The most powerful punch

[Cain]

OK guys the subject says it all.....which punch do you think is the most powerful and why [we are talking in tems of pure power] I personally am not sure wether it is the JKD straight punch or the hook punch in boxing.

[Freeform]

Hmm, theirs an old Tai Chi guy who does a seminar in Glasgow once a year about November time. In the past he's had 5 punch bags set up in a line with about 2 foot between them. He hits one with enough force it hits into the others and causes a significant amount of motion. Thats power.

Greyghost, have you seen this?

Me personally, I'd say you can't beat a good right cross!

Col

[Greyghost]

Nope...haven't seen this...but i believe it.

personally any punch with your full body weight behind it delivered properly is going to be the most powerful.

or....my wife....built like a skelf..hits like a heavyweight.

:D

[LilBunnyRabbit]

To be honest I'd have to go for downwards punch, or possibly inwards.

[Sonshu]

I would say a taijutsu straight punch has more power in it that a JKD punch as the whole body moves forward in the strike. Any stationary punch has less power than one with a guys body weight on it - scientific fact!!!!!

Karate guys have a powerful punch!

For the most damage I would say a boxing style hook to the ribs or kidneys - guarenteed fight stopper!

The will wind or break the ribs - they head can in truth take a fair bit of a beating - uppercut is good as well.

I would not say that all punches are for all people but these are the ones that I can generate most power with - also the ones that hurt the most - this is from experience as well!

SONSHU

[Cain]

hmm.....never heard most of these types of punches apart from the hook....do u mind xplaining them? thanx
|Cain|

[TkdWarrior]

hmm the one with body striking ... it's like generating fa jin in Taiji
the punch doesn't come from triceps or forearm but comes from the whole body u need to hav lots of practice in this kind it's yup very devestating(free form was talkin about same thing) the punch need proper allignment of body nothin else...
i knew that in TKD ;)
-TkdWarrior-

[LilBunnyRabbit]

Is the whole body concept the same one that we use for all of our techniques in Choi, putting your bodyweight behind each technique?

[Sonshu]

Cant say I know much about this is it like Choi Le Fut and Tae Kwon Do mixed?

I dont teach people to put all there weight behind punches as its not always the best option - but you sound like you know what I mean.

It works well.

SONSHU!

[TkdWarrior]

i don't think so CKD as i said it's more like having ur limbs at rite allignment while punching this kind of punchng is lil different than putting who body weight...
Shanshou he's not talkin about Choy li fut he's talkin about Choi kwong Do... anyway i didn't get ur quesntion shanshou
"Cant say I know much about this is it like Choi Le Fut and Tae Kwon Do mixed?"

-TkdWarrior-

[LilBunnyRabbit]

Cant say I know much about this is it like Choi Le Fut and Tae Kwon Do mixed?


Nope, sorry. I'd go into detail but whenever I do it seems to cause controversy, so if you've got any questions you might want to try the Choi forum.

As for a bodyweight thing I think its similar, just a different way of putting it. I'll take inwards punch. Torque forwards, bring up the arm, fist, elbow, shoulder all in the same plane and horizontal to the floor. Is that the type of thing?

[khafra]

I knew a karate guy once who showed me a strike, whipping a ridge hand horizontally, arm extended almost fully, with the whole body behind it, and said that it was the most powerful strike. Dunno if it was BS, and I dunno if that would count as a punch, so if you know about it share the knowledge.

[Cain]

Hmm....that sounds kinda like the famous one inch punch......
|Cain|

[khafra]

Naw, it was about a 35-inch punch. Started with the arm outstretched parallel to the shoulders, and ended perpendicular to the shoulderline (not counting the follow-through, which would go across the front of the chest). I'm bad at explaining it, I'll have to visit India and show you. Maybe next summer vacation :D

[Cain]

lol, sure hope to see u here dude :D
|Cain|

[TkdWarrior]

khafra:arm extended fully
that's weird why didn't his limbs worn out by that... full extension with power in air will worn out limbs n hurt u... but the whipping kind of punch is different. it gives real beating...
i hav seen those 35 inch punches too ;) it's real good. :D
yup takes forever to do those...
-TkdWarrior-

[energyboost]

it's easier done than said umm i think....stand in a natural bent knee stance throw your arm out just hard enough to drag your body and then while that's happening straighten your rear leg to compliment the tug on your shoulder. Took me 1 year to master this punch but it's the one that put holes in my walls

[Sean O]

Rather than punches I think that uppercuts do the most damage. Correct me if I'm wrong, but a strong enough uppercut can acually lift the base of hte skull off of the spine and sever the spinal cord. Instant kill (Although it has to be pretty damn strong).

[LilBunnyRabbit]

Any strong punch can be an instant kill, it just depends how you target it.

[Sean O]

True. I still think that uppercuts are the most damaging in general though (excluding a blow to the solar plexus, of course). As for power, I think a strong hook punch is best.

[LilBunnyRabbit]

I'd still go for a downwards punch across the trapezia or into the neck.

[Kenpo Kicker]

hook punch for me. It goes right to the temple, and I generate the most power with it. I feel like you use more weight and body motion in this punch. I have also knocked people out with this punch in situations.

[enlwlffo]

from reading everyone's posts i think the general idea is that you can't pinpoint the "most powerful" punch
i think it depends on the person and what works best for them depending on the training they've had, their body stature, which muscle they've especially developed etc

[Yukimushu]

Personally, i'd see the " most powerful punch " as a punch which has enough power to knock the opponent out! :) So i'd say any punch which has the ability to knock the other guy out cold. :)

[kickcatcher]

The 'power-slap' as popular in RB-SD styles seems awesome. As for punches in the stricter sence, I'd say a boxing rear hook but it's ghard to differentiate between pure 'power' and effectiveness at transmitting power?

[clutchdoctor]

I think that for me the most powerfull punch i can use is...well, i don't know what its called, but basically your in a good stance where you can twist your hips a lot. you punch but twist your hips with it and you foot is planted so you can push off of it, its just a full power, stand still kinda thing.

[TheMasterSword]

surprised no one mentioned this punch...

spinning back fist.... you can see it coming a mile away but when done properly (especially with a "step in" rather than static) delivers A LOT of force

[Mike Flanagan]

I just wondered, prompted by an earlier post in this thread, what people though about other hand techniques. Personally I think there are other hand/arm strikes that I use that generate more force than my punches, strikes with the outer edge of the forearm (ulna) as an example. Do you think a punch is your strongest hand technique? If not, what is?

Mike

[morphus]

I favour the boxer hook from the rear hand, i'd say that was pretty strong. But any strike done with timing can be mighty powerful. Other hand techniques - A powerful one for myself is rearhand round palm heel - goes like stink!

I took the family bowling a week or two ago & we had a look around the amusments while there - We found a power punch test, a pound a go (three hits) a good laugh we thought. My rearhand palm heel was twice (at least) that of a punch.

[kickcatcher]

I took the family bowling a week or two ago & we had a look around the amusments while there - We found a power punch test, a pound a go (three hits) a good laugh we thought. My rearhand palm heel was twice (at least) that of a punch.

Was it one with a pad on a lever? If so then you register heavier hits by following the arc of the pad as it goes back (i.e. not punching through level). As such, they proved a not very useful tool in measuring punching power... god I must be sad to have tried that....

[morphus]

Ball on end of arm - arm comes down from above. Like i said, it was a laugh - even though the test is prob' flawed, i stand by what i said before, it is a more powerful strike.

Would'nt it be great to get something that was accurate, measuring. BTW - I've seen the products on the market.

[enlwlffo]

Was it one with a pad on a lever? If so then you register heavier hits by following the arc of the pad as it goes back (i.e. not punching through level). As such, they proved a not very useful tool in measuring punching power... god I must be sad to have tried that....

lol when i was in korea for the summer i punched every single machine i saw
and i punched straight through and didn't follow the curve of the lever
i broke every high score i saw there
i really can't describe how to punch anymore
its just natural for my body
its like instinct if i need to punch something my body automatically does it

[Tireces]

I would say a taijutsu straight punch has more power in it that a JKD punch as the whole body moves forward in the strike. Any stationary punch has less power than one with a guys body weight on it - scientific fact!!!!!


Um, a JKD straight lead isn't a stationary punch, chief. A lot of my training at the school and even more at home has been devoted to doing it off a "push shuffle" it's no more stationary than a pendulum side-kick. NO JKD attack is supposed to be stationary, that's the ideal. As for the "strongest", at least from my experience, that would be a good hook. You can get a lot of strong body motion behind a hook.

[Shortfuse]

i used to think it was the back fist that was one of the strongest

[Azrael]

Let me just say from the outset that I'm not claiming a punch taught by my shifu to be the worlds strongest punch, simply the most powerful that I myself have experienced. The link is:

Yang Mian Power Punch (http://www.yangmian.com/videos/18.wmv)

Xing Yi's Pounding Fist is also a mean punch. The full power of the body using the ground to just come forward like a steam train is amazing. I seriously would not like to get hit by that.

[#1 Stutta]

I'd have to pick 3. My rear hand right cross, my hook, and my spinning back fist.

[Kenpo Kicker]

I got a great backfist/spinning backfist but it cannot compare to my hook punch (kickboxing from the rear with full motion set up with a jab or two)

[MightyMike]

I reckon a Wing Chun straight punch delivered correctly is just about as strong a punch as any. If done properly the step, waist, arm are in correct alignment and impact all at the same time. And a WC punch is still accelerating as contact is made, whilst some other swinging punches have flattened out and tend to push the opponent.

Aside from power, i think a punch's properness is also important. ie. with a swinging style punch, if the opponent is able to take the hit, the worst case scenario is that your body folds over (bcos of the twisting motion used to generate power) The opponent could than grab hold of you.

A WC straight punch will on the other hand, will at least keep you an arms length away.

[kickcatcher]

I reckon a Wing Chun straight punch delivered correctly is just about as strong a punch as any. If done properly the step, waist, arm are in correct alignment and impact all at the same time. And a WC punch is still accelerating as contact is made, whilst some other swinging punches have flattened out and tend to push the opponent.

Aside from power, i think a punch's properness is also important. ie. with a swinging style punch, if the opponent is able to take the hit, the worst case scenario is that your body folds over (bcos of the twisting motion used to generate power) The opponent could than grab hold of you.

A WC straight punch will on the other hand, will at least keep you an arms length away.

An interesting viewpoint. I found WC chain-punches to lack 'power' (although OK in other ways) but then there's more than one WC punch. But an easy way to test the idea is to watch boxers. Within the rules of boxing a WC punch is allowed. So why don't they use them? OK , it's not only about power, but it does come into it.

[Kenpo Kicker]

The wc punch is not powerful to me and not in a single blow. My friend chains them and that is how he builds up power. It's a good punch but not the most powerful imo.


"Aside from power, i think a punch's properness is also important. ie. with a swinging style punch, if the opponent is able to take the hit, the worst case scenario is that your body folds over (bcos of the twisting motion used to generate power) The opponent could than grab hold of you.
"

Very good reason to learn stand up grappling and ground grappling if you use that sort of punch. I am trained to pull back very fast after hooks or any strikes and also to have my hand not striking guard and prepared. The recoil is alot slower than your wc straight but our straight punches are very fast as well.

[Ash]

I think that the gyakuzuki (reverse punch) can be extremely powerful when delivered correctly. By that I mean using the whole body to increase speed and power - driving the shoulder forward, using the hip twist and 'kicking in' with the back leg to add more power. This punch can easily be modified to strike high or low and at the same time can be very fast.

I was surprised to see the back fist in there as I personally find that it can lack power to stop, unless aimed at the groin. This is possibly due to the way in which it is taught in our club. Rather than continue powering through the target, it is whipped back after the strike.

[wcrevdonner]

Hmmmm...interesting thread.

For the geeky/intellectuals out there, here is one pointer...from what I've remembered of physics, power is defined as work done, which is defined as energy transferred over time. Therefore a powerful punch is one that either has a lot of energy, (and in our case we're probably talking kinetic energy, which is (1/2*m*(v^2) so speed is important here), or one that is delivered very fast, (oh, speed again!)
Remember, a bullet hardly weighs anything but is very damaging.
And thats not think about acceleration or pressure or density which also adds to the technique of a punch. However, one can say that the speed at which a blow is delivered is very important. Which is a + for the WC guys and gals out there, since obviously WC is the fastest martial art out there!!! (He says with HUGE cheeky grin knowing he's about to get flamed...)

However, one person did say that it all depends on the person, which is definitely now going to be true, since if you have a favourite strike, that would mean the one you are most comfortable with, which should probably mean one of your most efficient strikes, ie speedy, hence powerful.

However, on a separate note, power is all well and good, IF YOUR BONES CAN HANDLE IT!! Anyone know of someone who has broken their hand punching someone?? (He says wistfully looking down at scar on wrist...) So just because you have an awesomely powerful strike, does that mean you should use it if you're body can't take the power, ie damage yourself?
(Anyone remember Mikey T punching someone outside of the ring - the guy had a seriously balck and blue face, but Mike ALSO had his hand in plaster...)

[Sonshu]

Thats one for me!

Or Hook.

[Infesticon #1]

most powerful punching technique I've seen?

I haven't really seen that many. Probably reverse backfist, you can follow a hook in with a back fist can't you? probably a bad idea though.


I've never seen any Taiji or anything like that.

[Sonshu]

Backfist following a hook might be better - I would not say a backfist is that powerfull though.

[Hokuten_Zodiac]

Power, and damage are different things. Honestly, i would rather do a nice lepord paw to the throat and take a guy down in one shot then try and nail him with some spinning back fist. But then again, klip a guy with a spinning back fist to the nose, and hes down too, so its all relative to damage induced by power.

[TigerAnsTKDLove]

well the best... can't choose but i prefer back fist and knife hand strike... why? i dont know the back fist i just love the purpose of it and knife hand i like cuz if someone goes down you knife hand to their neck.

[Kenpo Kicker]

I find that backfist and knife hand strikes are low on power compared to other strikes. I can whip out a ton of knife hand strikes though. They do damage maybe just enough but not as much as other strikes. I like the speed I get out of knife hand strikes and recoil. I never hit anyone with em but can hit pads hard with them.



Hmmmm...interesting thread.

For the geeky/intellectuals out there, here is one pointer...from what I've remembered of physics, power is defined as work done, which is defined as energy transferred over time. Therefore a powerful punch is one that either has a lot of energy, (and in our case we're probably talking kinetic energy, which is (1/2*m*(v^2) so speed is important here), or one that is delivered very fast, (oh, speed again!)
Remember, a bullet hardly weighs anything but is very damaging.
And thats not think about acceleration or pressure or density which also adds to the technique of a punch. However, one can say that the speed at which a blow is delivered is very important. Which is a + for the WC guys and gals out there, since obviously WC is the fastest martial art out there!!! (He says with HUGE cheeky grin knowing he's about to get flamed...)

However, one person did say that it all depends on the person, which is definitely now going to be true, since if you have a favourite strike, that would mean the one you are most comfortable with, which should probably mean one of your most efficient strikes, ie speedy, hence powerful.

However, on a separate note, power is all well and good, IF YOUR BONES CAN HANDLE IT!! Anyone know of someone who has broken their hand punching someone?? (He says wistfully looking down at scar on wrist...) So just because you have an awesomely powerful strike, does that mean you should use it if you're body can't take the power, ie damage yourself?
(Anyone remember Mikey T punching someone outside of the ring - the guy had a seriously balck and blue face, but Mike ALSO had his hand in plaster...)


KE = ½mv² has a error in the formula. Which sux I liked this formula. I have also heard a formula used at my school going p=mv². I dunno if that formula is wrong as well. Lol, I have even heard of another formula going p=mv. I'm not trusting physic formulas until I take some classes in it. A link to energy misdefined in physics http://nov55.com/anerr.html .


edit: I will see what my genius physics friends have to say, heh.

[Din]

hmm i suppose any punch which is delivered correctly and will your whole body weight thrown into it will be powerful

[Sonshu]

But all you need is enough, if its enough then its enough!

[Infesticon #1]

the thing about fingertip thrusts is that they generate a lot more pressure. Presuming your punch and spearhand/snakefist/whatever move at the same speed they'll have the same energy, so the force generated will be the same, and pressure is affected by the area the force is spread over c.f. apple on 1 nail Vs. apple on 8 nails.

However, I personally can't use that much force with fingertip thrusts, I don't think I'll train up so that I can either because I've been taught to use them on soft areas.

[Kenpo Kicker]

spearhand is useless imo. There are different snake strikes but the ones that are similar to spearhand are useless as well. I wouldn't want to break a finger in a fight, heh.

[Sonshu]

Keep it simple on the street and use an open hand strike if you are not in any read danger (keeping it as legal as we can here)

Or if up against it punch them, finger strikes are gonna cost ya one way or the other.

[CKava]

Im not sure what the most powerful punch I use would be as Ive never felt them but the one that tends to generate the most reaction is an uppercut...

Out of punches Ive had hit me the two that have felt most powerful were:

1. What I presume was a low hook to my side (by a boxer) it made me immediately winded and also made me unable to stand- I went straight down onto one knee.

2. A Wing Chun straight punch to my chest by a Sifu in Vancouver, this felt very weird because aside from winding me (again) it created a very severe piercing pain the remnants of which I felt for at least a few days after.

Both punches were very different and hurt in different ways but they are the two that have left the most lasting impression on me in terms of how powerful they were. I might add that the Wing Chun one was delivered in a very relaxed fashion and the boxing one almost the exact opposite and they both had the desired effect. So IMHO there is merit to both ways of hitting.

[dustIn credible]

i think the strongest punch is any punch that lands where you want it to land..........take into account economy of motion ect.... and if you get someone moving forward......a snap jab will knock em back a few feet and a cross will likely put them on the floor....

[Cain]

The thread was originally created over a year ago with the punch having the most impact in mind something like the cross or hook or some entirely another punch which I never knew of ;)

|Cain|

[Ronin807]

I would have to agree with fiticuffs, the most powerful punch is the one you land. You could put a Semi truck behind your punch...if you don't hit your target it means nothing.Punches generally delivered with the whole body behind them are usually the easiest ones to get out of the way of and generally put the user in a precarious position afterward. Punches like that shouldn't be your first strike because of this. My personal favorite has always been the boxing style hook to the head as i lead with my RH. It's a compact swing with the power moving across the body in a linear fasion on a single plane for all of the necessary body parts, unlike going to the torso with it which disperses some of the energy as your upper arm is tilted downward out of line with the movement of your hip and shoulder. And it takes a way some of your range to go to the body. but hey that's my opinion.

[Freeform]

The Judas punch ;)

[Ronin807]

The Judas punch ;)
But then again if your talking all out POWER I would have to say a cross with your strong arm and your body behind it would probably have the most explosive impact..... but talk about overextension. You leave yourself open to every counter in the book... which at the same time would make it your weakest punch. Boxers can get away with it because they don't have to worry about low attacks to the legs or kicks to the torso. or even worse a good two leg take down.

[sk_justice]

Considering this thread was started about the tai chi guy throwing the punch and moving the 5 punching bags i would just like to say he did not put his full body behind the punch.

[alex_000]

I have no experience with striking Mas apart from Boxing and kickboxing so I can't comment.

But the hook is powerfull enough :D

[Infrazael]

It must be the CLF version of the Sao Choy. With all of your body weight, entire arm, shoulder and chest muscles, gravity and centripetal force behind it, I don't think there is a punch that is better in terms of pure power.

[Mu Ryuk]

Depends on the person...I'd say in most cases, a lead hand hook is brutal, and the cross is damn powerful to.

Put them together, and you're having fun.


(Left Hook + Right Straight = Best Combo EVER)

:D

[Ikken Hisatsu]

my personal favourite hand combo is the left liver hook, right head hook, left cross (im southpaw so it would be the other way round for everyone else)

climbing combos rock, can get some serious speed going by the last hit. Tyson koed a lot with combos like that :D

[notquitedead]

I'd probably say the cross/overhand right is the most powerful (I don't do my crosses in textbook fashion, there's a little loop to them but they definitely aren't hooks). Hooks come in second.

[zeno]

I find that backfist and knife hand strikes are low on power compared to other strikes. I can whip out a ton of knife hand strikes though. They do damage maybe just enough but not as much as other strikes. I like the speed I get out of knife hand strikes and recoil. I never hit anyone with em but can hit pads hard with them.

KE = ½mv² has a error in the formula. Which sux I liked this formula. I have also heard a formula used at my school going p=mv². I dunno if that formula is wrong as well. Lol, I have even heard of another formula going p=mv. I'm not trusting physic formulas until I take some classes in it. A link to energy misdefined in physics http://nov55.com/anerr.html .


edit: I will see what my genius physics friends have to say, heh.

the p you defined was momentum, not power.

imo "power" in terms of physics is a poor way to measure a punch, since power is J/s, which is a unit of heat per time. A much better way to measure a punch would be impulse, the change of momentum over time it took to deliver the momentum: m*v/t

this also successfully put time, speed, and mass into the correct ratios. The more mass, the harder the punch. The faster the fist, the harder the punch. The less time the impact took to deliver the same amount of momentum, the more power the punch.


as to wot punch I believe is the most powerful, well I forgot the name. But you start in a left-foot-forward front stance and punch with your right hand. As you punch your right leg steps forward and you drop into a horse-stance facing left as you hit. So your ending position would have your shoulder lined up with your punching arm. This punch puts the power of your twisting torso, the shift of your body weight, and the chambering motion of your left arm all into one punch.

[Mu Ryuk]

as to wot punch I believe is the most powerful, well I forgot the name. But you start in a left-foot-forward front stance and punch with your right hand. As you punch your right leg steps forward and you drop into a horse-stance facing left as you hit. So your ending position would have your shoulder lined up with your punching arm. This punch puts the power of your twisting torso, the shift of your body weight, and the chambering motion of your left arm all into one punch.

Well...that may have power, but I'm sure as hell never going to drop into a Horse stance when I'm fighting.

[gwa_sau_chap]

It must be the CLF version of the Sao Choy. With all of your body weight, entire arm, shoulder and chest muscles, gravity and centripetal force behind it, I don't think there is a punch that is better in terms of pure power.


I agree with the fact that the Sao chui in CLF is one of the strongest punches due to the power of the arm, the body, and the twisting motion. Same theory as a ball and chain where the whippin action of the punch from the arms is like the chain and the punch is the ball. A very deadly punch indeed, and very efficient in terms of power with amount of force put into it.

[shootodog]

the most powerful punch, for me, personally, my opinion only, is the one that connects.

[Infrazael]

KE = ½mv² is perfect. There is nothing wrong with this formula.

[BRECKDOG]

Overhand Right with a step in is king of the weight transfer power punches IMO.

When you watch the boxing- people are knocked out or debilitated by -Left hooks, left shovel hooks (liver shot) frequently- not so much cos they are the most powerful(although they are up there) but cos they can be hidden in the combinations and catch the guy out- as the saying goes "he gets knocked out by the punch he does not see."

[Scarlet Mist]

Most powerful punch?

Rum punch made with OJ, lime and a whole lot of white overproof rum.
Sets you right up.