Big muscles don't mean **** Elastic muscles, flexibility and stretching all help towards punching power
Delivery system. When I was taught at a very early age, something as simple as turning the back heel on delivery made so much difference.
Not as much as you think, look at someone like Foreman that had very bad technique but still KO’d ppl dead. Technique helps but real power you’re born with, either you have it or you don’t.
Foreman is s perfect example. Semi Small, slow, poor technique, but hit really hard just from the jab. When you see a jab doing damage that indicates heavy hands alone. George Joyce got em aswell. Kubrat Pulev also has a strong jab.
I dont know if i would call bone structure "athletic" i would just say naturally gifted or heavy handed.
Emanuel always said what turned Tommy into a puncher was working on his balance leverage and sitting down on his punches
I also remember Steward saying that he figured out that Hearns — who only had like a dozen knockouts or so in more than 100 amateur fights — never closed his fists when he punched as an amateur. He got him to ball up his fist tighter in the pros and that was the difference between a guy getting hit with a rock or a bundle of fingers.
Good input. Fully agree Someone like Hearns obviously lacks the sheer strength of a more muscularly developed fighter, but he uses what strength he has to its fullest potential, via, as you said, technique. “explosive” muscles mean what, really? an Energetic outburst? I think KO power comes from 1.sheer, brute strength , 2. Technique (form and punching THRU your target) and speed 3.. Using your core (waist and legs by leaning into the target) to put even more force into the shot Imo
I think it begins at the bottoms of the feet and the power goes all the way through to the fists. Yes, it can be improved with technique, but it starts with natural ability, the way a person is built inside and outside. Natural bone density is very important, and probably under rated.
This. The power comes from the ground up. A lot of power is lost at the ankles if they’re not locked/contracted at the start of the motion. Many punchers don’t even realise they lock their ankles in and do so naturally/unconsciously. Others can be taught to do it but it takes a fair bit of work to undo their poor form if they’ve already been training and fighting for years.
To everyone that says power comes from the legs just look at Wilder’s legs and then tell me that same thing
Power comes from the ground up, the legs are a conduit. Provided there isn’t a break in the link, the size of someone’s leg muscles or biceps or whatever or lack thereof won’t affect the power coming out of the fist.
I remember a dads 60M sprint race at my sons school sports day a few years ago. At the time I was competing in middle distance running and had just finished a few weeks of sprint training - I was in shape. A 50 yr old couch potato dad with a belly hanging over his jeans went past me like I was standing still. Power and speed. You either have it or you don't.