T Nation

Boxing Form

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#1

Brought this over here so I could respond…I agree with Patricia and company…as with many things martial, you imagine a point six inches beyond the target and hit that. Whether you are kicking, head butting or knee striking. Less than that you reduce the effectiveness of the punch…the power disipates as a wave through the body. If you stop, say midway into the target, the energy does not make the full transfer (I don’t remember the physics of it all)…as for form, even going to a Muy Thai gym and watch sparring may give you some help in the right form to use…

Charlie

#2

Thanks, Charlie! Yes, you must fully commit to that punch. Make 'em count!

#3

On the way back from the gym, I remembered some of the physics behind this (engineers out there could help). 1) F=MA and 2) for every action there is an equal but opposite reaction. I think that this implies stopping in the middle results in just as much force being replied back into the punch…if you are breaking a brick you can imagine what that implies for the bones…

#4

This is not necessarily true from a boxing standpoint. I know this having an amateur and a short professional career, being a boxer is a little different. It may be true in martial arts where you are trying to cripple your opponent in a few blows but boxing is different. You are wearing padded gloves and only hit with the hands. You are trying to outwit your opponent and wear him down more than yourself. It is very important that you don’t waste energy on wild punches. This is why you hear of boxers punching themselves out. Remember Ali - Foreman in Zaire. The art form to boxing is throwing a hard punch—efficiently. The hardest thing to do when you get tired in a boxing ring is to hold your hands up. So you want to throw a hard punch but not waste the energy by punching through someone.

#5

I must say I agree with Rock on this one. If you have to fight 2-3 rounds maybe you can use a little more energy for each punch but for anything longer…

I’ve practice MMA (shooto) for a couple of years and my opinion is that for quicker match, you can spend more gas but for longer match(let’s say you have 1-1h30 sparring to do), you’re likely to run out of gas, let your guard and reflexes down and get a beating by your partners.

To Patricia:


How’s your boxing going? I find it really cool to have some women on this forum who enjoy combat sports. It’s one of the best sport for confidence(something women lack much too often), discipline and self-esteem…uhh, and being fit.

My 2 cents, as usual!


-LPdSB