With only a few exceptions to the rule the most commonly used method in the martial arts is the basic punch. For sure the most commonly used fighting technique to be found, be it street defense, kickboxing, boxing, various sport competition events or whatever else springs to mind is the basic punch. And it is often one of the first things you will learn as a new beginner. But the question is - how hard do you need to punch for it to be combat effective?
You would imagine that when it comes to any fight situation, be it for sport or street self defense reasons, the basic punch needs to be powerful and penetrating, more so if it’s for a full contact boxing event, or for self protection when up against some hard thug in the street? And in most situations of that nature rightly so. The thing is how hard do you need to throw a punch? That of course does depend on the situation you find yourself in. A perfect example is when you look at how you punch in a street situation compared to throwing punches to a hanging kick bag. In fact, how long your punch remains in contact with a kick bag compared to how long your punch remains in contact with someone's face is the question you should be asking yourself. Are your punches by nature fast and loose or are they muscle fueled pile drivers? There are two types of punches and although the variation between the two are somewhat subtle and almost feel and look the same, the difference and application is very much there. In the case of throwing punches in a street fight they will often be fast and rapid. This therefore means that such punches will not only make physical contact with the target in a very fast way but also recovery of the punch will be even faster in case the need to punch again is required. Often such punches will end up looking and behaving like jab punches to a degree. However when it comes to punching a heavy hanging kick bag then for sure it will not be the same. Although somewhat subtle in nature, and hard to see, the punch will be far more powerful than your average street situation punch and far more penetrating. This of course is based on the simple fact that punching a hanging bag in this way is all about developing powerful punches that will penetrate the target in a more indepth way. Developing powerful punches of course is one of the main areas of practice within the martial arts for clear to see reasons. However the question remains regarding how powerful a punch needs to be in a street conflict situation? For sure it does need to be effective enough to stop your opponent but can the same result be achieved with a, less than full force strike, to the head or body? Although there is no true way of knowing until a fight starts of course it can be done if your bravado aggressive attacker cannot take a punch even though you may think so by his or her aggressive actions. The classic glass jaw job as many commonly call it. The thing is a powerful muscle fueled punch may not be needed in the same way as punching a heavy hanging kick bag, therefore would fast punches be far better instead? Unless of course your aim is to punch a hole clean through your opponents head? For a related article click >HERE< Comments are closed.
|