Increase Your Punching Speed
They say in boxing that speed kills…so it is not without reason that one of the most common questions in boxing is how can I punch faster? Speed is something that is more natural than earned, it is rather like punching harder. Yes you can increase your power and you can increase your punching speed but you are naturally fast or you can naturally hit hard. Over the years some of the fastest punchers ever have mesmerised the masses, including household names such as Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard. Having good hand speed is critical to boxing, after all it is the punches you don’t see coming which hurt the most.
There are always exercises though that can give an edge to your speed or help you gain some quickness. Speed training is something I have written about previously on this site, you can use speed training to work on your explosiveness, that in turn will help with your fast twitch muscles and thus your speed. There are common exercises which are generally used to help with speed, one of the most oft used exercises you may have also seen is the use of hand weights or light weighted dumbbells which are used to throw punches. The exercise shown here is a replacement for the hand weights and I believe it is a better fit for those looking to increase their hand speed. The exercise I recommend is the resistance band, this is great because of the resistance applied throughout the range of motion when throwing the punch, unlike weights in which the momentum will carry you through to the end of your range of motion. If you do not have a resistance band they are readily available online from Amazon – an alternative would be using the cable crossover machine in your local gym.
The video below shows how you can use the resistance band to throw all types of punches, I have demonstrated the jab, straight rear hand, left hook and right hook. The uppercut is not shown but this can also be done simply by lowering the band. Give these exercises a go, when I work this routine I tend to do 3 sets of 10 reps for each punch, this sort of workout can also be done multiple times per week, it is not like doing speed training with weighted movements such as the deadlift or squat, you can do more repetitions and volume with a resistance band.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Id_25x-sjcU
You can view more routines on increasing your speed in my book Strength and Conditioning for Boxing – available online from my site or for download on Amazon.
