There are two ways to throw a punch. The first is weakly with little to no real effect on the target other than to let him know you are mad about something. That could get you hurt if the other guy responds with a correct punch that uses leverage to greatly improve his punching power and the effect on your face. Leverage is a function of physics and requires your entire body with a good motion and correct form to maximize your punching power through leverage.
The Sweet Science of Leverage
You might be familiar with the old-time description of boxing as the “sweet science.” That is because of the science that goes into throwing an effective punch. It also helps to know the science of the anatomy and how to make it work in your favor with properly leveraged punching power.
In pure scientific terms, leverage is a combination of force and distance applied to a lever to overcome resistance. In boxing, your arms are the lever, your swing is the force, and the distance helps to provide the leverage needed to overcome the resistance put up by your foe. The resistance is what it takes to make solid contact and, preferably, punch through the intended target for maximum effect.
Leverage Behind Bruce Lee’s 1-Inch Punch
Martial arts legend and film star Bruce Lee famously would demonstrate the power of leverage with a punch thrown from just an inch away from the target. that target usually was a large man who volunteered to take the hit. Most were astonished at the massive blow they received and said it felt like getting clobbered from a greater distance by a much larger man. That is because leverage maximized the punching power in even a very tight combat space.
Most people cannot generate any power with a fist aimed just an inch from the target because most people have no idea how to add leverage at such a close distance. Bruce Lee was not most people. Lee used his entire body to generate the power behind the 1-inch punch and made more than one person on the receiving end feel like they just got walloped by a sledgehammer.
A whiplike action created by quickly twisting, leaning into the punching uncoiling his punching arm like cracking a whip generated enough force to wallop anyone. Lee’s 1-inch punch is a perfect example of how using footwork, bodywork, shoulders and arm length simultaneously generated enough leverage to overcome his potential foe.
How Leverage Improves Punching Power
No matter how heavy, tall or muscular you are, you can generate a great deal of power with properly applied leverage. Creating that leverage using the sweet science of boxing could make you a truly powerful puncher. You need to use your body weight, strength, speed and arm length to generate punching power that is well above your weight. When you correctly and swiftly combine those four basic elements with the proper footwork and body motion, you generate leverage that your opponent very much feels when making contact with their body or head.
Torso Rotation and Footwork
Any car enthusiast can tell you that horsepower is great, but it is torque that really makes the drive wheels go round and round with lots of power. Your body is very much like that wheel that needs torque to maximize its power. You get that torque by rotating your torso into the punch. the torque increases your punching power while adding the weight of your upper body and shoulder to your punching power. The overall effect can be very devastating.
Accompanying that torso rotation is footwork that enables you to lean into your punches and put a highly controlled amount of weight behind your punch. The footwork makes it easier to quickly shift your weight and generate more punching power. And you can use your legs to put more weight into your blow at the moment of impact.
When you twist your torso and your feet are positioned at a wider stance with your body leaning into your punch, the torque really creates a strong impact. You also want to use your legs to drive your weight up off the floor and into your opponent. Your legs are the most powerful muscles in your body and can add a lot of power to your punches. When you can combine the proper quickness, rotation, distance and lift, the leverage becomes more pronounced and your punches far more effective.
Elasticity and Leverage Made ‘Hitman’ Hearns a Legend
Tommy “Hitman” Hearns is an all-time great boxer who held world titles in five weight classes ranging from welterweight to cruiserweight. Many of his title fights are classics and fully affirm Hearns absolutely earned his famed “Hitman” pseudonym. Hearns also has another famous pseudonym from his early days with Kronk Boxing in Detroit: The Motor City Cobra.
That name does a better job of demonstrating the source of Hearns’ legendary punching power. Hearns was 6’1” and had long, lean arms with hands that made relatively large fists. When he coiled his body and applied the proper leverage with a twist of his legs, hips and torso, Hearns’ would generate punching power well above the norm for his weightclass. His lean body, long arms and long legs gave Hearns a lot of elasticity that he could use to maximize his devastating punching power.
Arm Angle and Swing Arc
Hearns also used his arm angle to create devastating punching power with his full weight behind a very well-timed shot to his opponent’s head. Hearns often angled his elbow up to create a downward striking angle that punished his opponent with the full force of his fist and forearm. The repeated effects of that punch thrown many times along with other blows likely is what caused Sugar Ray Leonard to suffer a detached retina in his badly damaged left eye after fighting Hearns in a title fight in 1981.
Hearns also would adjust the arc of his swings to create a tight and very powerful right cross. And Hearns used his left hand and arm to deliver jabs, block his opponent’s vision, create distance and deliver a brutal blow with his right hand and forearm.
As Hearns grew older and added weight, his punching power did not diminish in relation to his larger foes. That is because he always had leverage on his side. Combined with fast hand speed and nearly three decades of professional fighting experience, Hitman Hearns fully affirmed his punching power with 48 knockouts among is 61 wins in professional fights. And those fights often were against the best in the world because Hearns still ranks among the best of all time.
Current middleweight world champion Gennady Golovkin very much fights like Hearns and likely models his fighting style after the Hitman’s. Like Hearns, Golovkin has mostly knockouts among his many professional boxing wins due to his highly leveraged punching power.
Choose Your Target for Better Leverage
You need to set up your target and proper distance to maximize your punching power. Just like Hearns and Golovkin, you want your fist and forearm to pass through the target area. When the target area is your opponent’s head, your fist should travel about 6 inches beyond the point of impact for maximum effect. If you are doing a blow to the abdomen, your opponent’s body should rise up slightly from the impact.
Good targeting requires the correct distance to maximize the effect of your punches. As much as possible, you want to set up the blows with the correct distance that includes the 6 inches of punching effect. Using your free arm to set up the correct distance can help you to get the ideal range. You can adjust your swing arc and arm angle to create the preferred effect.
As your blows reach the target, your footwork should help to increase your punching power by quickly shifting your weight into your swing. If you have a free hand on your opponent’s shoulder, you should try to turn him slightly and shift his weight off-balance. An off-balance opponent creates less resistance to your punching power. Less resistance adds up to greater leverage and a much better blow.