So what’s the “secret” behind two-legged punching? Well, the idea is to punch on 2 legs. Some of you are already thinking, “What? That’s it?! That’s your big secret? I already punch on 2 legs!”
I would even estimate that at least 90% of the people reading this are punching on one leg. You might THINK you’re punching on two legs but you’re really not. Most fighters right now don’t even know how to use their non-pivoting leg!
If you’re shifting your weight while punching, this guide is for you!
THE PROBLEM: One-legged Punching
Most beginners are taught to throw punches by shifting their weight from one foot to the other. See how my body weight tranfers entirely to the front foot during the right cross? And then shifted back to the back foot during the left hook? Trust me, it’s bad technique.
So what’s the problem with one-legged punching?
- POOR BALANCE – the body’s center is passed around from one leg to the other instead of staying in the middle
- SLOW SPEED – the body has to move back and forth with every punch forcing you to throw either hard OR fast, but unable to do both at the same time
- DECREASED POWER – your punches have less power because you’re basically trying to transfer power while staying on one leg
Bad things happen when you shift your weight back and forth. You might THINK you’re on two legs but you’re really not. One leg is probably taking 75% of your weight while the other takes only 25%. The real problem is that neither leg will be able to apply 100% force because you’d be off balance. Moreso, one side of your body is unable to generate force because it isn’t fully grounded.
Punching while off-balanced,
results in LESS THAN 50% of your maximum power.
Think about this for a second. You can’t explode with the pushing leg because your body would fall in the other direction. Which means the only way to explode your legs AND stay balanced is to explode both legs at the same time, but this is only possible if your weight is evenly distributed between both legs. With that in mind, a 1-legged punch has LESS THAN 50% power of a 2-legged punch!
Why are beginners taught this “mistake”?
Many trainers teach beginners to punch like this because it forces them to move their entire body with the punch. After all, punching power is increased when you put more body weight into it. Most beginners lack the coordination to consciously move every part of their body. So it’s easier to teach a beginner the concept of punching with body weight by shifting the body back and forth.
What beginners don’t realize is that shifting the weight back and forth is really FALLING back and forth. Think about it, if you’re pushing with only one leg but not the other, what you’re really doing is pushing yourself off balance (to one side). Beginners are taught to “fall” back and forth because that’s the easiest way for them to get their whole body weight into a punch. The technique is helpful at first but fundamentally flawed on so many levels.
As soon as you have the coordination to do so, you should move to 2-legged punching ASAP.
Power Punching Secret #1 – Punch on 2 Legs
The number one (predominant/dominant) force in our environment is gravity. The force of gravity will act more powerfully upon you than any other force in your environment. If you look at the way the human body is built, the legs were designed to give you movement against gravity. Not just movement against gravity but the muscle ability to transfer power in relation to gravity.
To be a more powerful athlete in regards to gravity,
put yourself on two legs!
With that said, standing on two legs makes you a more functional athlete. Standing on two legs will give you better balance, more power, and more speed. Anything you do on two legs will almost always be better than on one leg.
So Johnny, are you saying we should NEVER shift weight?
- EXACTLY
Well, I can’t say “NEVER” because there are strategic reasons for being on one leg at certain times. The rule of keeping the head and body in the center is for anytime that you want maximum rotational power using both legs.
Being on two legs will mean less work for you and more balance and power for your punch! Stay perfectly centered, anchor your body with both legs, and rotate hard! It’s not just dividing your weight 50/50. The ultimate goal is to apply maximum force with both legs, and again, it’s only possible if your weight is perfectly balanced. There are 2 critical reasons for punching on two legs.
Reason #1 – punching on 2 legs maximizes rotational power
True punching power is a rotational force,
not a linear force.
With every punch but the jab, the true power comes from rotation. Mainly, it is the rotation of the spine that generates all the punch’s power. Your core which is connected to the base of the spine is what rotates the spine (with the help of BOTH your legs spinning your body along the ground). Once the spine is powerfully rotated, you only have to reach out with a limb to transfer this power.
Now with the common (one-legged) way of punching, fighters would generate power by pushing their spine back and forth between two legs. It’s like one leg pushes the body to the other leg, like a pingpong ball, passing it back and forth. The one-legged pushing isn’t even, it’s usually tilting the spine back and forth. Unfortunately this slight falling effect only drops the upper body weight into the punch (leaving the heavier lower body unloaded). It’s not possible to load your lower body into a punch by “falling”, you can only do so by rotating.
Sure there’s SOME body rotation when you push, but most of the work done by each leg is to pass the body to the other leg. Again…”pushing” works and it’s powerful but it’s not as fast and nowhere near as powerful as a proper rotation.
Try this right now. Stand on one leg and try to twist your upper body while keeping your lower body still.
Now try doing this on two legs.
Which one felt more powerful?
The answer is a no-brainer. It’s so much easier to generate rotational force on two legs than it is on one leg. Stand on two legs to generate the maximum rotational power. This rule goes for anything really. Place a cellphone on the table and see if you can rotate it (without moving it from the center) using only one finger. It’s very hard to do, right? You need 2 points of force to rotate an object without moving off the center.
Reason #2 – punching on 2 legs maximizes power delivery
After you’ve generated all that beautiful rotational power, I’m sure you don’t want it to go to waste by having that power projected back at you. But this is exactly what happens if you punch on one leg.
Standing on two legs allows you to push INTO your opponent,
instead of you being pushed OFF your opponent.
Try pushing a wall while standing on one leg, and then on two legs.
*** Don’t be like me and push a chair full of laundry. Try this on a wall.
Did you see the difference when I was on one leg? All my power was wasted because I couldn’t project it into my opponent. I can have all the energy in the world but without being properly grounded, I will simply bounce off my opponent instead of vice versa. When I pushed with 2 legs, my body stayed still while the object was pushed away from me.
1-legged punching vs 2-legged punching
1-Legged Punching
- poor balance because body is moving off the center
- combination punches are slower because the body has to move more while punching
- decreased power because the body is not fully grounded; one leg is “lifted” and unable to aid the punch
It’s obvious you’re one-legged if one foot is lifting off the ground during a punch. Even if both feet are down, you should feel like the foot on the punching side is able to push down into the ground. This is one of the big secrets to punching: pivot your foot INTO the ground and not off the ground.
One-legged punching fails on so many levels. For now, forget about what happens if you land a punch. Try imagining what happens when you miss. If you miss, you will REALLY fall off balance! I would say the number reason for beginners becoming 1-legged is too much punching on the heavy bag. The heavy bag prevents them from falling when they have bad balance. Most boxers should be shadowboxing more. Learn to stand on your own 2 feet!
2-Legged Punching
- maximum balance and control because the body is perfectly grounded
- maximum speed and less energy required because the body doesn’t have to move much
- maximum punching power because body is using 2 legs to generate power
Your body was built with two legs so the only way to be most balanced and powerful is to use both legs. Two legged punching is not the “secret” way but the NATURAL way. If you feel more powerful using one-legged punching, it’s because you’re still “pushing & falling” instead of “grounding and rotating”. Two-legged punching doesn’t let you “fall”, it only lets you rotate which is harder at first because it requires more coordination.
*** Watch my video demonstration on the concept of two-legged punching.
The Secret Behind 2-Legged Punching
A 2-point rotation equals BALANCED rotation.
The real problem is not one-legged punching but one-sided punching.
2-legged punching is more than just standing on 2 legs while you punch. Many fighters will think only about the right side of their body when they throw a right hand, and then think only about the left side of their body when they throw a left hand. It’s like they have an “active side” and a “dead side”. Usually one leg will stand still while the other leg pivots for the power.
Activate BOTH sides of your body
Here’s a challenge question: WHAT IS THE #1 biggest muscle left unused in a punch?
- ANSWER: It’s the standing leg hamstring!
The standing leg hamstring is a HUGE muscle that can help your rotational power yet hardly anyone ever thinks about it because they’re too busy trying to PUSH with the quadriceps from the pivoting leg. Again, think back to the rule of rotation: you need 2 POINTS OF FORCE for a well-balanced maximum-power rotation.
HUGE punching secret: one leg will “push”, while the other leg “pulls”.
Now that you learned to plant both legs, make sure you use both legs to help the rotation. Don’t just leave the other leg there like a dead leg. Generate punching power from BOTH sides of your body by keeping your body between both legs. Instead of the legs pushing your body back and forth, have both legs apply immediate rotational force.
Have one leg pushing, while the other leg pulling. Use the leg (quads) of the punching side to “PUSH” your hips into yourself. And then use the leg (hamstring) of the non-punching side to “PULL” your hips into yourself. If you don’t understand what this means, don’t worry. It will make sense maybe a year from now. If you can explain this concept more concise than I did, feel free to post it below! (Thank you in advance.)
Quick recap of punching on two legs:
- true power comes from a rotation, not a push
- standing on two legs gives better balance, more rotational power, and faster POWER combinations
- use legs to rotate the body, not push the body from one foot to the other
- one leg pushes while the other leg pulls
*** Here’s a video of Ike Quartey throwing fast powerful punches on the mitts. One-legged or two-legged? Is he shifting weight? You tell me.
If you guys enjoy these power punching secrets. Let me know and I’ll write some more. If you don’t enjoy them, say nothing and I’ll move on to other boxing tips.
Read the other parts of this series:
- Power Punching Secrets, PART 2: Implosive Punching
- Power Punching Secrets, PART 3 (not yet written…)
182 Comments
OK will give it a try
Some great tips here which will really help people. I especially like the bit about going from onevfoot to the other, not the best way to get power as you say
However, you can generate power & plenty of it of one leg. Prince Naseem Hamed managed it fairly often.
The secret is in ‘posting’ on one leg & whipping either arm through. It’s a kung fu concept, I believe, although I learned it in a very non-kung fu setting……
Being one-legged is not the best way to generate MAXIMUM ROTATIONAL POWER. But you are correct, it is possible to generate power off one leg. The main idea is not to use 1 leg when you’re in position to use 2. But if you’re deciding to generate power off only 1 leg for strategic purposes, then that is a whole other can of worms.
Hey Johnny,Been Waiting awhile for this one ever since you fixed this technique in me months ago, great stuff. If you have any more tips on this it would be greatly appreciated.
Think of a battery can’t work correctly if it’s n the wrong way. Battery has a + and – which gives a balance
great site here thank u
Johnny, your a freaking genius! That was nothing but, pure wisdom and I want more! Johnny you are great! Keep it coming!
More “secrets” please!!!
Good stuff…
Thanks!
It’s like profesional bike riders, you use your quads on your power stroke to push the pedal down,and your hamy on the upward stroke to pull the pedal up,alternating quads/hamys as you push/pull , it,s hard to master, but gives you twice as much power for half the energy.
So you’re just saying your hips should be always under your torso?
If you want to be more balanced and grounded and powerful, then yes.
I think to vizualize and understand the concept, one could picture it from above. Imagine your hips as a circle: the rear leg push hips so you see an arrow going counterclowkwise on the right side of the circle, the front leg pull the hips, so you picture an arrow also going counterclockwise but on the left side of the circle. It is similar to the kung fu concept of “rooting” yourself (not sure about the english on this one): plant yourself in the ground when you punch to generate more power.
Exactly, Jerome!
Awesome. I was really hitting a wall trying to figure out why I couldn’t recover my right as quickly as I wanted to, and this explains it perfectly. Great advice on the shadow boxing, as I could immediately “get” what was baffling me on the bag and mitts.
Here’s a little tip to recover straight right hands faster. Let the hand loop a little bit. Even a tiny TINY SLIGHT loop. That way the momentum of the right hand can loop it back to you. To the naked eye, it looks like the right hand is coming straight out and straight back but in reality, you have a really tiny loop in there to pull it back in easier.
By loop do you mean to dip it, similar to the natural tendency of the hands to work circularly during the speed bag? or are you referring to a torquing twisting like Tyson’s? I’m sure other boxers do it too, I just have a fascination with Tyson fights.
and kind of in regards to this, in the video you are saying to pop the other arm back (which makes me think of concept behind snapping the second hand back in Karate) to add more power, but I once got called on telegraphing my punches because I was moving my second hand when throwing my first hand. Is this similar? or… can you offer some insight on this?
Yes, you can see it as similar to a speed bag loop, but not to make it that pronounced. The fist movement should still look pretty straight to the naked eye. Telegraphing is a tough concept to explain to beginners. It’s only telegraphing your opponent can feel what you’re doing. It has very little to do with unnecessary movement, although that sometimes contributes to it. There are many pros that do all sorts of things and move their bodies in funky ways as they box but when they do it, it confuses you rather than lets you know what they’re about to do.
Thanks that really makes a lot of sense! Is there any specific drills one can do to practice?
Do all the same punching drills you normally do but with this new 2-legged attitude in mind. Or do slow-motion punching.
I remember i commented about “muscles used to punch” and you said “if your clever you will figure out all the muscles to use” i was practicing this theory but wasnt too comfortable with doing it since i rarely see people using this technique. i like to consider my whole body as a screw screwing into the ground, i could of hear it before but that makes it seem simpler to my i like to think im a human screw screwing into the ground, great article im really looking forward to part 2!
Great guide, Johnny. I trained in the past with a great karate coach (I practiced martial arts at competitive level, when I was a kid) and I learned how to stay always in balance while moving and the importance of hips rotation during a punch. That’s why when I started boxing I did not find so many technical difficulties when throwing power punches and never shifted weight from foot to foot. This guide – like my heavybag – shows I did well. At least, the more I discover the world of boxing, the more I find things in common with martial arts.
Boxing really is a martial art. It takes discipline and strength and courage and intelligence, etc. Everything that a martial artist would require to be good, boxing requires the same if not more.
I recently got Kenny Weldon tape boxing tapes and he advocates majority of the weight on the back foot (maybe like 70-30 or 80-20) i noticed my power increased but more so that my footwork improved dramatically (speed and agility wise) and i actually feel more balanced that way. So is there anyway to do what ur talking about with a stance that has unequal distribition of weight
Also doesn’t switching from one leg to the other add momentum to the punch along with the power of rotation?
Switching weight to the front leg surely adds momentum, but it also leaves you off balance.
If an opponent slips a big cross that you shifted weight on, you are in trouble. But if an opponent slips a big cross that you simply used torque/rotation for (simple a different mechanism to add the power), you are still in defendable position.
I didn’t want to go here but you asked for it. YOU ASKED IT FOR IT, MALIK! LOL. Ok here goes.
- FIRST ISSUE – having more weight on the back foot.
There’s a reason why it FEELS this way. Get into your boxing stance right now and look at yourself in the mirror. First, you have to know that your body should be centered between your feet. BUT WHICH PART OF YOUR FEET? The balls or the heels? The common misconception is to think that the body should be between the BALLS of the feet since you stand on the balls of the feet. The reality is that the body is attached to the heels, so your body should be centered between your heels. Which would cause the calf of your back leg to work harder.
IF you stand with your body centered between the balls of your feet (instead of the heels), you will feel that it is too easy for the body to fall forward PAST the front heel which then means you would become off balance.
You can stand WITH the strength of the balls of your feet, but do not stand OVER the balls of your feet…. or else you will fall off balance. So the reality is, your body is still centered evenly 50/50 over both legs but it MAY feel like the back calf is working harder because your feet are turned to point more forwards. (Front foot away from you, but back foot towards you.) What’s important is that you feel more balanced and that’s because you actually are more balanced 50/50, (but yes it may FEEL like 70/30).
- SECOND ISSUE – switching from leg aka “falling” VS rotational power
If you’re falling, you can’t rotate as powerfully. (because falling requires you to “release” one leg, so the other leg can push into it)
If you’re rotating powerfully, you can’t fall. (because a full-powered rotation requires equally anchored force from both legs)
Falling AND rotating at the same time doesn’t exist–it only means that your body is turning while you’re falling (it doesn’t mean you’re generating real rotational power).
But of course “falling” is much easier to do than rotating (which requires some coordination) so more beginners will find falling to be easier to generate power.
So what are you saying? keep the kenny stance (which he tells you to bend a little over your right knee to put majority weight on the back leg)? or not?
The only thing that matters [to me] is that you keep your weight at the center. If you want to put more weight towards the back leg to follow Kenny Weldon, that’s up to you.
Yes,
this powerful cross situation happened to me some weeks ago.
I enjoy more power punching secrets hehe…and thanks for all your work btw your a great teacher =]
Ok, I will be a 100% honest, I some what get the article but man johnny this theory is technical, it went right over my head! I am a big pivot person so I prob punch on 1 leg all the time, it just makes me feel like i really swing thru my target, but in simple terms how can I start hitting with 2 legs ASAP?
If you don’t get it, don’t worry about it. The idea is simply to keep throwing punches the way you do now but keep your body and weight in the center instead of shifting your weight back and forth. Keep pivoting like you normally do but don’t push your weight back and forth. The reason why it’s so technical is because I explained all the reasons why it’s better but the instruction is simple: keep your weight in the center.
OK you have amazing knowledge and know your stuff WELL !! But what about Mike Tyson ?
When I look at his Videos, it seem like he is a 1 leg puncher … am I wrong ?
He’s definitely a 2-legged puncher.
Ohhhh ok I see where your going with this yeah that’s a good tip for power punching, its like hitting homeruns in baseball everything gotta be centered for that good power, thanks johnny
Hey Johnny I like what Malik pointed out and I didnt fully understand your answer. I have also read some stuff on Kenny Weldon and his foundational training material and feel it can work but it does seem different to what you are saying in this article. Have you seen any of his videos? What do you think about what he teaches for the foundation of a boxer?
I’ve seen Kenny Weldon’s stuff. It’s logical and it makes sense. It’s common knowledge and I agree with a lot of it but not all of it. It’s definitely something EVERY beginner boxer should know. The stuff I’m explaining now is a bit more advanced and more for fighters who want to grow beyond the basics and really understand the full mechanics of power punching.
Ultimately, Kenny Weldon teaches his way and I teach my way. And your job is to find YOUR WAY. We all do our best to help.
Kenny Weldons stance is predicated upon having a balance between a defensive stance and one that applies maximum leverage. The weight being on the back foot allows you to push off for a powerful jab as well as be able to put more weight into motion with your rear hand. You do not lose your balance as you are to dip your weight at the end of any shot you throw. This grounds you so that you can come back with any shot.
Also your head should never go past the lead or rear knee, that is what generally gets people off balance. It’s because they have a problem with their range and cannot accurately measure their distance so they end up falling forward instead keeping their head behind their knee and dropping their knees slightly.
The defensive nuances of a rear weighted stance are illustrated by Charles Burley, Benny Leonard, Joe Gans and a whole host of other near perfect boxers. Does this mean you can’t be successful with another stance? No. Mike Tyson used a stance that I would never advocate but the guy was very successful due to other attributes. But what is the better idea for most people? A stance that has built in defense along with the ability to maximize leverage, distance and body weight.
Furthermore, if you want more power lower your center of gravity and really dig into the ground when you transfer your weight. If you’re top heavy when you punch you tend to over throw and become off balance. Get lower and dip into your shots, that will give you the aid of gravity into your shots which will prevent you from over throwing and also add power into your punch. It’s much like how Jack Dempsey describes how one should apply bodyweight with his infamous “baby falling” analogy.
Good stuff!!!!! I would like more. Thanks for all your hard work.
When I punch, I pinch my knees in slightly and I feel like I get a more powerful rotation and I can ground my feet more solidly. Is this okay? And by the way, great article, would appreciate more.
Yes, you can pinch the knees. You know who else does that a lot? Bernard Hopkins.
hey johnny doesnt that force ourselves to be more close to our oppenent ? Because eventhough indeed I win in power balance and speed, i feel like my reach shrunck? or is it juste an impression?
Proper punching position requires you to be in range. Obviously, you would have to be closer to reach your opponent with a powerful punch than you would with a forward-falling punch. What’s more important to you? Reaching your opponent with a weak punch? Or getting into perfect range for a deadly punch? It’s also possible that you feel like you have horrible reach because your stance is wrong.
So many fighters stand with a wide stance or too sideways causing their back hand to be so far that the only way it reaches is to lean and fall forward. Anyway, please read my guides on boxing stance to correct this.
You gave me piece of though lol.I am not exactly a boxer, but a muay thai and mma fighter, and i think about BJ Penn.He doesnt have the ”modern” physic of today mma fighters, but he has incredible balance and flexibility, and this allows him to knock out other fighters.Thank you!Great arcticle!
And BJ actually has very good boxing skills.
Great Great Article!! You are a superb trainer!!
This stuff works!! Now, I will change my mind… less “pushing & falling”, more “grounding and rotating”… but two questions:
- When I throw a rear hand I like leaning my head to the side (to empty line of attack) and it is inevitable that weight shifted towards front leg. Is it correct?
-When I want to increase power in my rear hand I always use a small or big (accordint to distance) step&slide and use the sliding momentum of my rear foot to rotation my body full. Is it correct?
1) The reason why you are forced to lean your head to clear the line of attack might be because you stand too much sideways. Please correct your stance according to my guides on boxing stance. Another rule to follow is to make sure your right foot has a straight line-of-sight to your opponent. IF your front foot is blocking the line-of-sight, then obviously you would have to rotate over yourself and end up fall or leaning off balance.
2) A sliding right is a whole other kind of technique. For now, I am teaching a grounded rotation and not a sliding rotation.
Very thanks for your clear answers!!!!
Just for interests sake, the sport of cricket advocates that the person throwing the ball starts with the front foot forward and pointing directly towards the target. This allows the rest of the body to follow through to deliver the ball accurately with power. Whilst very much a momentum technique, head position and therefore body “follow through” very much relies on original intention with the feet stance.
I always wondered why you never had that slight forward lean when you throw the right hand that most everyone else has. Now I know!
great article!!!
Thanks
I love your article on this topic. Pls carry on. I need more. Thx
good article johnny but a punch still needs weight no matter how good boxers rotational speed.completly agree with both legs involvement in rotation something weve drilled for years with reverse punch exercises.you are right that weight shouldnt fall across center of gravity but drop into target distance doesnt matter quarter of an inch is enough to add your whole bodyweight in split second of impact.it is possible without slowing rotational speed .this article contradicts quite alot of your previuos articles but it would be hard not to with the amount of knowledge and insights you have posted.kiss
“good article johnny but a punch still needs weight no matter how good boxers rotational speed.”
- this is the difference between a beginner and experienced puncher.
Like I said above in the post, beginners don’t know how to add body weight into a punch without falling. This article is not meant to contradict previous articles. It is meant to take you above and BEYOND the previous articles. For everyone who is not a beginner and can use this knowledge to punch harder, great! For everyone who still needs to fall, no problem–their time will come.
also arm punching/ back foot technique /right hand more distance to travel/more time to build power/more weight into motion.comments on here amateur ramblings show me 1 world champion doing any of it . no thought so
You say that with a balanced rotation arm has to travel more distance? This is a poor observation because in reality, the falling punch is actually and weaker because the BODY has to travel more distance (instead of no distance using a fully grounded rotation).
The balanced rotation method is a standard for all experienced fighters. Go to a gym and watch them. EVERYBODY DOES IT. But it’s ok, if you don’t want to, then don’t.
also if you cant relax while producing maximum rotation then surely sprinters wouldnt relax in races whats true for sprinters must be true for boxers right.the truth is sprinters fall thruogh out an entire race they use explosive speed and gravity
I was a former sprinter. I ran the 100m, 200m, high hurdles, low hurdles, relay, long jump, triple jump. I competed at the city level and got eliminated before qualifying for state competition.
DO NOT go around saying that sprinters are falling throughout an entire race because we DO NOT! We use a low position at the start in order to push our bodies forward off the blocks. Then we use a very strong forward lean during the dig phase in order to gain pushing momentum. Then to reach max speed, we STAND UPRIGHT in a balanced position and PULL ourselves forward.
You have to know that running motion cannot be compared to punching motion! When running, we apply power to the ground to MOVE our body forward. With punching, we apply power to the ground to PROJECT our power forward, BUT we are keeping our body grounded in one position. It’s a totally different body mechanic and should not be compared. Sprinting is FIGHTING gravity. Punching is going WITH gravity (*but not by falling*).
i was sprinter myself only 100m though. youre right johny, hell no we dont fall through the movement.
walking is like falling, which is the same as going down a bunch of stairs. we’re just breaking our fall with each step. and just balancing our continuous fall by moving our feet forward.
sprinting is about gaining the largest distance horizontally with every stride. its like a bunch of small long jumps. as 100m runners we are POUNDING the ground on every step. its obvious if anyone’s unlucky enough to sprint on soft mud he/she knows the kind of force we apply on the ground. sprinting is like climbing up stairs pushing ourselves into the air by forcing our bodies off the floor.
gravity only has large impact on y axis movement, movement up and down. i agree with your point, sprinting is a bunch of 70% horizontal and 30% vertical jumps (y axis movement) against gravity. it’s getting that 30% of ourselves in the air that makes sprinting against gravity.
in boxing done using proper mechanics the action occuring is x axis and z axis movements. gravity doesnt play a big part.
I wonder what is the second secret, aka PART 2
..
I wonder what it is too. I feel like I have to hold back my secrets because most of the readers just aren’t ready for higher level boxing techniques. I’d rather keep secrets from you guys than say something that you guys would argue with and refuse to do anyway, ANNND I come off sounding like a crazy guy in the process. :/
Come on, Johnny. There will always be people who don’t agree with you, but that’s not a good reason to give up. I apologize for being maybe too direct, but your site has been really helpful for me – and I guess for a lot of people who often forget to thank you. Sharing your knowledge with people you don’t know, with always plain explanations, videos, etc. and showing an uncommon patience in every reply (ex. the “weightlifting question”…) is definitely not for all. And I guess sometimes you would like to spend your time doing something different, maybe not trying to explain your point of view to people who just don’t understand (and sometimes don’t want to understand, anyway). But your passion helps a lot of boxers to become better, without asking anything, and I’m among them. So keep going on, Johnny, and thank you for all.
And sorry if there are mistakes in my post, perhaps I have to find an “ExpertEnglish.com” site…
As much fun as it is for me to share all my REAL knowledge…I have to take it slow and give everyone a fair chance to catch up. Not everyone is ready to connect the dots.
I often forget most people did not have the same amazing trainers as I did. So it’s important that I move slowly and explain every little step of the way. There are many times when I made guides that I thought were common sense but they turned out to be very helpful.
The most important thing is that everybody improves; which means I must teach at THE READER’S pace and not my own. Thank you for your comment, Fabrizio! (ps: your english is amazing btw)
+1 Fabrizio.
All my support for you, Johnny. You are changing my boxing with your articles and your extraordinary ebook. Where I live gyms and trainers aren´t good enough, but thank your work I improve a lot. I couldn´t pay for your job!! Thanks for all and I hope you continue this legacy.
Ok im going to try my best theory and experiences to clear this up, first off when you see a fighter like roy jones jr throwing his lead left hook or mayweather throw his lead right, it looks like he is on one leg and he is but the misconception that may be seen is the fact that their timing those punches precisely boxing isnt all about speed and power nor is it about who can beat up who, there are plenty fighters to where they flat out mothered their opponent and still lost due to the calls of the judges! boxing is about timing and accuracy i used to think if i wasnt hitting the heavy bag and making it fly all over the place i wasnt punching hard enough was i wrong, this technique is demonstrating the art of martial arts right here, THATS WHY IT SAYS PART ONE! there is way more to punching than just the stance, cool you can punch your way through a brick wall but what good does it do a fighter to punch a target but that isnt fully there? they may teach beginners to penetrate on their left leg with a right punch and vice versa a pyramid isnt made from one brick it takes multiple bricks, i love this technique thats explained in the article due to the fact after you punch you will be able to bounce back after every punch which penetrating doesnt, i feel that beginners are taught to penetrate legs and i also notice beginners dont usually move their bodies neither, which is ok, with my experience i noticed punching is that it the less effort i put into the punch the harder i hit, the harder i try to hit hard the lighter i hit, by penetrating your weight you are extremely vulnerable to parrying as well as pivoting even slipping and many other defensive maneuvers “an angry mind is a narrow mind” im not saying people get angry but by focusing too much on hitting your opponent you dont pay attention what can happen to you, in boxing you can be defensive and offensive at the same time, Joe Clazaghe didnt have knock out power and he beat many opponents, i seen fighters get knocked down from a jab due to fatigue, i understand the concept of shifting your weight to one leg to other but whats going to happen if your opponent moves? or parrys? or slips? etc, your going to fall forward, its simple physics, i have no intentions of any offense to anyone this is just my theory on how i can help clear things up and explain this article from another view, now closing with the utmost honor respect and discipline….
CONGRATULATIONS MATERIALS BY JOHNNY, LIKE THAT SOME DOUBT me out: NOT TO TURN OUT THE HEEL WHILE SOCA IS IT? Big hug OF BRAZIL.
We are going advanced stuff little by little, this article makes me hungry for more advanced stuff and secrets. Thanks for great effort. Go Johnny Go Go Go
I really enjoy this article and will practice tomorrow at the gym!
but i would like to know, Jonny, what do you think about muhammad ali dancing style? and if have you something to say about it:?
A lot of guys do it, not just Ali. Have fun and try it
Now i understand what are you talking about
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC6ActjJrvQ
look at 5:10, the position of his body, and the especially the legs.
The best example of this stuff that I remind is… Guillermo Rigondeaux. He has a incredible “balanced rotation punching” (view in youtube his highlights). I believe he is the perfect example of Johnny´s article, isn´t?
That guy is a GREAT fighter! And yes very good balance. A lot fighters have good balance though, not just pros. It’s hard to become even a high level amateur without balanced punching.
beautiful example daniel, can anyone explain the slight forward lean to me please?
He’s balanced! His head is between his feet at impact. His body might be of the slightest lean forwards because his right shoulder is rotated in.
Some fighters will INTENTIONALLY fall forward with an off-balanced punch at times (especially with an opponent on the ropes) so that they can fall in and pin down his arms with their chest. But you have to realize it’s done for strategic reasons.
johnny previos comment refers to comments posted not byYOU BUT TSEGO.can you please read actual comment i posted and not just guess what it says.rotational speed is everything no ones doubting that .why is it ok to freestyle every other rule in boxing but you are not allowed micro seconed to put weight into punch.oh also your allow losing balance leaning to far over backfoot ref.TSEGO REPLY .calling people amateur beginner etc when they dont agree with absolutly every tiny detail you post is absurd STICKS AND STONES JOHNNY.weight over back foot flawed technique and right hand dsitance to target irrelevant to power.go back over your previuos posts johnny you are blowing in the wind and losing the plot my man
Andrewp,
The site is a progression of boxing technique. The technique you learn one day will change as you grow to become a more advanced boxer. Some of my articles ARE INTENDED to conflict each other because they are written for different level boxers.
What you said earlier was like if somebody came up to me and said, “Muhammad Ali had bad defense because his hands are always down by his waist.” Obviously, I would think that person doesn’t understand that high level defense doesn’t rely on hands.
Based on what you said, I felt you were still thinking like a beginner puncher. I’m sorry it offended you, it’s not my intention (maybe you’re a fantastic boxer that uses different punching technique). If you know some secret technique about balanced rotational punching, please teach it to me.
Otherwise, I will stand by my words that “falling while punching is beginner mentality”. Being a beginner doesn’t mean you’re aren’t a good fighter, there are still VERY TALENTED BEGINNERS. But you must know that advanced fighters understand something beginners don’t. If you’re an advanced fighter, then disregard my words and move on. Just know that I am trying to teach a NEW CONCEPT which requires readers to forget all old concepts (at least for the moment). If you don’t agree, no hard feelings. Sorry about my comment Andrew; I could have been worded it more carefully.
In regards to other comments and OTHER TECHNIQUE. If you do something different from what is explained in this guide, you get a different effect. It’s not necessarily “wrong” or “bad”, it simply gives you a different effect. In this case, we are going for the maximum rotational power effect. And the best way to get maximum rotational power is to stay balanced. Try to spin yourself on one foot, the moment you lean to any side you will fall off balance. I don’t reply to what Tsego said because he’s talking about something different from what I addressed here in this post.
It’s ok if you want to use another punching technique, but just know that it is a DIFFERENT technique.
If your going to be negative (andrew) please take that else where there are many trainers out there and just like every boxer has their own style so do trainers, your not always going to agree with everything what might work for you might not work for me, DOING A GREAT JOB JOHNNY I APPRECIATE YOU!
Great article. Looking forward to Part II of Power Punching Secrets.
I just want to mention that i`ve just read ”Box like a pros”’ – Joe Frazier`s book.And he said the exact same thing, when you punch : ”Your weight stays
evenly distributed between
front and back legs”‘
Thanks, Daniel! Well…there you have it, more common sense straight from a champion’s mouth. Lol.
Johnny you’re a stud. Great advice, please continue correcting my bad technique, keep fighting the good fight brotha!!
I do my best, Sammy. Thank you.
wonderful article, im glad the more subtle stuff is coming out. youre really having to explain yourself a lot to everyone. i need something explained myself.
im confused about not shifting weight… i think every boxer has to shift their weight. thats how power is put into the punch.
i think everyone shifts their weight. but beginners turn by shifting weight and having it pulled outside their center of gravity because they dont have a counterbalancing force. while more advanced fighters will have one side generate a force by turning and the other side of the body automatically counterbalancing the momentum and pull it back by generating a counterforce by turning the other way. like turning in a tight circle, one has to take a step forward with one leg and a step backward with the other. if one just steps forward with one leg they will drag the other forward a bit and they will end up creating a huge slow ellipse rather than a tight powerful circle. is that right ? maybe im arguing semantics but.. id want to be sure im not missing something here.
btw it is tough for people without good trainers to stop throwing themselves about, specially looking at guys like floyd and broner and manny and their lead hands. i love the way you explained it, in my head it was just called `planting both feet during the punch’.
“i think every boxer has to shift their weight. thats how power is put into the punch.”
- I can’t advance you any further until you’re willing to give up this belief.
I can however try another approach at explaining this concept. Think about it like this. Your body is in the center. And if your body moves BUT your feet stay in the same position, that means your body is either going AWAY from the center, or INTO the center. If you go AWAY from the center, you get the weight-shifting “falling” effect. If you’re going INTO the center, you get the balanced rotational power effect.
I wouldn’t say one is wrong, because everything has its place and purpose whether for technical or tactical reasons. I would challenge you to try each method for at least 20-100 hours and find out which one is ultimately more powerful, more balanced, more energy-efficient, etc. They are two entirely different techniques and require two entirely different mindsets when you attempt them.
so basically your saying the falling technique and the rotational technique are meant for certain times in the competition?
Yes, everything has its purpose. Different techniques should be used in different ways. I would put more emphasis on balanced rotation when I want more speed and/or power. I would use the falling technique if I wanted to smother and trap an opponent in the corner. I’m sure you can find other ways.
i get you johnny, we’re talking about the same thing in different ways. however i feel your use of `shift weight’ in the context of wild sloppy jumping leaning movements is pretty narrow, and old school trained boxer kung fu tai chi karate guy will go `what!?’ we understand shift as putting weight into the punch. good article, it reminded me how advanced topics used to bring up big fat debates in the gym
Hehehe, you’re a lot of fun Saber. Ok, time to explain…
FALLING is falling. Shifting weight is falling. Put it this way: if you were to stand on one foot and somebody came and pushed you over even just 10 degrees…JUST 10 DEGREES. You will fall, right? A perfectly straight spine will fall to one side if you tip it over even only a tiny bit. Of course, falling less is still better than falling more…but it’s still falling and it’s still taking away from your maximum power.
The reason why boxers get away with “falling” is because the other leg holds them up and so they don’t realize they’re actually falling back and forth during punches. The real problem with falling is not because the spine is tilted over (because you do need an angled spine for punches like the front uppercut, or hooks, etc)…the real problem with falling is that it decreases the amount of power that both legs can generate.
If you’re a beginner, then you’ll find it necessary to load weight into every punch. If you’re advanced, you’ll know that your weight is already loaded (as long as you’re connected to the ground).
The article is to show people a more advanced, more difficult, but more effective way to generate power AND speed. The falling technique still works (obviously since it’s still being taught) but I offer an alternative for individuals with superior body control.
im all for 2 footed punching johny. still its clear massive power can be generated off one foot. perhaps not as much power as punches thrown off 2 planted feet, but greats like post-88 tyson roy jones floyd patterson trinidad pacquiao frazier etc.. all had great speed and power on their first punch off one foot.
i think huge difference shows up when throwing combos or counterpunching. no one did a good job counterpunching or throwing sharp combos off one foot.
its also more tiring to punch off one foot, more effort expended. another benefit of balance is not suffering flash knockdowns during exchanges when offbalance.
its nice to look at different ways of doing things, remembering there are other methods and the pros and cons.
Saber, many of those greats threw off-angled punches (which means an angled spine). Which are not to be mistaken for one-footed punching. With that said, one-foot punching is definitely still quite powerful as you say and has many practical strategic applications. This article of course focuses on 2-footed punching because it is far easier and more practical to generate power that way. Sure, there are many ways to generate power but this one is the easiest
i just tried “Your body is in the center. And if your body moves BUT your feet stay in the same position, that means your body is either going AWAY from the center, or INTO the center. If you go AWAY from the center, you get the weight-shifting “falling” effect. If you’re going INTO the center, you get the balanced rotational power effect.” theory and it appears by keeping your weight in the center johnny that you attract more momentum than you would by falling into it, and by just doing the theory or the example you just explained it appeared that i was able to get more of a shock in my punches, am i accurate or am i completely off sir?
excuse me i mean more of a shock with keeping my body in the center line
Yes, you will get far more power as I described in the article.
I was talking with an old-pro that goes by the name Cuda at my gym and he asked me to show him my stance and how I punch. He immediately stopped me and told me to stop using my hips and more of my torso/upper-body in a swinging motion. After reading this it makes complete sense to me now, especially how it all starts at the feet.
Guess that old time wasn’t crazy after all.
Keep up the fantastic work! I learn more on this site than I do my own gym!
LOL! I used to think the old guys were crazy because their techniques were so far off from what I figured out on my own. I should add that you still use your hips but the hips drill downwards instead of tilting from one foot to the other. Anyway, thanks for reading, Chris.
Hi. Johnny. I have tried what u said today. but i found a little bit difficult for my style is old school style, how can i apply this balanced rotation theory. And will u write some articles about the tastics of different boxing styles.
This is different technique for different effect. It will feel a little harder at first because you actually have to pay more attention to keeping your weight in the middle.
I don’t understand what you’re saying about styles. Being “old school” or “new school” is no excuse to let yourself fall into your punches. I do want to write articles about different styles but I know enough to fill a book, so we’ll see about that.
Hi, so i have read over this article a couple times now and i love it. I understand the logic behind it and it all makes sense. I know you said that if you dont understand it now then you will in a couple years and i think i saw a good amount of people asking in the comments just more generalized. So being used to falling into the punches and using stricktely my push muscles i am having troubles with the pull aspect. I can get the torso to pull on the other side but not so much the hamstring because im not really sure how the movement is supposed to work. I think i am able to get the movements for push and pull about down to my hips but not much lower, do you have any tips or suggestions that might help me out?
Hold a medicine ball in front and starting swinging the ball from side to side quickly. Instead of using your obliques and abs, try thinking more about using your back to swing it. Also think about your feet clamping the ground hard and you will feel the hamstrings activate from side to side.
Teacher,
You where born to teach and practice the Art of the Fist, and Phsycology. Whenever you need shark meat for any of your pugilist, you have a rooster right here at your service.
I am an educated 5 ft 8 inch 140 lbs orthodox fighter. Have spared with former WBC light middleweight champion Sergio “The Latin Snake” Mora and 1995 National Golden Gloves Champion Adam “Bomb” Reyes, and currently training with Rodrigo Mosqueda Jr at Eddie Heredia Boxing Club in East Los Angeles. I would be more than honored to come to your gym at your request.
Thank you,
Gonzo
Hector Gil
Hector, we’d be honored to have you. We got a couple guys at that weight that are always looking for new sparring partners. I’ll be emailing you. Thanks man.
hi johnny humbly explain that any comment to your articles are usually almost totaly in agreement with you although its hard to portray that when putting small point in print .it comes across as argumentative to whole article when its not intended to.on this point i fully understand this concept having drilled it for years.where i think your slightly going wrong again only my oppinion.is your stance on (if your using both feet and hamstrings in rotation you cant fall).dont think im refering to falling 2 feet across center line i am certainly not.to understand this concept firstly you must consider our conscius brain works on super slow time scale it effects all our reasoning our subconcious brain has to work on nano scale doing hundreds of calculations to enable 1 consciuos thought.all of live, science ,and force of punch opperates in nano second timescale wether your conscius brain likes it or not johnny.this is the hard bit NO FALLING NEEDS TO ACTUALLY HAPPEN at least to your conscios brains perception.as long as you release some of resistansce holding you up whilst rotating on both sides in nanosecond of contact it will create OPTIMUM FORCE not releasing any weight from gravity will not.although rotational technique is excelent when done correctly alot of amaters strugle with transistion to professional ranks when power is more of a premium.ps johnny sprinters do use gravity the one that uses it best tends to be winner
Hi again, Andrewp,
If you “fall”, you’re using a falling technique. If you use a balanced rotation, you’re using a balanced rotational technique. One is not a different or incorrect version of the other. They are two entirely different techniques, even if there are only subtle differences. They both have their own effects and both are USEFUL in different situations.
This article is to explain the technique, theory, and benefits of a perfectly balanced rotation. If you choose not to use that balanced rotation, it’s ok…you’re simply doing something else. If you modify this technique, well then it’s not the same technique anymore and can’t really be compared or argued.
Btw, I want to add that I really appreciate your comments. Your comments are very useful even if you disagree because it gives me a chance to re-explain things from a different or more detailed angle. It’s helpful for everyone else who thinks like you but didn’t comment. I’m very passionate about what took me years and years to learn, so I hope you’ll understand why I’m so outspoken about certain details. THANK YOU FOR READING!
PS: sprinters do not use gravity at MAX SPEED (I’m dead certain of this, being that I was a former sprinter). The explanation is simple, once our bodies reach max speed we must exert force tangent to gravity so that all our momentum is directly straight forward instead of at a slight angle downwards into the ground. And again, I will say that punching and sprinting is not the same thing. Because our bodies are actually moving forward while sprinting, whereas our bodies stay still and only PROJECT energy forwards during a punch.
To come out of the blocks, yes, we have to fight against gravity and allow it to make us fall into a running stride.
Come on Johny, dont be shy.What is the other secret?
))
HAHAHA! Daniel, I’m too scared.
Coach,
You mentioned that to improve quickly pulling back and not dropping the rear hand, a trick is to throw a looping punch instead of a staright punch? Can you elaborate? Why is that?
Thanks!
Don’t loop the punch, throw a straight punch with a SLIGHT loop so it helps you circulate the forward movement of the punch into the backwards recovery movement. If you throw straight out, it will feel a bit tiring to try and pull your hand back. Everyone’s body is different and shorter-armed fighters or stocky-armed fighters will not find the slight looping technique necessary.
Coach,
About the questions on how to “pull” the opposite side of the body to assist in rotation: I have tried to focus on straightening my bent front leg. You can feel the hamstring flex when the leg is straightened, similar to a deadlift. I also focus on “ripping” the opposite shoulder back. By doing this, this not only assists in rotation, but it keeps you from falling forward.
Hope this que might be useful to some.
I have no problem applying your advice with a few 1-2 jabs or 1-2 hooks. The only problem is whenever I start moving around the ring and throwing combos I find myself going back to using just the one leg again. How can I overcome this bad habit?
Do it slow and practice it with shadowboxing. Every technique will feel awkward if you’re not accustomed to using it. It will also feel difficult if you keep focusing on power. Instead, focus on staying balanced and the power will come naturally.
Here is some support to your theory johnny
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGSgH-KG2KQ&feature=fvwrel
Yeaup, excellent video. I wish there were more videos explaining this because it’s really common knowledge.
I read this quote from great Bernard Hopkins: “If I want speed, I stop sitting down on my punches. If I want power, I plant my feet.”
You have to wonder if Bernard Hopkins will retire, he very well could still box some big money matches, despite losing his last fight, but you have to wonder if it would be worth the risk. Hopkins has boxed in four different decades, only Duran and Jack Johnson boxed in five different decades.
I like the article a lot. I really like when you explained the difference between punching will a falling step technique and rotational technique. I initially learned to throw a jab and also a cross with the falling step (mainly because of the old dempsey article) and with that you take a step both with a jab and a cross.
Throwing hooks and uppercuts however it makes way more sense to punch with rotational technique. My question is it possible to throw a cross with a step and rotation? or is that combining things that shouldnt be combined?
Jack Dempsey’s “falling step” technique is about stepping, not falling. But many do interpret his technique incorrectly.
Regarding your question about the cross:
- yes, you can throw the cross with a fall
- yes, you can throw the cross with a rotation
- yes, you can throw the cross with a fall AND a rotation
They are all different options that give you different results. Try them all and see which one you like and see how each one can be used differently. This is your homework to learn for yourself. But if you don’t want to spend a million hours learning on your own, then I will simply answer that throwing the cross with only a rotation will give it the most power. (But this type of cross is not always the best option in all situations.)
Hmm but you said impulsive punching that goes downwards is the strongest with the most power ??
It’s when your center of gravity is projected DOWNWARDS, that you get the most power. The actual fist itself can go in any direction.
Hmm ok but why you Said the Cross with only Rotation is the Most powerful?
Because have a balanced rotation gives you more power than a falling punch or a falling rotation.
hi Johnny what’s in your opinion the best hamstring exercise for boxing?
Hmm…I would say jump rope. Or maybe standing trunk twists with a medicine ball.
Great article. The video helped a lot. I’m certainly going to try this but it may take a while to get used to.
The one question I have is, what about the jab? which is mainly used whilst moving around (ie both legs not always planted). Do the same rules apply or is this more common for use with the hooks and straight right as demonstrated?
This technique doesn’t apply to the jab because the jab is not a rotational punch. All other power punches would be considered rotational, though.
Johnny would you say you’re a power puncher?
Yes, definitely.
Hello! I like to thank you for giving these advices.You are really putting a lot of effort.
When I started boxing I was maybe the poorest guy in the gym.
Now 3 years later I`m beging to be meanest motherf*cker in the gym.
I really studied your writings and I still do.Lots and lots of training and these tips have helped me a lot!
I like the video. The idea to push with your right foot and pull with your left hamstring is brilliant. Very simple to apply. However, there are some videos that seem to contradict this method. I would be hard pressed to believe Kenny Weldon is wrong in his philosophy on boxing and the proper fundamentals, but I guess it just depends.
Different techniques have different methods. It’s not about right vs wrong. If you do one thing, you get a certain effect. If you do another thing, you get a different effect. Figure out which one you like better, and if you can’t then maybe it doesn’t matter yet for you. I agree with Kenny Weldon’s stuff but I understand some of my techniques are different. Thanks Ben.
With all the content and different techniques, it’s hard to figure out which one work best for myself. I’m always looking to achieve perfect technique, which is near impossible when I use instructional videos, instead of hand-to-hand training. Your website helps the average person to easily apply boxing techniques to their training. But to hear Kenny Weldon criticize other trainers and state, “there are probably only 3 good boxing coaches in the country”, it makes it a bit discouraging. I don’t want to be taught “bad technique” by my local boxing gym, but my options are limited. After applying your method, it’s obviously effective, but there has to be a right and wrong in certain situations when it comes to a sport as technical as boxing. Anyways, I love the site and appreciate the wonderful array of content! Thanks!
Johnny is there gonna be a power punching secrets part 2? By the way thank you for all the helpful tips advice etc.
Part 2 will come out probably in a month or two since because I’m busy writing the premium diet guide for sale later in the near future.
Hi Johnny im a first time poster but been reading and practicing the articles for a while now. I understand the drop and shift helps the jab as in the Jack Dempsey instruction book. Im confused thinking of this advanced way to use the back hand though with rotation and the feet dug into floor. This seems to me a karate style which boxers do better with shift/drop as well , and if superior could have been taught in basic boxing as both will take similar time to master. Any help appreciated, and great articles.
As mentioned in the article, beginners are usually not taught this method of punching because their rotational body mechanics is not yet fine-tuned to use their entire body weight…thus, “falling” is more powerful for them. If you tell a beginner to use 2-legged punching, he will end up rotating only his upper body and not his hips because he doesn’t have the leg coordination for it yet.
Hi Johnny, thanks for these great tips. Only recently discovered your site but they are already making a huge difference. I have a question though about dropping my bodyweight into a punch, or rather the recovery between shots. I’m getting the two legged punching and dropping my bodyweight into my punches. However, if I’m throwing combinations, once I’ve sunk my bodyweight down into a a right cross (for instance) I find myself bouncing up again in order to then sink down for the left hook, rather than just rotating and trying to whip it in.
So it’s basically going punch bounce punch bounce punch, which obviously slows everything down. I’m not talking about huge movements and am possibly not explaining this very well but hopefully some of it will make sense.
Many thanks
It’s more like PROJECTING your body weight down instead of lowering your body. Naturally, your legs will resist the drop which means they’re probably loading into the punch. The slight upwards bounce is great because then you can keep concentrating on going DOWN, DOWN, DOWN with every punch–instead of having thinking “down-up” on every punch which slows you down.
hi frank ive been looking at the same part of my techniques and as johnny explained to me you dont sink your body weight into the right cross, you use rotation . im not an expert i just practice anything off here ive not covered in the gym
Thanks for that Jamie, I could probably also do with tips on my reading as I totally missed your last post. Makes much more sense now.
thanks johnny that last comment will help what im working on. And Frank it looks like we are working on the same things here. im not sure if im practising correctly by hip twisting with feet dug in on rotation is the same as what johnny is explaining . il report back so any help appreciated.
I’ve been struggling with exactly this question for a while – the one-legged punching I’ve been doing has been killing my balance, timing, stamina… Following this advice is an instant change – can’t thank you enough – please keep posting. And thanks for the headgear reviews as well, getting new headgear (moving from kickboxing into boxing) and glad to have your perspective on it.
You got it, man! I’m happy for you.
So all that thing about leaning into my punches was just watered down, dumbed down stuff my coach fed me coz he thought I didn’t have the coordination for proper two-legged punching?
Oh no….
Well, for some coaches, leaning into punches is the only way they know/recommend. Either way, it’s still your job to learn everything and use what works for you.
When does part 2 come out?
Maybe a couple more weeks. I just moved and now getting settled at my new place in San Francisco.
http://ericwongmma.com/the-science-of-knockout-power/
Hey Johny, what do you think of the part with snap-back-punch?…
I have a guide on how to throw snapping punches which I think goes more in-depth.
I just added this into my training today.. Didn’t really click straight away until I ‘felt’ the push/pull effect and the good tension through hammy.. Much appreciated tip mate!
I was thinking about this at work, and also try it later, when you mention about one leg push and one leg pull, it makes a lot of sense to me because in my academy (I study Japanese Jiujitsu), our Sensei show us how to push, and as an important fact, hips are the key for a strong push, so combining hips move and legs push/pull, allow me to push harder and effective, also i can recover faster to rise my guard up again if i miss the punch, great advice, tnx a lot
Hi there, i just recently discovered you site, i actually tried doing this technique during sparring and mitts session. It is very effective when you are trying to throw a very fast and powerful punch but don’t you think it might affect the way we slip punches and counter punching?
Yes, it should affect your defensive techniques in a positive way.
do these rules apply for every punch?
Of course not. The technique is used when you want more balance and power.
for some reason it reminds me of your abw ebook, which i absolutely admire by the way, but this article is explaining to be in the center of gravity thats the main focus of this article right?
This article is about staying on 2 legs. Maximizing your contact and leveraging your contact with the ground. Nothing less, nothing more…although you are bound to discover new relationships between 2-footed grounding and punching power.
Thanks again Johnny! People that do cycling should have a better understanding of this. When you pedal, if you are always pushing downwards, it uses up a lot more energy. You need to be pulling up with the other leg as the other one pushes down (straps on feet of course).
Actually, up to a certain point you get more power with the rear hand the more sideways you stand, to the detriment of the left hook, look at someone like Rocky Marciano or Dan Henderson, due to the hip rotation (think baseball). There was an excellent article on it by Jack Slack. Not that there aren’t drawbacks especially when kicks are involved.
Absolutely true! Standing more sideways can give you a little more power because it forces more rotation out of you. If you’re someone with less-than-perfect technique, standing sideways can be a good way to force you to rotate more. But once you have good technique, then you can stand any way you need and still deliver good power. Boxing has a lot of movement, so you’ll never be able to sit in one perfect position for too long.
I always wondered why I felt so off-balanced when I threw my right hand; this completely solves that. Now I feel perfectly balanced, but because I’ve lost the pushing motion, I do feel like I’ve lost power. I believe that’s because I haven’t synced up my arm to punch after my body has rotated, which is supposed to be the proper way to transfer energy. If people are having trouble with their power, I’d suggest they try to sync up their arm to extend at the end of their feet/legs/hips/spine rotation.
You’ve lost pushing power. But gained more rotational power. So stop trying to look for pushing power and start looking for rotational power.
It’s funny you said that, because I just read the second punching secrets guide, and I found that out. So really it’s like you answered me twice! It really does solve a lot of problems (I also wondered why my combinations seemed so slow). Thanks, Johnny!
I can’t see you having much of a objective prove of WHY is rotational power better (i.e. stronger) than falling.
If you’re familiar with the concept of Eastern Martial arts… they don’t count on muscle power directly, but more on proper bio-mechanics. Can’t see many MMA fighters break tons of ice nowadays, can you?
OTOH – it is good to mention that… “falling” would mean to sorta drop and fall all of your WEIGHT on opponent. Rotation would mean to use force to generate a powerful contraction that results in this… hmm… how did you define it? Power?
It is very interesting how the best concept of T-nation’s supercoach Christian Thibaudeau suggets that actually… “letting go and free-falling” on the way down with a barbell while squatting builds more explosive strength for SPORTS performance.
Plus you can never be exactly 50% and 50% on one and other leg. No matter how much you try – you WILL be having at least some 1-2% difference (common sense). So this is still some mini-form of falling.
Have you heard about NOT tightening during boxing?
Maybe the old boxers didn’t need that much equipement, supplements AND muscle growth/strength in order to fucking blast their heads. Why? Because old school boxing actually was more of an art… dance… than a boring anatomy and functional hypertrophy class.
My brother’s Wing Tsun trainer destroyed a 100$ punching bag in 15 minutes of boxing, using Wing Tsun principles. No legs. It was brand new, we had to repair it.
He was trained for national security. Empiriclly speaking – his punches HURT LIKE HELL!
Can you do the same? Oh, and he has a belly… but still rocks the K.O. power!
So your suggesting ANOTHER form of “power” to rely on. The difference between hard and soft style of Wing Tsun is the same metaphor for “Falling vs. Rotating”.
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Because true falling ISN’T about being tight… but just the opposite. Like Yin & Yang of course there’s always some of the opposite element present in every end.
Not saying some is better, because i still lack ENOUGH (by my own standarts) practice in many sparrings/matches. But i’ve had my share of martial arts experience.
But you fall into extreme and IMO – over-analyze and make-up stuff for your own convinience. I.e. rationalize and distort some of the info you provide (we all do it, heh
To be percise – your argument about puching on one leg is pretty flawled. Who… the F*CK fights on one leg? Even if you do the “falling” (assuming you do it CORRECTLY, which is very hard actually while not breaking your bio-mechanical-structure) – you end up… “catching” the wave with your opponent’s head… OR YOUR LEG. Why you can’t push on one leg? Actually you CAN. But you know you will fall because no one is there to absorb your impulse when/if the object moves.
Try this (all of you): Stand on BOTH legs one slightly in front (typical “newbie” stance). Now… from one hip and weight mostly on back leg… sorta wave into the forth leg but do aim to get “through” the wall. ANd see if it’s more solid and powerful than rotating with 50-50 legs!!
HEy – Maybe ‘m full of shit right now. But hey – that’s MY shit!
I pretty much answered all of your questions with this article. But yes, you’re entitled to have your own techniques and opinions.
In response to one of your very old messages from May, about the people arguing your techniques, I acutally like that, because when you “counter” their opposition to your teachings, with further explanation, it helps me understand your concept even more.
Anyways your site is awesome, so very helpful. I have been reading even MORE so in the last few days as I will be sparring for the first time tonight…. Thanks for all this free information.
That’s probably the reason why I do it, Rich! I explain more to convince those who want to learn more. At the end of the day, people are free to do whatever they want.
Johnny can you use the inlposive better and this together becuase everything you teach i show to other people
It’s a theory that can be applied to movement whenever you want. It’s not a rule.
Fuckin awesome technique Johnny, this n the other article about implosive punching. Lovin it. Cheers
Johnny dude, I am impressed… I don’t want to swear here, but truth b told u r freaking awesome bru…its Been about 5 days since dicovering this website… I love mma mostly, but u changing my life man, in this 5 days iv read more than 20 of ur articles and watched the accompanied videos, I feel like I’m getting an advantage from this over any future opponent I intend on having. I’m not yet amatuer or pro, truth is I’d love to compete but after reading most of the things I have, I have a lot of work ahead of me… I CN hardly put my phone down as I’m on ur site all d time… My gf is gona start complaining I know it… I need this dvds of your aswell… I’m no longer pushing weights, no longer eating wrong, no longer push punching I’m a snapper now, I love the way u put it across, its the easiest way to understand… I thank you man… Please keep up this awesome work… I love u man
Rotational punching is physics. Explainable by method. Similar example is the centrifugal water pump. Rotational motor force spins a disc with impellor blades. The water enters the pump at the centre and the shape of the blades directs the water under centrifugal force, towards the outer edge of the disc. This movement of water towardsthe outside creates a gap of negative pressure in the middle which sucks in more water and so the process continues. The increase in pressure developed from the centre of the disc to the outside is a form of leveraged work. In rotational punching you are leveraging your body to do more work using that same centrifugal force. Practice in this art will give you ability to minimise the risk of overbalance. To understand the importance of maintaining balance, just study the balance between the centrifugal force of the earths rotation opposed to its gravitational force, in order to keep the moon in its orbit all this time.:)
my boxing coach told me when doing a left hook, that I must put more weight on the back foot. so what I were doing was wrong. Mr. Johnny how can I throw a left hook properly by using both legs?
There is more than one way to throw a left hook. In regards to throwing it on both legs…keep your weight centered and anchor both feet to the ground as you pivot and throw the hook.
More secrets, please! I’ve been boxing for a while now but have learned more reading your articles than being in the gym. Thank you!
I’ve read all the article, and the only difference i see between the 2 punches is that while in the 1 legged punch you shift the weight from 1 leg to another, in the 2 legged punch you just ground your feet and bring the weight down into the ground, and this IMHO is wrong because you need to “throw” your bodyweight in the direction of the attack (possibly while rotating your hips), and not into the ground, if you want to create some damage.
Besides the centerline of the body should run inside the body, aligned with the center of mass (hips), and not coming off the floor.
Just my 2 cents.
Yeah, what you’re talking about is the technique they teach beginners to shift weight with every punch. It’s ok…do what you like.
Your written advice and video lessons are by far the best I’ve come across.
So thank you
Keep it up!
so is it a bad idea to switch axis while throwing a punch? this video made me realize that by switching axis while throwing a punch is the error your explaining at the beginning, how exactly does this technique work while in the process of displacement? (displacement coming from one of your previous articles)
Different articles will focus on different things. If you need power, then having your axis balanced and grounded in one place is most effective. If you need movement, then you’ll have to move your axis. So is it a bad idea to switch your axis position when you punch? It depends on what you want…power or movement?
Gracias desde argentina! excelente informacion
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