How to increase the speed of punches ?

[AlexKid]

What methods do they use? What do you recommend?

[OctoberRed]

Shadowboxing Drills:

Start moving around and relax your whole body. Don’t worry so much about putting your hands all the way up. Use proper form but not to the point where you become stiff and tired in the shoulders. You want your whole body to be loose and relaxed when you shadowbox for speed!

Here are the punch numbers I’m using:

1 = left jab
2 = straight right / right cross
3 = left hook
4 = right hook / overhand right
5 = left uppercut
6 = right uppercut
*reverse these if you are southpaw (left-handed)

Ok, HERE WE GO! Follow along and mix it up!

Basic Jab

1, move around, 1
1, back step, 1
1, step in, 1
Double-jab

1-1
1-1 (step in twice)
Triple Jab

1-1-1
Jab, Right Cross

1-2
1-1-2
1-2-1
1-2-1-2
1-2-1-1
Left Hook Now

1-2-3
1-2-3-2
Left-Right Left-Rights!

1-2-3-2-1
1-2-1-2-3
2-3-2
2-3-2-1
2-3-2-1-2
Tricky Combos

1-3
1-1-3
1-3-2
1-2-3-3-2
1-3-1-2
1-2-3-1-2
5-6-2
5-1-2-3-2
1-6-2-1-2
Uppercuts Now

1-6
1-6-3-2
3-6-3-2
1-2-5
1-2-5-2
Long Combos (focus on sharp rapid breathing!)

6-5-6-5-2-3-2
1-2-5-2-3-6-3-2
1-1-2-3-6-3-2
5-2-1-6-3-2-1-2
take any of the above and combine it with other punch combos
Go 3 rounds straight. Exhale on every single punch and every single movement. Don’t worry about doing all the combos listed above. Stick to your favorite ones and then try one or two new ones each time. You should NOT be getting tired. If you are, then you’re too stiff. Relax the shoulders some more and maybe even slow down just a little bit. If you get winded punching air, imagine what being in the ring might feel like.

When you step around during the combos, take REAL SMALL steps. You only need to take one-inch steps, that way your feet can move as fast as your hands. If you take big steps, your feet might still be in the air leaving your punches un-grounded and without power.

Don’t worry about power! Some sequences that have double-lefts or double-rights are going to feel weak. Again, you are just working on speed, not power. Just let your hands flow and get some rhythm into there. Have a few pauses here and there in between your combinations and then pick up the speed again.

Last note, please watch the Manny Pacquiao shadowboxing video below. What he’s doing is a perfect example of speed shadowboxing. Sharp breathing, very tiny steps, fast focus on punches. He doesn’t focus on single punches, he’s focusing on entire combinations. And for the 923084723th time, RELAX!

Fast Punching On the Heavy Bag (Speed Endurance)

Fast punching isn’t always about speed. Sometimes it’s about endurance. Moving a weight faster will always take more energy. So it’s pretty hard to throw fast punches, or even practice fast punches, if you don’t have the endurance for it.

Throwing flurries of fast punches can wear anybody out. You don’t realize it at first but once you get tired, your slower opponent suddenly becomes faster than you. The even bigger danger of getting tired is that your punches become too slow to hit your opponent. So let’s work on speed endurance so you can throw fast punches throughout the entire fight–and not just the first round.

Punch Interval Drills:

Get a partner and stand on opposite sides of the bag. One boxer holds the bag steady while the other one punches non-stop for 15-20 seconds. Then switch. Keep doing this until the 3-minute round is over and then take your 1-minute break. 2 to 3 rounds of this is a great way to finish off heavy bag workouts.

Some thoughts on this fast-punching drill:

Don’t waste your time getting somebody to time you 15-20 seconds. Instead just count it in your head or out loud as you punch. When you finish, just stop and the other boxer should know instinctively to begin punching.
You can do variations against the bag. On the first interval, do regular punches aimed high (palm facing the ground, aimed a spot of the bag that’s 6-8 inches above your head). On the second interval, do vertical punches aimed straight at shoulder level into the bag. By “vertical punches”, I mean with the palm facing sideways, like a “standing fist”. On the third interval, do SMALL quick uppercuts into the bag at body level. Keep repeating until the round ends.

Punch interval drills develop your arm and shoulder endurance. Which is VERY important in your performance during the later rounds. It doesn’t matter if your body is not tired overall…

Once your arms and shoulders get too tired,
your punches become too slow to hit your opponent.

Sure you might still have your power in the late rounds but if you don’t have the speed, that power won’t make any difference! So work to make sure you build that arm and shoulder endurance. In case you haven’t noticed, this fast-punching drill is a boxing’s rendition of Tabata drills (in case you want to know more about the science behind this method of training).

The crucial reminder is that you don’t get too ambitious and try to hit the bag like that for 3 minutes straight. The rest periods allow your arms to regain the energy to punch at max speed. You should always train at your true top speed (going 100% when you’re exhausted is not “true top speed”). Think about it, sprinters don’t train for speed by running 2 miles all at once. Instead, they sprint short distances, take a break and repeat (aka Sprint Intervals). The break allows their legs to regain the energy to sprint at full speed again. Likewise, you want to have breaks to regain the energy to punch at full speed again. This way, you’re spending more of your time training at full speed and not half-speed, which is what happens when over-ambitious beginners go 30 minutes non-stop without a break!

The other part about not skipping the break is that you might have a better workout when you constantly have to stop and start again. Throwing punches non-stop is easy to do when you’re already in motion. But having to stop and start again, like in a real fight, is much harder to do when you have to keep starting up your rhythm. So please, don’t skip the breaks. 15-20 seconds for each boxer, then switch!

Forced Speed Training (Speedbag & Double-End Bag)

The speedbag and double-end bag are great equipment for building speed. Aside from improving your accuracy, timing, reflex, and coordination, they are great for “forced hand speed” exercises. Punching fast is quite easy if you’re only punching when you feel like it. Unfortunately, this is never the case in real fights. In real fights, you’re always being FORCED to punch even when you don’t want to. Because you’re throwing these punches as a panic reaction rather than an action of your own intention, these “forced punches” tire you out faster. So back to the speedbag and double-end bag, they force you to punch even when you don’t feel like it. No matter how tired you are, you HAVE to throw punches at the bag.

The speedbag and double-end bag also come with their own unique qualities. The speedbag does build arm endurance and shoulder endurance. The double-end bag helps improve your accuracy and timing. This bag forces you always to react fast and think fast. Learning how to work the double-end bag is an art in itself. So I’ve save that long explanation for another day. For now, just keep in mind that those will improve your hand speed. Do 2-3 rounds each on the speedbag and double-end bag.

Resistance Training to Build Speed Muscles

Push-ups (Explosive Speed)
Push-ups, when perform with speed-specific technique, can help you add speed to your punches. Because everyone’s arms are different, you have to find the perfect variation on where to set your hands and how low to go. The focus is on speed, not power. You want to finish these sets FAST!

EXTENDED PUSH-UPS

Because of my longer arms and thin frame, I prefer to do push-ups that only go 1/3rd of the way down. So this means I am only working out triceps in this “extended” phase of the push-up. I do about 10 quick sets of only 10-15 repetitions each. Again I’m only working out the top phase of the push-up to maximize quick speed and trying to explode on each one. Focus on going down fast and up fast (most people go down slow and up fast). When you pause, pause at the top of the push-up, and not at the bottom.

MEDICINE BALL PUSH-UPS

Get down into push-up position but with a medicine ball under one hand. As you do one push-up, quickly push your body over to the other side so that you land with the other arm on the medicine ball. Do these as fast as you can. 3 sets of 15 repetitions. Another variation you can do is to have 2 medicine balls spaced apart wider than your shoulder width. Have one hand on a medicine ball with the other hand planted on the ground right between. As you do a push-up, you will move your body sideways so that both hands constantly move between the side and the middle. (Please comment if you need a better explanation of this.) Again, 3 sets of 15 repetitions.

CLAPPING PUSH-UPS

Another plyometric-style push-up routine I like is the clapping push-ups. You can do 3 sets of 10 to 15 clapping push-ups at a time. The important thing is to spend as little time as possible at the bottom of the push-up. You don’t necessarily have to come high off the ground but just make sure you don’t spend too much time with your arms bent at the bottom of the push-up.

Resistance Training for Speed

Resistance Bands
You can also develop faster punches with resistance bands and isometric training. Resistance bands apply a constant force as you’re throwing punches. This constant resistance allows you to build speed and explosive power throughout the whole movement. Regular weight training can’t do this because the weight is only heavy at the beginning. Once you push the weight, your momentum makes the work easier as you extend your arm. Swimming can also be good for constant resistance training since the water is constantly working against you.

Isometric Training

Isometric training is a type of workout where you exert force but your body doesn’t move at all. But how can you exert force without moving?! You can do isometric training with your arms by going up to a wall and posing yourself in a punching position as if you’re punching the wall. Now push against the wall for 10-15 seconds for 3 sets at a time. Feel free to pose at different angles that mimic different punches and target different muscles (chest, shoulders, triceps).

The whole theory behind isometric training for speed is that you’re training your arms as if they were rubberbands. You’re training your arm muscle to store energy so that once the hold is released…SNAP–your arm flies out like a charged up rubberband.

[AlexKid]

Shadowboxing Drills:

Start moving around and relax your whole body. Don’t worry so much about putting your hands all the way up. Use proper form but not to the point where you become stiff and tired in the shoulders. You want your whole body to be loose and relaxed when you shadowbox for speed!

Here are the punch numbers I’m using:

1 = left jab
2 = straight right / right cross
3 = left hook
4 = right hook / overhand right
5 = left uppercut
6 = right uppercut
*reverse these if you are southpaw (left-handed)

Ok, HERE WE GO! Follow along and mix it up!

Basic Jab

1, move around, 1
1, back step, 1
1, step in, 1
Double-jab

1-1
1-1 (step in twice)
Triple Jab

1-1-1
Jab, Right Cross

1-2
1-1-2
1-2-1
1-2-1-2
1-2-1-1
Left Hook Now

1-2-3
1-2-3-2
Left-Right Left-Rights!

1-2-3-2-1
1-2-1-2-3
2-3-2
2-3-2-1
2-3-2-1-2
Tricky Combos

1-3
1-1-3
1-3-2
1-2-3-3-2
1-3-1-2
1-2-3-1-2
5-6-2
5-1-2-3-2
1-6-2-1-2
Uppercuts Now

1-6
1-6-3-2
3-6-3-2
1-2-5
1-2-5-2
Long Combos (focus on sharp rapid breathing!)

6-5-6-5-2-3-2
1-2-5-2-3-6-3-2
1-1-2-3-6-3-2
5-2-1-6-3-2-1-2
take any of the above and combine it with other punch combos
Go 3 rounds straight. Exhale on every single punch and every single movement. Don’t worry about doing all the combos listed above. Stick to your favorite ones and then try one or two new ones each time. You should NOT be getting tired. If you are, then you’re too stiff. Relax the shoulders some more and maybe even slow down just a little bit. If you get winded punching air, imagine what being in the ring might feel like.

When you step around during the combos, take REAL SMALL steps. You only need to take one-inch steps, that way your feet can move as fast as your hands. If you take big steps, your feet might still be in the air leaving your punches un-grounded and without power.

Don’t worry about power! Some sequences that have double-lefts or double-rights are going to feel weak. Again, you are just working on speed, not power. Just let your hands flow and get some rhythm into there. Have a few pauses here and there in between your combinations and then pick up the speed again.

Last note, please watch the Manny Pacquiao shadowboxing video below. What he’s doing is a perfect example of speed shadowboxing. Sharp breathing, very tiny steps, fast focus on punches. He doesn’t focus on single punches, he’s focusing on entire combinations. And for the 923084723th time, RELAX!

Fast Punching On the Heavy Bag (Speed Endurance)

Fast punching isn’t always about speed. Sometimes it’s about endurance. Moving a weight faster will always take more energy. So it’s pretty hard to throw fast punches, or even practice fast punches, if you don’t have the endurance for it.

Throwing flurries of fast punches can wear anybody out. You don’t realize it at first but once you get tired, your slower opponent suddenly becomes faster than you. The even bigger danger of getting tired is that your punches become too slow to hit your opponent. So let’s work on speed endurance so you can throw fast punches throughout the entire fight–and not just the first round.

Punch Interval Drills:

Get a partner and stand on opposite sides of the bag. One boxer holds the bag steady while the other one punches non-stop for 15-20 seconds. Then switch. Keep doing this until the 3-minute round is over and then take your 1-minute break. 2 to 3 rounds of this is a great way to finish off heavy bag workouts.

Some thoughts on this fast-punching drill:

Don’t waste your time getting somebody to time you 15-20 seconds. Instead just count it in your head or out loud as you punch. When you finish, just stop and the other boxer should know instinctively to begin punching.
You can do variations against the bag. On the first interval, do regular punches aimed high (palm facing the ground, aimed a spot of the bag that’s 6-8 inches above your head). On the second interval, do vertical punches aimed straight at shoulder level into the bag. By “vertical punches”, I mean with the palm facing sideways, like a “standing fist”. On the third interval, do SMALL quick uppercuts into the bag at body level. Keep repeating until the round ends.

Punch interval drills develop your arm and shoulder endurance. Which is VERY important in your performance during the later rounds. It doesn’t matter if your body is not tired overall…

Once your arms and shoulders get too tired,
your punches become too slow to hit your opponent.

Sure you might still have your power in the late rounds but if you don’t have the speed, that power won’t make any difference! So work to make sure you build that arm and shoulder endurance. In case you haven’t noticed, this fast-punching drill is a boxing’s rendition of Tabata drills (in case you want to know more about the science behind this method of training).

The crucial reminder is that you don’t get too ambitious and try to hit the bag like that for 3 minutes straight. The rest periods allow your arms to regain the energy to punch at max speed. You should always train at your true top speed (going 100% when you’re exhausted is not “true top speed”). Think about it, sprinters don’t train for speed by running 2 miles all at once. Instead, they sprint short distances, take a break and repeat (aka Sprint Intervals). The break allows their legs to regain the energy to sprint at full speed again. Likewise, you want to have breaks to regain the energy to punch at full speed again. This way, you’re spending more of your time training at full speed and not half-speed, which is what happens when over-ambitious beginners go 30 minutes non-stop without a break!

The other part about not skipping the break is that you might have a better workout when you constantly have to stop and start again. Throwing punches non-stop is easy to do when you’re already in motion. But having to stop and start again, like in a real fight, is much harder to do when you have to keep starting up your rhythm. So please, don’t skip the breaks. 15-20 seconds for each boxer, then switch!

Forced Speed Training (Speedbag & Double-End Bag)

The speedbag and double-end bag are great equipment for building speed. Aside from improving your accuracy, timing, reflex, and coordination, they are great for “forced hand speed” exercises. Punching fast is quite easy if you’re only punching when you feel like it. Unfortunately, this is never the case in real fights. In real fights, you’re always being FORCED to punch even when you don’t want to. Because you’re throwing these punches as a panic reaction rather than an action of your own intention, these “forced punches” tire you out faster. So back to the speedbag and double-end bag, they force you to punch even when you don’t feel like it. No matter how tired you are, you HAVE to throw punches at the bag.

The speedbag and double-end bag also come with their own unique qualities. The speedbag does build arm endurance and shoulder endurance. The double-end bag helps improve your accuracy and timing. This bag forces you always to react fast and think fast. Learning how to work the double-end bag is an art in itself. So I’ve save that long explanation for another day. For now, just keep in mind that those will improve your hand speed. Do 2-3 rounds each on the speedbag and double-end bag.

Resistance Training to Build Speed Muscles

Push-ups (Explosive Speed)
Push-ups, when perform with speed-specific technique, can help you add speed to your punches. Because everyone’s arms are different, you have to find the perfect variation on where to set your hands and how low to go. The focus is on speed, not power. You want to finish these sets FAST!

EXTENDED PUSH-UPS

Because of my longer arms and thin frame, I prefer to do push-ups that only go 1/3rd of the way down. So this means I am only working out triceps in this “extended” phase of the push-up. I do about 10 quick sets of only 10-15 repetitions each. Again I’m only working out the top phase of the push-up to maximize quick speed and trying to explode on each one. Focus on going down fast and up fast (most people go down slow and up fast). When you pause, pause at the top of the push-up, and not at the bottom.

MEDICINE BALL PUSH-UPS

Get down into push-up position but with a medicine ball under one hand. As you do one push-up, quickly push your body over to the other side so that you land with the other arm on the medicine ball. Do these as fast as you can. 3 sets of 15 repetitions. Another variation you can do is to have 2 medicine balls spaced apart wider than your shoulder width. Have one hand on a medicine ball with the other hand planted on the ground right between. As you do a push-up, you will move your body sideways so that both hands constantly move between the side and the middle. (Please comment if you need a better explanation of this.) Again, 3 sets of 15 repetitions.

CLAPPING PUSH-UPS

Another plyometric-style push-up routine I like is the clapping push-ups. You can do 3 sets of 10 to 15 clapping push-ups at a time. The important thing is to spend as little time as possible at the bottom of the push-up. You don’t necessarily have to come high off the ground but just make sure you don’t spend too much time with your arms bent at the bottom of the push-up.

Resistance Training for Speed

Resistance Bands
You can also develop faster punches with resistance bands and isometric training. Resistance bands apply a constant force as you’re throwing punches. This constant resistance allows you to build speed and explosive power throughout the whole movement. Regular weight training can’t do this because the weight is only heavy at the beginning. Once you push the weight, your momentum makes the work easier as you extend your arm. Swimming can also be good for constant resistance training since the water is constantly working against you.

Isometric Training

Isometric training is a type of workout where you exert force but your body doesn’t move at all. But how can you exert force without moving?! You can do isometric training with your arms by going up to a wall and posing yourself in a punching position as if you’re punching the wall. Now push against the wall for 10-15 seconds for 3 sets at a time. Feel free to pose at different angles that mimic different punches and target different muscles (chest, shoulders, triceps).

The whole theory behind isometric training for speed is that you’re training your arms as if they were rubberbands. You’re training your arm muscle to store energy so that once the hold is released…SNAP–your arm flies out like a charged up rubberband.

cool thanks bro!! xxx

[Rockin']

What methods do they use? What do you recommend?

I could help you get real fast, but you would need to front a dollar for me to show you...….Rockin'

[AlexKid]

I could help you get real fast, but you would need to front a dollar for me to show you...….Rockin'

will keep that in mind rockin , i know you have solid knowledge/information on boxing , thankyou for the offer sir, but ive gotta leave thissite as it makes me paranoid

[Rockin']

will keep that in mind rockin , i know you have solid knowledge/information on boxing , thankyou for the offer sir, but ive gotta leave thissite as it makes me paranoid

Do you have a dolla and a friend? And what is making you paranoid? …….Rockin'

[abracada]

I could help you get real fast, but you would need to front a dollar for me to show you...….Rockin'

Did Taha take you up on the training offer?

[OctoberRed]

Did Taha take you up on the training offer?

I'm also curious about this

[abracada]

I'm also curious about this

Taha has vanished as Larry has scares him away which the bicep video

[Eddy Current]

Taha has vanished as Larry has scares him away which the bicep video

My theory is that Taha didn't vanish out of fear. He found a remote location, cut off from the rest of the world and he's currently undergoing some of the most rigorous training the boxing world has ever seen. He will return from exile one day and absolutely annihilate anyone who dares stand in his way.