More Striking Power with 3 Exericses
Much of building the power to hit hard is being skillful at whatever martial style you practice. That said, all styles depend on the same basic power generation to hit hard. Everything starts with the hips, relaxed movement for speed and potent tension at the follow thru for delivering the most skull-crushing blow. This is true for boxing, or Kung Fu or karate styles or Muay Thai or even Russian Systema which uses a circular “power slap” kind of a blow. All power is transferred from the feet up through the legs, hips, back and abs. These are the martial arts exercises that will give you the most ability for the areas of your body in the most martially pertinent way. It’s your decision to become technically proficient at whatever form of hitting you use to make the best of it.
The one-arm dumbbell press. There are multiple forms of the one arm press done with a dumbbell from strict to explosive. All styles will help because all of them overload the body in a way to unify it behind one limb which is a key in punching. Putting your full body behind the punching arm. This will make stronger your shoulders and chest better than any other exercise as well as teaching unified movement of the upper back and coordinated movement of the core and legs.
Full Squats or Deadlifts. If you are really going to be taught how to hit hard you’ve got to be doing full body power exercises. The kind that makes your body function as one piece and adds to the power of every muscle in the body, not just some isolated exercise. Perhaps not everyone favors squats like myself but one or the other is essential for building an extension of the posterior chain to generate real strength for striking.
The kettlebell swing. This drill gives you not only explosive, extending power of the hips, legs and back, but endurance to boot which is a big plus in any type of hitting style. Intent is everything in training. Something that is huge on the agenda for super self defense practitioners like Steve Cotter. When you do the swing think not only of crisp, snappy, strenuously explosive movements, but of the same powerful body extension that you would use in throwing a strike. Breathe deep. Deep breathing adds to your qi as well as your health.
Working these 3 exercises into your routine will not only explode your conditioning, but will teach your body the right movements and sort of ability to make you hit more powerfully than ever. There are some techniques in here that mixed in your total programme will give you hands of strength and the power to back them up.
Bud Jeffries owns of Strongerman where you can learn a lot about martial arts strength training. For more info on how to hit harder click this.
