[Boxing] muscles in a fight

do the size of your arm muscles have any relation with how hard you punch? just wondering

olfa, have a look at the average boxer and you'll see their arms aren't really large in size but muscular and well defined.

More power comes from how you hit and the power of the shoulders.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, as I'm more into bodybuilding than boxing.

I'm into boxing and i can tell u that arm size doesnt matter.

Power comes from 2 things.

1.The natural all round size of a guy. You'll find bigger guys punch a lot harder.

2.Balance and technique. Throwing a punch is like building a bridge. It starts from the bottom and builds up through the body and peaks at the tip. Get all the nuts and bolts in the right place and the power will come.

Look at Danny Green. He was once regarded the hardest puncher in the super middlewieght division in the world, yet his arms are frighteningly skinny.

thanks for that guys

coop said:

I'm into boxing and i can tell u that arm size doesnt matter.

Power comes from 2 things.

1.The natural all round size of a guy. You'll find bigger guys punch a lot harder.

2.Balance and technique. Throwing a punch is like building a bridge. It starts from the bottom and builds up through the body and peaks at the tip. Get all the nuts and bolts in the right place and the power will come.

Look at Danny Green. He was once regarded the hardest puncher in the super middlewieght division in the world, yet his arms are frighteningly skinny.

Click to expand...

Actually there is a 3rd thing

1. Mass - the heavier you are the more weight there is to use - as long as you can master the following two to the same extent as a smaller person you WILL hit harder.

2. Technique - the ability to use the largest amount of mass available in your body - the use of your feet hips, and torso to impart more effective mass to your hand at the point of impact.

3. Speed - Mass x speed = power. If you weight 200kg and have good technique but you punch slowly you will not do anything. This is how small guys can knock out bigger guys - if you can move your mass at 150% the speed of the other guy who is 30% heavier than you then you can STILL punch harder than him.

Overall while its good to be big I'd rather be slightly smaller but fast and have full ROM than be as big as you can. There is a guy at work who is a bodybuilder who also does some kickboxing - he is so big he can't actually perform some movements, and others he cannot perform quickly therefore he is limited in the range of attacks he can use. I'm out of shape, but still pretty quick - I'm probably 20kg lighter than him, but in a lot of my attacks I am actually able to hit much harder because of the speed I can obtain compared to him.

I hope that helps.

I`ll never forget one particular day when I was sparring with my martial arts instructor.This guy was big,strong,a 5th dan,ex SAS Captain,head of security at a big place and had more than 35 years of experience in all kinds of fighting arts.I was 70 something kgs and a relative beginner.I executed a perfect punch and he went down.Then he spewed.Did i have a big head.
Have to admit that it wasn`t all me.He underestimated me a bit and moved into the punch and when I saw him coming I let him have it.I got him by surprise but it shows technique and focus can win out.

coop and data are on the right track,,but just let me add this,,,,,muscle power counts when u punch to the body becuase u dig the punches in,,and the mass expands,,,but for head shots the punch is just at the end of a sort of chain linkage that starts at the feet,,,,,the power comes from te body,,,so if u want a powerful head shot train your lowerback and abs and core strength,,,,,for body shots train your back and shoulders,,,,,,study the way a whip cracks,,,,the motion starts fast ends suddenly thats the twisting of the body,,,,,the crack of the end of the whip is your punch

I did boxing for a while also. Id say shoulder strength does indeed help. but as previously stated you need other stuff to have a strong punch.

my housemate had a friend who did kickboxing and the guy fought a big bodybuilder. On their feet the kickboxer was a bit better then the bodybuilder, but as soon as the fight went to the ground the kickboxer was stuffed. The kickboxer said to my housemate after the fight that when he went to the ground the bodybuilder was throwing him around that much that he felt like a rag doll, just couldn't do anything against the bodybuilders strength.

I still say shoulder muscles help alot with power. They arent everything but when you get to the point where evry little bit helps having strong shoulders is just another little thing that can put you over the edge. Or somethin like that.

wat happens is if u got big arms then they're heavier.. and if they connect they're gonna be harder if u know how to throw them.

but havin said that bigger arms usually means slower

Don't worry about arm muscle ,Leg muscles are where you should look , one good kick will bring any guy down

Dirty fighting yes , but at least I will be still standing

You ever kicked someone? Its harder than it sounds you really gotta stomp down on them. If your suggesting kick to the knackers what kind of a man are you? I wouldnt wish that on my worst enemy.

In a fight id say its better to be as fit as you can and have strong endurant muscles again all over works fine.

pez said:

Don't worry about arm muscle ,Leg muscles are where you should look , one good kick will bring any guy down

Dirty fighting yes , but at least I will be still standing

Click to expand...

Only if its placed right.

kindred said:

You ever kicked someone? Its harder than it sounds you really gotta stomp down on them. If your suggesting kick to the knackers what kind of a man are you? I wouldnt wish that on my worst enemy.

In a fight id say its better to be as fit as you can and have strong endurant muscles again all over works fine.

Click to expand...

I agree - and heres why

I've used several methods in the past - and it depends on if the foe is drunk or not hahaha. If drunk, and threatening, but not actively running at you to kill you, you want to distract them a little, put your hands up palms out like you don't want to fight, and say so "nah man I don't want any trouble". When they get within range if it looks like they are going to attack you move your hands as if to punch - they tend to look at your hands - then you stomp the knee as hard as you can. He who can not stand can not chase you.

Method 2 to drunk foe is for ones who come straight at you and swing - generally a huge haymaker with no control, you duck under the punch and come up as close as you can under the guys arm put your head/shoulder under his armpit and put you arm around his neck and squeeze and walk forwards at the same time. They have to walk backwards or fall over - their choice. If they walk backwards you have a chat to them explaining if they do anything stupid your going to choke them out. If they try to fight back immediately you move forward faster and either they fall over and you kneel on their chest - or you find a suitable object to throw them onto like a table or whatever - and then run.

Third is for the sober foe. Run away - failing that, forget punches and kicks as much as possible and focus on knees and eblows - they cause a lot more damage, but you have to be in close. If your training includes ground work this is the best position to be in anyway as your there for a throw/takedown if it turns into a slugging match.

I've always suggested that if you can you should run away (unfortunately the times I've had to use the above were on public transport - where there is no running away). So in a fight I think the best thing to have is general fitness and especially cardio fitness - fatigue sets in pretty quick, so the fitter you are the more likely you are to be able to keep it up or run.

kindred said:

You ever kicked someone? Its harder than it sounds you really gotta stomp down on them. If your suggesting kick to the knackers what kind of a man are you? I wouldnt wish that on my worst enemy.

In a fight id say its better to be as fit as you can and have strong endurant muscles again all over works fine.

Click to expand...

I'm a lover, not a fighter, and I'd rather **** than fight (Kevin Bloody Wilson) When it comes to a fight its every man for himself better to be standing rather then laying in a pulp. So if kicking/kneeing in the knackers mean that I will have a fighting chance then i'll take that option

OMG Delta is that what the Phd students are doing these days! LOL

and for anyone else stop talking about the knacker stoming its making me nervous sheesh

Ok this thread is old but I'm new so what the hell !

Being strong in general helps, but majority of your punching power comes from your hips and waist. Boxers and martial artists, kick boxers know and do this. Putting the bodyweight behind your fist is how to make it matter !

This is ideally supported by strong legs and conducted through a strong shoulder and firm wrists that won't buckle. Squeezing your fist at the moment of impact helps alot, so having a strong forearm makes a difference too.

I've met so many people who don't exhale when they hit and this makes a huge difference (nothing mystical).

It might sound very technical and it is. If you want to punch harder don't lift weights but practise punching and maybe do some weights to compliment this.

In my books if it's a real fight for your safety or life, there is no such thing as dirty fighting, especially if you are outnumbered or dwarfed by your assailant. I always assume the person I may fight is going to be bigger, stronger and faster...

A good punch is using your whole body in motion from the feet and hips to the shoulders and wrist if you have alot of mass and large arms then you will be slower to throw natrually, but when you flex your arm you instantly become slower because the muscle is flexed and not relaxed if you were to keep relaxed till before the point of impact you will gain speed and throw quicker which comes down to the basis of martial arts...mass and strength are one thing but speed and agility are what martial arts is all about being relaxed and focused rather then massive muscles and angry...

Theres a different strength in use here instead of being able to lift heavy weights and loosing movement in the joints from body mass/ the martial artist has the explosive strength so he could easily do 20 pull ups where as a body builder probably cant do 1, ill leave you with that

Chriso!!

I was going to add something to this. As many have said, in a punch you use your whole body. Technique is the key element, not size, strength etc. etc.

Also, if it calls for it. Kicking someone in the nuts to save yourself being disabled or killed is a good thing. Though there are many other potent attacks that render your attacker useless. Hand slap to the ears is one that is always running through my mind if I have to use it.

also the good ol 'Glasgow Kiss' can be affective

I once was in a situation where a much bigger and stronger guy had me by my wrists and he wasn't gonna let me go.. so I reefed my hands down to my waste it caused him to get pulled forward, as I also went forward headbutting him in the nose.. worked a treat you just wanna make sure to go for the nose if ya clash heads you might come off 2nd best lol