When watching pro boxers go through their workout routine and training. It’s hard not to notice and be impressed by what seems to be their effortless burst of speed and power. Not that I want to go pro any time soon, but I wondered “How do you punch faster?”
Having a quick punch is something that can be achieved over time. Creating routines to compliment your current work out is a perfect way to get to that goal. The basics of a faster punch requires a proper form and use of your body – from your feet through your torso and into the punch. Working on your from and building the muscles involved is the core for speed and power. There are a few ways you can work on this to increase punch speed.
Shadowbox With Light Dumbbells To Increase Punch Speed
Shadowboxing as part of your workout routine will familiarize yourself with the movements, also build the muscles involved and will help gain punch speed overtime. Through the repetition of punching and keeping with your form, it helps your body build that muscle memory. Which help your punches be more efficient and with added power.
Include some light weights in your hands or wrists while shadowboxing, this will result in a small amount of resistance to your punches and also working your body a little bit harder while building the areas for a fast and strong punch.
Try a shadow boxing routine for a few minutes a day and make note to keep your form and proper motion. Within a few weeks, when doing the same routine without any weights you should notice smoother movement, speed and power.
Important Note: Make sure to be using low weight dumbbells or heavier boxing gloves. There should be no level of discomfort or pain when doing this, other then getting tired faster.
How To Shadow Box
Shadowboxing is literally throwing punch combinations to an imaginary opponent in front of you. But also from a training stand point, you’re doing so much more then that. Working on your form, your feet movement and overall motion of a boxer is what makes shadowboxing so valuable.
The repetitive motion familiarizes your body with your movements making them gradually be more natural.
As an excercise use your choice of dumbbells, boxing gloves or weighted wrist bands. Get into your boxers stance and start your boxers bounce remember to keep your body loose.
Imagine a target in front of you and start throwing combination of punches, as if you were really in a boxing match. Remember the imaginary target will also fight back causing you to duck and weave.
Train on a Speed Bag
A speed bag (or speed ball) is typically a smaller bag anchored to a platform. They can come attached to an over hanging board or as a free standing option where the ball sits on a spring like bar and weighted at the bottom.
Training on a speed bags comes with many benefits. Aside from increasing your punch speed, hitting the bag gives your body a cardio workout, works on your hand eye coordination, improved arm strength and over all getting your rhythm down.
How To Train On A Speed Bag
As a beginner, making contact and working on the timing should be your main focus. Start slow, its hard not to pretend you’re Rocky or Creed and just bang away at it, but all this will come in time and experience.
Beginning with just a jab is perfectly fine. When you start recognizing the rhythm and swaying of the ball, then start adding more combinations.
The more rapid punches you land on the speed ball, the faster it will sway or bounce. In return causing you to adapt and become faster as well.
Working out on a speed bag is all about honing in on accuracy, rhythm and building your stamina.
Work On Your Core
Having a strong and fast punch requires your whole body working together. Punching with just arm strength will feel very light and flat, in doing so you will not be doing yourself any favours. Not to mention the bad habits you will be making.
A lot of emphasis is put on ab work outs during boxing training. If you watched any training video, a common point they make is to keep your core tight.
Developing your strength and speed which starts from your feet and up through your body, and finally into your punch. Are All managed by your mid torso or the core of your body. Strengthening your core muscles has so many more benefits then just for your punch.
Turning your body at your mid section and controlling your momentum through your up better will give you a much stronger and faster punch.
In doing so, working on your core muscles is a great step in becoming faster and strong.
How To Develop Your Core Muscles
Developing your core would require excercises that specifically target your mid section. The muscles making up your core are the key linking factor that transfers the speed and power from your lower body to your upper body.
Some examples of what you can do at home are:
- sit ups
- bicycle crunch
- plank lifts
- vertical leg crunch
- reverse crunch
Incorporating these excercises into your boxing work out is a personal favourite of mine and keeps your workout interesting and entertaining. I also prefer a more complete work out that involves multi muscles working.
Conclusion
Like all skills, increasing your punch speed comes with time and practice. Training your body the right way and working on the right from and muscles would not only excelerate your progress but also your over all fitness.
Its important to understand that your final goal, which in this case is to have a quicker jab and hook requires alot of little moving parts in your body and to have the right mindset as well. Working on the little things will only benefit your big picture in the long run.
