How to Build Punching Power

Co-authored by Asher Smiley

Last Updated: February 7, 2023 References Approved

Punching power is critical as it determines your ability to inflict damage on an opponent with your fists. You need this punching power to defend yourself, to win a boxing competition, or for the personal enjoyment of knowing that you can pack a punch. While a lot of great punchers are born with great raw punching power, you can also gain punching power if you perfect your technique, use your body, improve your strength, and keep your focus.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Improving Your Strength

1
Practice punching drills. As you would expect, one of the best ways to build a power punch is to practice punching as much as you can. In your punching drills, you'll practice throwing your punches slow and deliberately. Practicing your punches will help you hone your technique and build strength.
- Position yourself with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Make your fists with the thumbs on top of your index fingers.
- Whatever type of punch you're throwing, practice it on a punching bag or similar aid.^{[1]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Asher Smiley
  Self Defense Trainer
  Expert Interview. 30 July 2019.}
- Practice punching drills half an hour a day, every other day.
- Make sure to punch slow. Remember, this is not about quickness, but about power and delivery.
- Practice a variety of types of punches.
2
Find a good cardio/endurance workout. Incorporating a complete cardio/endurance workout into your training regimen will help you in many ways. If you’re generally fit, you’ll be able to throw a more powerful punch than if you just worked on your upper body. You'll also be able to move around the ring faster, and you'll be less tired as you do so.
- Incorporate swimming into your overall exercise program. Try to swim 2 or 3 times a week. Swimming will give you a better overall workout than almost all other single exercise activities.
- Build running into your overall exercise program. Running will improve your cardio condition, increase your endurance, and make you more fit overall.
- Use a mixed cardio/endurance program. If you don't want to commit to either running or swimming as your single workout, do both, or use other endurance workouts that may be appropriate.^{[2]
  X
  Research source}
Advertisement
3
Commit to balanced weight training. Try doing some mixed/balanced weight training using light and heavy weights. Weight training is perhaps the best way to train to deliver a powerful punch. While there are a wide variety of exercises you can do in a weight training routine, consider the following:
- Light dumbbells (2-5 lbs). Do three sets of curls. Your first set can be 12, your second 10, and your third 8. Adjust sets, reps, and weight as you progress.
- A timed training routine. Boxing rounds last for about 3 minutes (5 minutes for the UFC) so workout for 3-5 minutes then take a 1-minute break. Try 3 repetitions.
- While lightweight training works well, you may also want to consider heavier weights to build more power. A few good weight training sets for building punching power include: hack squats, dumbbell snatches, deadlifts, box jumps, quarter squats, and squat jumps. Consider 3 sets to starts.^{[3]
  X
  Research source}^{[4]
  X
  Research source}
4
Train with a medicine ball. While lifting weights helps with the mass for the punching power, it's nearly useless if you want to achieve proper hand speed and coordination. Instead, train with a medicine ball. Training with a medicine ball will work out many of the muscles you'll need to improve your speed, agility, and coordination. Consider the following workout:
- Hold your medicine ball at shoulder height, standing in front of a wall.
- Then, lower your knees in a squatting position and explosively throw the ball into the air.
- Catch the ball (with your hands) and throw it explosively at the wall.
- Quickly pick up the ball, lift it over your head and then slam it to the ground. Work your way to 5 series of 30 repetitions, then pick a heavier ball. This workout is great because it engages all of your core muscles.^{[5]
  X
  Research source}
5
Jump rope. Using a jumping rope may look like child's play, but it’s not. Using a jumping rope three times a week for fifteen minutes will boost your cardio, increase agility and reaction time, and improve coordination and muscular control.^{[6]
X
Research source}

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Working on Your Punching Technique

1
Make a good fist. Perhaps the most important element of developing punching power is making a fist. If you don't make a correct fist, you could hurt yourself or land a weak punch.
- Have your index finger tucked over your thumb.
- Do not put your index finger too far in.
- Align your wrist bone with your fist.
- Align the back of your hand with your forearm.
- Never put your thumb inside of your other fingers.^{[7]
  X
  Research source}
2
Position yourself for a powerful punch. Positioning yourself correctly is vital for actually landing a punch. If you don't position yourself correctly, you may throw a weak punch or open yourself up to a counter punch.
- Your feet should be on the ground and spread about shoulder width.
- Your knees should be bent slightly.
- Your hands and upper body should be relaxed.^{[8]
  X
  Research source}
3
Breathe correctly. Breathing correctly will help put your mind and body in the right position to throw a power punch. As a result, put some thought into your breathing and make it an important part of your training.
- Inhale through your nose and exhale through your nose.
- Try to develop a regular breathing pattern by counting as you inhale and exhale. Depending on your fitness level you can pick a count and stick to it. Beginners can try breathing on a 5-second count. Shorten this count as you progress.
- Inhale before your punch. Your inhale should be slow and measured and part of your regular pattern.
- Don’t make yourself inhale obviously to your opponent. Make sure your breathing is regular at all times.
- Make sure you exhale as you punch. Your exhale should be slow and measured and part of your regular pattern.^{[9]
  X
  Research source}^{[10]
  X
  Research source}
4
Aim well. In order to throw a truly powerful punch that has the effect you want it to have, you need to aim well. However, as there are a number of types of punches you can throw, you’ll have to aim accordingly based on the punch.
- When punching, make sure to close your fist all the way at the last possible second. This helps to cause maximum damage.
- Always punch through the target, as if there was something behind them you were aiming for.
- Punches should always be done with proper wrist alignment and only the index and middle finger knuckles should make contact with the target.^{[11]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Asher Smiley
  Self Defense Trainer
  Expert Interview. 30 July 2019.}
- Popular punches include a jab, a right cross, and a very powerful left hook.
5
Throw your punch. As you would expect, the way you throw a punch is very important in making sure it has the intended power you need to defeat your opponent. Throwing your punch, then, is a systematic process that should be planned out and executed properly. There are a few things you need to do to make sure you throw a powerful punch:
- When you throw your punch, you should turn your hips slightly toward your target.
- Make sure to rotate your body/torso as you throw your punch.^{[12]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Asher Smiley
  Self Defense Trainer
  Expert Interview. 30 July 2019.}
- Your punch should come from your shoulders, which should stay relaxed and should be raised slightly.
- Your hands should tighten up into a solid fist immediately before throwing your punch.^{[13]
  X
  Research source}
6
Move your body, not just your arms and fists. In order to punch with power, you’ll have to be able to move your body with your arms. This is because if you move your body and your arms, you’ll be able to fully put the force and weight of your body into your punch.
- If your arms are advancing a foot in the distance to make a punch, make sure your body does as well.
- Avoid just moving your arms forward. If you do this, you’ll lack a lot of force that would otherwise make your punch more powerful.
- Be careful of getting too close when advancing with your body. Timing is extremely important, so watch for the perfect opportunity to advance with your arms and your body.^{[14]
  X
  Research source}
7
Take advantage of your legs. Make sure to take advantage of your legs. As the biggest muscles in your body, your legs give you a lot of power. If you don’t use the power of your legs, your punches will necessarily be weaker.
- Depending on the type of punch you’ll be using, use your legs and lower body to move forward and give extra power to your punch.
- Your legs will help you position yourself and build momentum when punching. They are the primary way you will rally your body weight to put power into your punch.
- Never run toward your opponent. If you do, you may lose coordination and/or open yourself up to a counterpunch.^{[15]
  X
  Research source}
8
Avoid overextending yourself. In order to land a powerful punch, you’ll need to make sure that you don’t overextend yourself. This is because your strongest punches are those you make in your range. Overextending yourself will lessen the power in your punch.
- Try to make punches in which you have a full range of motion.
- Stay back or advance until you are confident that you’re not overextending your arms.
- If you overextend yourself, you won’t be able to take advantage of the weight of your body. This will result in a weaker punch.
- Proper extension of your arms depends on your body type and arm length. A good rule of thumb is to avoid extending your arms straight out. Instead, they should always have some sort of bend in them.^{[16]
  X
  Research source}

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Practicing Self Control

1
Stay focused. Staying focused is extremely important in delivering powerful punches. Mental focus and self-control allows you to execute your techniques appropriately and take advantage of everything you’ve built on and learned in training.
- Do not let emotions ever rule you. Always stay cool and level-headed. If you abandon your training and follow your emotions, you’ll slip up and wind up throwing weak and inaccurate punches.
- Always keep your eye on your goal. Whether your goal of throwing power punches is to win a single match or go all the way to finals, you need to keep that goal in the back of your mind at all times.
- Always remember your positioning and your measured breathing. Once you abandon your positioning and breathing, your punches will get sloppy and weak.^{[17]
  X
  Research source}
2
Avoid “telegraphing.” Telegraphing is when you pull your hands back slightly before you throw your punch. This is a “tell” that lets your opponent know that you are getting ready to throw a punch.
- Telegraphing can enable your opponent to dodge your punch.
- Telegraphing may enable your opponent to counter punch in a more effective manner.
- To avoid telegraphing, video tape yourself when you practice. This way, you’ll be able to review the recording and see if you telegraph or give any other tells of your actions or strategy.^{[18]
  X
  Research source}
3
Know that speed is not power. Some people falsely equate punching speed with punching power. This is not the case. In order to punch with power, you’ll have to be able to distinguish between speed and power.
- Fast punches will not pack power unless they have power and force behind them.
- Punching fast, in succession, may undermine your ability to be able to deal out powerful punches.
- Punching fast may make you vulnerable to a counter-punch that will hurt you and prevent you from dealing the power punches you want to throw.^{[19]
  X
  Research source}

Expert Q&A
Did you know you can get expert answers for this article? Unlock expert answers by supporting wikiHow

Question

How do I throw a proper punch?

Asher Smiley
Self Defense Trainer
Asher Smiley is the Owner and Lead Instructor at Krav Maga Revolution in Petaluma, California. Asher has earned a Tier 1 Instructor Certification in the American Krav Maga system. In 2017, he trained with the International Kapap Federation Combat Krav Maga International, completing their 7 day tactical seminar and the 8 day CKMI instructor course.

Asher Smiley

Self Defense Trainer

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

Twist your body at the hips so you can get the most power from your punch.

Warnings

Punching someone hurts. A blow to the head can be fatal. Violence should always be your last resort or in self-defense.

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 25 Not Helpful 7
Ask your doctor before taking up any training plan, diet or physical activity.

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 13 Not Helpful 10