What does conditioning have to do with taking punches?

To the head, I mean.

I'm watching a Elie Seckbach vid and Robert Garcia says that the fact that Montiel got up shows what kinda shape he was in, and I've heard fighters talk about someone's ability to take punches having to do with conditioning.

How the heck does conditioning help you with taking punches to the head?

 

Stronger neck muscles mean your head doesnt snap around as much when you get punched.

 

Great conditioning lets you recover faster like you see with JMM and Gamboa but it can't really improve punch resistance.

 

To me taking a punch has alot to do with a fighter mentality! if his in very good shape his mentaly prepared to take a beating! If a fighters not in shape mentaly they wont be the same! Will power is key everyone has differnt levels of will power! though some guys can just eat punches and kept coming forward others crumble weak will power!

 

Like Stitskin above has said, it doesn't improve your ability to take the punch, but it improves your ability to recover from it once it has hurt you. It'll also help you late on in the fight. With poor conditioning you'll have what happened to Margarito against Shane, who taking bomb after bomb, was simply too exhausted by the end to stand up to any more shots. However with good conditioning, you get Khan's survival against Maidana in the 10th round. He was hurt badly, but the strengh in his legs allowed him to stay up, weather the storm, and even fight back when he needed to.

 

You'd be surprised.... I take it you've never boxed before or have been rocked? When you get shook by taking a blow to the head your legs become jelly and if you are not in condition your legs won't recoup as quickly or if at all had you been in "fighting shape".

 

You hear that expression all the time in boxing, but I never really understood it either. I can understand that in long, grueling fights where there is a knockdown, your conditioning will play a part in getting back up.....But in fights where you just get blasted out of nowhere with a huge shot, like Darchinyan and Montiel, I don't really understand how your conditioning can affect you getting up.

 

Taking any heavy blow to the head takes it out of you....some more than others. Like I said before.... if you've boxed or if you have been rocked by a flush head shot that rings your bell....your legs feel like they are mush. Those in shape and in condition can recoup or recover faster than someone who is not in shape.

 

Here is an experiment you can perform yourself.

1. Ask a friend to punch you. Take not of how well you take it.

2. Run for an hour, or enough to make you really tired. This will simulate poor conditioning. Then ask to be punched. Take not of how well you take it.

Of course you don't have to do this experiment to conclude that the stronger you are physically, the better you can brace yourself for taking punches. All other things equal, better conditioned athlete will take punches better than an unconditioned one.

 

Does this then show how the likes of Roy Jones became fragile after coming back down to 175?

 

Joe Calzaghe is a good example of this he had excellent stamina and each time he got put down he seemed to have recovered by the time he stood back up.

I guess the biological reason is that the more conditioned your muscles are the higher number of mitochondria in them which would be allowing your body to redistribute energy at a quicker rate. Ofcourse sometimes though you can get hit with a shot that no matter how in shape you are your not going to get back up. Ricky Hatton was always in great condition but there was no way he was getting up in the pacquiao fight.

 

This is basically the reason. I remember getting rocked in one of my amateur fights when I wasn't in shape and I felt horrible. I seriously thought I was going to get KO. After that fight I got in way better shape and when I got rocked I took the punch way better than before. Also, your neck muscles can improve if you strengthen them with training. Genetics also play a factor into being able to take a punch. If you have a **** chin then the only thing you can do is be in the best shape possible or develop great defense.

 

you can condition your head to take punches better by repeatedly punching yourself in the head.

 

I can tell you from my own personal experience, I've sparred many rounds, and the only time. I'm 230 and have a pretty thick neck, and the only time I have even been stunned was once when I was tired as ****. Simply put, when your fatigued. your reaction time is slower, and your muscles don't tense up like they normally would which help prevent your head from snapping when you get hit.

 

You are partially correct but there is a flaw in your logic. Let's say the fighter has all the will power and all the toughness and all the heart never quit attitude that you can imagine. But what if he gets hit by something that his will power can never help him, for example if he gets shot in the head or get stab in the neck with a combat knife or gets hit with a heavy/timed knockout punch? Will his will power save him?

The body can only take certain punishments in some degree, maybe higher pain tolerance (Gatti>Ortiz), so I agree with you partially on the will power part, but what if something strikes them that their body rejects and shuts down eventhough 100% they still want to continue but couldn't?

Try and explain that