Would bigger legs have added to Tommy Hearns' power?

My post was fairly simple.

No boxer should train for hypertrophy over a determinant of boxing performance which, in this case, is power. Boxers also clearly need to factor in other elements such as aerobic capacity and this is compromised by hypertrophy.

 

Legs do increase power, it all depends on what type of power shot u are throwing.
Examples of Hearns and wilder, the shots that these two throw would not benefit from more fast twitch muscle. However dynamic punching such as tyson does benefit from more/bigger fast twitch muscle in the legs and thus having bigger legs.
There's numerous ways to throw power shots and some ar more conducive to bigger legs and some types of power shots have no bearing on the legs, it's a vault over the hips.

 

And anyone can name a few chicken legged power punchers and say 'there you go, nothing to do with legs'.

But then we have to consider Prince Naseem who had a skinny upper body and tree trunks for legs.

I'd throw technique and ring craft into the mix. Throwing power punches at the right time, from the right distance and with great technique are massive factors in translating potential power into actual power...

 

You dont need big legs to have powerfull legs, you can have skinny legs which produce exceptional force/explosion, Size of legs is irrelevant to power.

 

Naoya Inoue is a skinny dude and he's got frightening power.

 

STFU moron... Your inability to be genuine and honest has been exposed troll....

 

Leg size helps with planting yourself. Tito wasn't muscular, but he hit like a mule, even at 160. But the real answer is....there is MUCH more to power then any one thing. The TS is an idiot BTW.

 

I agree. Mechanics far more important than big legs.

 

But that is not what the post I responded to said.
I take your word for it this is what you intended to communicate-which is completely correct.
With a tiny caveat that you must mean hypertrophy beyond a reasonable amount of necessary muscle...

But your words indicated that muscle size is not correlated with strength & power.
Which is wrong. Although for throwing punches, it is only useful up to a certain point of diminishing or reversing returns as speed eventually is sacrificed-& even if you have a bit more absolute power, it will may well be less power than is worth it compared to fighters who have greater natural power in higher divisions.

 

Tito is a good example, so is kostya tszyu and many others, i see what your saying with leg size helping to stabilise on the planting but I think that is only a small aspect compared to the overall chain of events which contribute to punching power.

it can seem to some that big punchers need big legs which is more so a corelation than causation of some big well known punchers who indeed HAD big legs. As you said there are many components of punching power, I believe genetic predisposition to explosive type muscle fibres, correct leveraging & punch power technique, foot size and torso to leg ratios are the main contributing factors that come into play, there are some other small factors that contribute also but they are in the margins. My two cents

 

The two top punchers for me have always been Tua and Hearns, who both had very scrawny, spindly legs, and kind of lackluster chins. But if they both had an increased girth, I feel that would be a welcomed addition to their punch resistance and even increase their power to epic heights-which is where I grew up, Epic Heights.

 

Correct punch power technique and mechanics will maximise your inherent punch power potential. Def the most important

 

Not sure about tua having scrawny legs.

 

A guy like David Lemieux I'm guessing had a lot of knockouts on the way up with his smashing compact quick explosive punches. It's just harder to do it at the highest level (knocking guys out) guys like Pacquiao performed on biggest nights of fight with statement knockouts which makes him equally dangerous and top notch level. Even the great Mayweather tapered off with the kos after a certain level.

The coach at my local club said: you should only go pro if you're knocking players out, because at the top level, if you have no power you're in store for a licking.

Now don't quote me for that, he's just an amateur coach, however if you slip punches like swimming and not getting wet like late great brother Naseem (may he rest in peace) said then I argue this statement, guys like Mayweather and sweet pea were great, just not so great in the power department.

In my opinion fight where you're most comfy at. I'm no Freddie Roach but I heard one of his tactics was not to drain Pacquiao a small man, as he would benefit from being on/near weight without rehydrating himself. This left him like a ball of energy, fast and explosive= power with his let's say, his legs aka huge calfs. Cause it wasn't with his shoulders, just not built that way.

I once asked if the light heavyweight champion of Canada could fight at the top level? My buddy said no, he's an old man. Power just like endurance (stamina) are part of the package of the sweet science, which it is, at the top level. Whereas when in some cases it's just a brawl or war of attrition at first when before you have any technique, etc. Dude was in his late 30's. But I'm pretty sure he would need better methods to hang with the best aka a whole new team of trainers, look at GGG still doing it at 39.

There still are brawls at the top level, I'm just generalizing that at first it's just like "play don't hurt each other" but as you succeed and go up the ranks you will see very many styles that will help you big time experience. Not just a chin hitting contest .

I was 235 pounds at 5'9". Dude said at my gym, your weight is middleweight, there are monsters at heavy. Lol I can't understand what guys like Chris Byrd had to go through lol. Great fighter no power. Btw he is a legend who experimented with weight as well. Good luck to you bro.

 

yes. if you know how to use the extra strength. thats why you teach fighters how to push off, and how to turn on their rear toes at impact. one, strong legs pushing off increase the speed at which the blow is delivered, since the glove is moving forward and accelerating on 3 planes. the extension of the arm, the rotation of the shoulders, and the pushing off of the legs. two, it adds power by creating a more stable base from which to anchor your shots off of. imagine punching someone while youre wearing roller skates. the weaker the legs the more they behave like roller skates.
anyone who is not a natural puncher, wishing to improve his power, should work on his balance. that is the single biggest thing that can make you a harder puncher, and better everywhere else.