would be Louis because of his power. No one is outlanding a healthy Vit, you have to stop him.

 

Leverage makes power..................

 

Its not just mass+weight equals punching power.

Then Ali would have punched harder than Foreman due to theur size and speed.

Weight transfer on the impact surface are the most important factor regarding punching power.

Solid objects transfer way better than hollow.

An example of what i mean:

Two eggs. Same mass same size and same speed:

You have a raw egg and throw it on the window.

The egg Will break.

You have a boiled egg and throw it on the window.

The window Will break.

 

Yeah, you'll notice that fighters have more dominant shoulder and back muscles than any other muscle group.

 

That's what I consider to be heavy handedness or raw power. There are other factors as well, speed, snap, technique, precision, that can supplement that of course, but the truly freakish punchers all possessed ample reserves of the above.

 

Bluntly put, Force = Mass x Acceleration.

But there's technique for example how much you can get your entire body behind a punch. Genetics (George Foreman).

 

Exactly. I didn't mean to say that was the only component of power, just that it is an important part of it that people probably don't think about as much as the obvious stuff like speed, technique, etc. It is always weird to me though to see guys with relatively slow hands who have good knockout power.

 

No I didn't mean to suggest you were. But like you said, it's not something people often think about except in very vague terms. It certainly explains why someone like Foreman was able to do so much damage with relatively slow and sloppy shots. Simply put his punches drove right through the target as if they weren't there while other faster and apparently more explosive punchers would find their shots blatting off targets or getting absorbed before they could appreciably deliver their full force.

 

Yes, Foreman was exactly who I was thinking of!