Punching – Why Proper Technique Beats Power

Everyone wants to hit hard like a charging rhino, but I want you to take a moment to think about what is really the most important thing you can work on: power or proper technique.

You won’t have true power without good punching technique

Untrained guys can sometimes hit hard. But only if they’re big, strong, fearless, and have rock-hard hands. They’re in the minority. Most untrained guys don’t punch anywhere near as hard as someone who has been practicing proper punching technique.

Until you learn how to use your whole body to put power into your punches, you won’t have any true power, no matter how aggressive and fearless you psyche yourself up to be.

Good technique is always more powerful than unrestrained aggression, so it’s always an advantage to have some training in how to punch.

Without good punching form, your range will be limited

Good punchers know how to punch with power at long range. Unskilled punchers, on the other hand, have to get in a lot closer to their opponent to hit him.

With training, you’ll be able to hit someone while he’s still out of range of a counterpunch. Your accurate, long-range straight punches will beat his crazy swinging hooks.

Defense is built into proper punching technique

You’ve heard the expression: hit and don’t get hit.

For beginners, this sounds like an overused aphorism without any real meaning. But for experienced punchers, it’s a truism.

Good punching technique doesn’t just maximize your power and/or speed, it primarily maximizes your defensive capabilities. A good puncher can attack while limiting risk to his vulnerable areas. The chin receives maximum protection during all phases of a punch, instead of hanging out there waiting to be hit.

So don’t worry too much about how powerful you are when you punch. Worry instead about how good your technique is. Once your technique is acceptable, the power will come.