Remember back to Freshman Physics...?  Second Law of Motion...?  F=ma...?  Enough said...

Actually we can talk about a little bit more here...exactly WHAT mass... and acceleration...?  Realistically speaking, in boxing the following applies:

Punching Power = Directed Body Mass x Striking Acceleration (and deceleration for that matter)...

By applying the core principles of moving as much body mass in a linear (or circular) direction along an efficient plane or arc and “whipping” or snapping those punches to ensure the maximum acceleration/deceleration delta force...and...timing those strikes so that they are applied at the exact focal point...it’s easy to see how someone gets knocked out.  Thus...there you have it.

Well...OK...so the visual isn’t there yet...let’s try an experiment...first stand right in front of one of the heavy bags.  Using only arm and shoulder muscles, blast the bag with a good shot without taking a step forward.  Just setup, wind up, and hit.  Next, look to hit the bag only as fast as you can.  Don’t wind up or attempt to put any muscle behind it.  Just set up and strike as fast and light as possible.  Now...these two methods and everything in between define how everyone hits.  These two are our bounding points.  So, the first example is all about the windup and shows what can be accomplished with just muscle and brawn alone.  These so called “muscle” strikes can definitely hit with some impact, but your intention is completely telegraphed by the windup and is noticeably slower because of that need to wind up to get your power.  Also...because of the pure reliance on muscular force, the ability to continue a fight by using that muscle approach alone dissolves away quickly because fatigue quickly sets in.  The second example, pure speed alone, can also score a hit, but with little consequence in having done so.  Speed shots (or so called “show jabs”) may find their mark, and be somewhat distracting as setup punches, but will do very little if anything to stop an opponent.  So...how does one train...?

Well...the goal is to find a way to incorporate both speed (or acceleration) and power while not telegraphing your intentions.  Going back to our essential equation...let’s start with how we increase the mass portion.  Bottom line is to somehow exploit the translation of the majority of your body mass in a straight line towards your opponent.  You do this by focusing on moving your center of gravity (CG - remember THAT one from high school also...?) along that straight line.  Simple as that.  Now...a person’s CG is normally located around your hips.  Essentially, this is the point or nexus of the body’s greatest weight.  If you learn to control the translation of your CG at all times, and to consciously utilize it in all punches, you will go a long way toward “upping” the mass side of the power equation.

To use your CG in every punch, it’s first a good idea to determine how to actually move it toward an opponent with the execution of each technique.  Breaking down the jab to illustrate we see that the most obvious method of getting your CG into a jab is to step forward as you punch.  But...HOW you step is just as important as the fact that you ARE stepping.  Step directly at an opponent while snapping the lead hip toward him.  Since the jab is a lead-hand punch, we shoot the lead side of the pelvis forward.  Reverse this for rear-hand executed punches.  Take a few rounds to practice stepping and CG “snapping” with punching.  Once you feel the coordinated foot placement and hip movement become more fluid...add the punches into the mix.

So...that illustrates the importance of moving the mass along toward your opponent...now...let’s look at the acceleration portion of the force equation.  Coaches everywhere have exhorted their fighters to “snap” their punches.  Don’t “push” them.  This means to treat the arm like a whip.  The fist being the tip of the whip being cracked at the end of the strike...thus the “timing” of the punch.  If you snap your punches with the whip analogy in mind, speed will increase.  And...once you combine snapping punches (acceleration) with aid of CG translation (exploiting your mass), you will have maximized the force equation for use in the real physical sense.

A good analogy to use when training is to visualize the slamming of a door when throwing punches.  Imagine that your upper body is the door and your lead foot (better yet, the ball of your lead foot) is the hinge of this heavy door.  With each punch you throw, you should imagine that you are slamming this door while pivoting sharply around this lead hinge point.

Try it when practicing on all light bags and especially on the heavy bag.  Work it all the time on the focus mitts and in your situational sparring drills.  Especially...work it when you shadow-box.  It won’t be long before its all second nature and it just “feels right”.  Once these points are honed in your mind...your punches will have everything they need to do as much damage as you intend.