How to Punch Harder
If you haven’t already, I suggest you read parts I and II which go over some basic detail you need to know first when looking to punch harder. These can be found here
How To Punch Harder Part II The Secret Of Speed Training
OK in this video we go over variations of the Snatch. I am not teaching the Full Snatch lift in this video, rather just stages of the movement. These are explosive, power movements which lend itself excellently to increasing power and explosiveness in your punches, incorporating the hip drive and explosive lower body strength which can make a difference to your punching power.
In the video I start off with the Overhead Squat, because you must know how to do this before you try to perform the Snatch Balance. When learning the full snatch you generally should learn the reverse chain method, this means starting from the end which in this case is the overhead squat. The overhead squat is also a great movement for core strength, hip drive and explosiveness so learn this before you try the two recommended movements in the video. To add extra ‘intensity’ or difficulty to the overhead squat, try tempo sets, so perform the overhead squat and at the bottom of the movement, hold the position – in the squat with arms locked out for 3 seconds, and then explode back up. The Snatch Balance is a great exercise to increase punching power, this is because of the explosiveness this movement requires, both movements in the video require the explosive burst, when jumping out in to the overhead squat position and when jumping in to the split snatch position, this is great because like punching, it is an explosive movement and we are including the hip drive and core power, just like punching power, it all starts in the legs, hips and the core. You are replicating the stepping in and punching when using the snatch balance. Notice with the split squat my foot was at an outside angle, ensure you do this as it is much better for providing balance and stability, don’t get your back foot too straight when performing this exercise.
For each of the movements in the video I recommend you perform 3 sets of 5 reps or 5 sets of 3 reps. Because the movement is for strength and power, we are keeping the reps low, we are not looking to build muscle here or increase endurance so 5 reps and below is ideal.
