Punching

From the Inneres Boxen Handbook
Translated from German
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Punching Technique

To develop the deep impact of KO punches, you have to reconsider the way you move. Most people put far too much power and effort in their punches. They believe that the only way to have impact is to put all their force and power and weight into a punch and to hit the target as hard as one can.

When a professional boxer performs this kind of punch, it is very hard. By integrating the LGNQ principles into his technique, a boxer can increase his impact up to 30% at least. And I really mean: “at least”! He can even do this without really changing his
patterns of movement .
The key is located in his head and his feeling.
In his “head” because he is so deeply invested in punching “against” something. If we start to look closely at what is really happening inside the body during this kind of punching, we can see that the body/mind is already taking pre amptive counter
measures to the upcoming collision.

These measures are: contraction of the arm-, shoulder and torso muscles. These contractions happen unconsciously and cannot be left out during this kind of punch.
As a result of these contractions, the punch is being held back while it is on its way to the target, thus reducing it’s impact. That is exactly the reason why there is the so called “lucky punch”.
A punch that just happens and reaches its target without any
conscious of unconscious breaking contractions.
This kind of technique is the dream of any fighter as it is incomparably effective and cannot be blocked by the opponent.
If you want to increase the impact of your punches, the first thing you need to recognize is hat you are already creating counter effective muscle tension in the performance of your punch as you have created an “against” in it. You are creating a
target, you are visualizing a static point, even when you are aiming for a moving target.

Now it will show if you have already understood and practiced according to the LGNQ principles.

Exercise:

Stand in front of a punch bag and check what happens when you hit it the ‘normal way”.
What happens inside your head
What are you really thinking?
What happens when you hit the bag, in your head and in your body. Really notice it and recognize what you are doing.

When you do not explore in this way; nothing will ever change in your technique.
Feel how you are hitting against the bag, and how your own punch returns into you
body. How it creates a rebound. Feel the collision in your fist, in your arm, in your whole body. Now hit again and explore why there is this rebound.
There is a rebound because you tense the muscles while you hit the bag. This might be something you already know; but have you ever considered this as a “limitation” and as a “reduction of impact”?
No, you probably have labelled it as feedback of a
powerful punch.
That it really is the feedback of your own resistance during the punch, you have probably never thought of.
But that is what it is.

As a result of this unnecessary muscle contraction, the impact of your punch is reduced considerably, even when you do have a powerful punch. Another effect of this kind of punching is that your opponent can see it coming and you are using up much energy.

Holding and breaking the movement uses up much more energy and effort then a free , controlled movement. And that is what it is all about to be free and have yourself under control during a fight.
And that is what you are aiming for!
I would like to invite you to test your way of punching. I would like to inspire you to increase your performance. Because there is so much more in this as you think.
Also when you are already successful in the method you are using.
So begin to change your attitude. Imagine in your head that you no longer hit something and want to punch it; just think…”in” as in through when you are punching.
That you are punching into something, and nothing else.
And now “feeling” comes into play!
Stand in front of the punching bag and touch it lightly with your fists and feel into it.

Do not practice any impact or effectiveness, just feel yourself into it. Nothing else just keep on feeling into it.
Slowly start to increase the speed.
Work with many different types of punches and strikes. And always remember to keep your muscles completely relaxed. You will notice that on and off you will be tensing up your muscles and start to hit against the bag. Keep going back to feeling into the bag and start over.
You will notice that the bag is not swinging as far as usual. And that is ok, because we are working on you effect of feeling into the bag rather then pressuring it away from you while using up your impact that way.

I mean it literally!
As you hit “against” you push away the impact in yourself and the other. It is possible to increase the impact of your punches by just this instruction. The only thing you need to remember is thinking into, and feel yourself into the bag.
When you have really understood this you can move on to thinking “through” the bag.
It will further free up your movement and increase your impact even further.
When you are doing well with this , you will start to move the impulse of your punches from the shoulder, elbow or hip more and more into the fist. You will gain higher impact with less effort.
It will not happen from today to tomorrow. We have invested deeply in our thinking and moving patterns for years, so that old patterns and reflexes will come up, especially under stress.