Some guys are just born to hit hard. Just like some are born faster/quicker than others. It's a natural gift.
Part of it has to do with bad intentions. When you look at guys like Paulie and Bradley, you can see deep down they are warriors, but still nice guys. When you look at guys like GGG and Kovalev, you can see the killer in them. They have the intention of ending someone when they hit them. Aside from that, technique, legs, core strength all play a huge part. Core strength transfers power from the legs to the upper body.
Well no not Paulie. I think Bradley has the physical make up to hit the heavy bag as hard as Thurman or Mattysse, but the level of executing his peak power in the ring is lower than the other two fighters perhaps because of factors such as hitting a moving target and commitment to the punch affect his punching power more than others. You don't think his peak power on the punching bag can be on par with the other two?
Not even close. Bradley is a very fast fighter do not get me wrong, but he is not explosive enough have the same impact as a Thurman, or Matthysse. He's just not an explosive enough fighter. Either that, or Bradley doesn't have intuitive technique which some fighters are predisposed to having upon birth. Some people synchronize their movements perfectly, thus giving them the ability to hit harder then their peers. This cognitive function, like I mentioned in my sentence prior to this one, is most likely completely contingent upon ones genetic makeup. I don't really think you can teach a fighter how to displace multiple areas of their body with such great fluidity that it equates to tremendous punching power, unless it was intrinsic to begin with. Just my opinion. I read a study on this once while randomly browsing the internet, and it about Karatekas with certain cognitive patterns being able to strike with more force because their body worked more in a unitary fashion than vice a versa. This obviously developed with years of strenuous repetition (as the study concluded), but my take on it is that some people are much more inclined to execute the maneuvers effectively than others, based upon their genetic makeup.
lol i find it funny all the speculation on this thread and not one person answered the question correctly. punching power comes from tendons. when you land a punch the force comes back from your opponent back to your body. newtons third law, every action incites a reaction. its the tendons that absorb all that force, not muscles or whatever you might think. the stiffer the tendons, less power is lost throughout your body. weight lifting stiffens the tendons which makes it good for punching power (another **** load of speculation debunked if you visit other threads). some people are born with stiffer tendons then others hence punchers are made not born. pretty simple
I am confused as you just contradicted yourself. Punchers, like sprinters are definitely born and not made. I am surprised it is even a debate on here.
Yes. Everybody can increase power somewhat. Best comparison is Ali and Foreman. Roughly the same size and Ali is much more explosive. So based on this speculation Ali should have had more power. Not the case. Power transition is always more important than acceleration. A muscle car with bad tires...
Great thread for a Bannned bloke.. Anyway. Usually everything comes down to math if you know all the variables. Like weight plus velocity = force, or something like that. So that means a big, heavy man, whos punches are fast should land with a lot of force. Butterbean may be an example.. Alis 'phantom' or 'lever' punch another. Man, Ali threw that FAST! It sunk Liston, but thats another subject. But then one looks at a Justis Huni (a young Aussie heavy) at 6, 4' and about 220 lb. He has FAST hands. Volumes of fast punches, all on balance. But couldnt knock a sick old lady off a **** pot. No power. Zero. Yet he has the correct equation; weight plus speed equal power. So i dont know. Math dont work very well for punching power..
I remember George Foreman, when asked about the punching power of a fighter that didn't have great musculature and didn't appear particularly strong, said that the power comes from his fist. I often wondered if he meant the tightness of the fist at impact? Is there any correlation between hand strength and punching power? It's strange, but I am male, 6' around 275 and I have what I would call average strength (except for very good hand strength), yet my punches are very heavy. The only thing I can think of is my ability to make an extremely tight fist. Does that make sense?
Wrists are very important for transitioning impact power. Alot of construction workers have strong wrists (and arms and shoulders) so they hit hard naturally.
Lets look at different physiques - and punch power: Foreman - Strong muscular guy, power Joe Joyce - slow moving, but tears people up Hearns - slim, power Wilder - fast hands, power Fury - big, heavy, called pillow fists Holyfield - lots of muscle, not reknowned as a puncher Julian Jackson - huge power, slim physique not a heavy guy It's definitely something you're born with. Look at pitchers, different physiques, different styles - some people are just naturally gifted athletically.
