Does bigger hands mean more punching power?

Hand size don't mean snatch in boxing your not swatting or slapping your opponent. There's a pic with Barrera, Juanma Lopez, and Nonito together and Nonito has tiny hands compared to the other 2. We know Nonito ain't no featherduster. Any type of power can always be improved that's why boxers and mma fighters hit twice as hard as the avg man. Get in the ring with a feather fisted pro you'll find out real quick even they can hit pretty hard.

 

they need to start punching with the thumb.

 

I am glad someone has asked this question, K. I heard years ago that a bigger fist transmits more of the power of a punch. I don't know if this is bull or not, so I thought I would ask you! Sorry; just read some more of your replies that answered it! Knew my smallish hands were good enough!

 

A natural ability?

 

The bigger meteorite would be more likely to break up upon impact with the earth's atmosphere whereas the smaller one would be more likely to penetrate through and hit the earth

As per recent strike in Russia

 

I suppose it depends also on the type of punch. In the case of a straight punch with the power delivered forward from the hips along the arm, a smaller fist could benefit as the mass of the fist itself is less of an issue. A haymaking swing (a la Wilder,or MMA G'n'P) is likely to benefit from a larger fist with its greater mass.

For comparison think of the difference between a spear and a club. With a spear, whilst the mass of the head will increase its penetrative power, the decisive factor would be the amount of force put into the thrust and channeled down the shaft, for a club, or perhaps say a logging axe or maul, it is the weight of the head that plays the key role.

I honestly don't have the medical knowledge to know if greater penetrative power (ie pressure) inflicts a greater concussive effect, or whether only the total energy transfer matters (for headshots) -I think a KO is usually produced by the rapid acceleration of the whole skull- but certainly greater pressure would imply greater damage, given the limits of the human body to deform.

(OK guys its time to get those fists chopped - think of the penetrative power of a stump!)

I suppose for completeness one should probably figure in arm mass and rigidity too.

In either case, within each weight class, the difference in hand size is unlikely to be huge (at a wild guess, perhaps 20% between largest and smallest) and given that the effect of padding and gloves would be to reduce this ratio still further - it ain't gonna be a deciding factor.

All in, it probably makes a very small difference one way or the other depending on punch type, but is certainly not gonna determine on it's own who wins a fight.

 

That's why they wear gloves kid. So their fists don't explode on impact. Didncha know?:yep

(correct tho. Another example of the 'Elephant and Mouse effect')

 

i mean everyone can punch at a level according to their individual ability based on muscle strength, bone structure and density, difference in technique, etc... which differs in every individual. once you start working on improving these natural gifts or limitations, it becomes an aquired skill and no longer strictly natural.

 

what exactly does this have to do with the discussion? are you implying that no meteorites weighing more than a lb have ever hit the earth so its impossible for us to compare the effects of an impact of a 1 ounce meteorite compared to one significantly bigger?
if someone can explain why you can throw a more damaging punch with a roll of quarters in your hand than you can without it, or prove that there is actually no difference, it would make things a whole lot clearer.

 

Smaller hands would probably result in more of a concentrated hit in a smaller are. I don't ****ing know, **** thread

 

I've done my best. For straight driving punches with the energy going down a rigid arm, your quarters will help, but not so much. A smaller fist will help a little too but will be slightly counterbalanced by the loss of hand mass. The energy coming down the arm will be the key factor though.

For a more swinging or looping punch, hand-size (mass), will provide a more significant advantage, as would a roll of quarters, as the mass at the end of the arm would be the critical factor. Having the smaller impact area of smaller fists would be significantly outweighed by the mass advantage of larger ones.



In the case of handsize, though we'd be talking about a pretty small advantage either way. Your quarters would help more, though probably as much due to the added rigidity as the greater mass.

 

so a larger hand, or more mass, will increase punching power, period. how much does not matter because that wasnt the question. if it doesnt decrease or it doesnt remain the same, then it must increase.
a smaller hand would never help because the boxing gloves would be the same size so the contact area would remain the same even with a smaller hand. the only thing that would change is the mass and weight of the glove and hand.
now, in your opinion, what have i stated in this thread that you believe to be wrong?

 

Doesn't hurt ta have big paws

 

I get what you're getting at, but this was a very muddled presentation. :yep

 

Wow. The discussion about force and size and mass seems all a bit misplaced in my opinion.
Perhaps we are over focusing on the fist size too singularly.

I read an article once about Manny Pacquiao's wrist size (I think many people here read the same article). Just like the argument about fist size, it almost seems ridiculous to link something so insignificant to punching power.

However, the writer looked at the wrist sizes of several boxers and it appeared that wrist size is somehow related. But rather than looking at wrist size itself, he hypothesized about bone density in GENERAL, where thicker wrists generally suggest heavier bone density. He goes on further to talk about the relation of bone density to muscle structure and the ability to produce more red blood cells.

All in all, I don't think the writer was a medical expert.
But he does make some interesting and well presented arguments about the possible links between bone size in general and ability to punch harder. If his theory is false, I at least applaud him for thinking outside the box and putting together an intelligent argument.

For that, I believe it is entirely possible that wrist size and fist size play a role in punching power. But we have to quit thinking and debating like cavemen.

Bigger hands......punch face.....harrrderrr.....grrrr...
No.....bigger MUSCLES.....FASTER ape....punch harder......grrrr