Every man will find themselves in a situation during their life where hand-to-hand combat may be necessary. As a result, every man needs to have an arsenal of tools to work with when fighting an attacker. There’s no better tool than the classic overhand or power punch. In the hands of a highly trained individual, this punch can be deadly. Below are 3 simple steps that can help you throw a punch that can knock an opponent on their butt.
The setup. You’ll have to do some work to open up your opponent so you can land your punch. Try some some high jabs to the head and a few fakes. When your opponent drops his gaurd, you’re ready to throw your power punch. End with a jab with your no-dominant hand so your dominant hand is ready to throw the overhand punch.
The punch. Bring your jab back while simultaneously throwing your overhand punch. Increase the power of your punch by pushing off your back foot and twisting your hips much like you would swing a baseball bat. Don’t aim at his face, but rather a couple of inches behind his face. That way you’ll have maximum power when your fist lands on your opponent’s face.
The defense. Overhead punches leave you vulnerable after you throw them. Keep your jab hand up by your face to protect against any counters. Spinning away from your opponent after you throw the punch can also help create distance between you and him.
If you liked this article, please bookmark it on del.icio.us or vote for it on Digg. I�d appreciate it.
Subscribe to Art of Manliness by RSS or email to get your FREE guide to being a gentleman in 2008.
Facebook 
{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
Hahaha. How about go to a gym? This is like trying to teach someone how to ride a bike over the internet – it’s not going to happen. (I’m saying this as someone who has been training in BJJ/MMA for 4 years, been in martial arts for 10) 1 The blog is interesting, but posts like this are frivolous and silly.
Keith-
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. While do have a serious goal for this blog (get men thinking about what it means to be a man today) I will occasionally post articles that are a bit tongue-in-cheek. This was just intended to be a fun post. Of course, I’d encourage anyone who wants to learn how to fight to head to a gym like you have done.
Good article. To what Keith said though, going to the gym doesn’t make you a fighter, nor does upper body strength necessarily mean you’re going to throw a killer jab.
One thing you need to keep in mind though, is the best place to hit someone, is on the jawline running up the face. That’s where the blood veins run to the brain and if you hit them there hard enough, you’ll send them to the floor in a daze.
@Colin Ferguson:
Thanks for your insights. I can attest if you get hit there, you’ll get sent to the floor. I had a face mask to my jaw when I played football in high school and I was out.
Oh man, it’s brutal.
Never ever hit someone on the jaw with your fist! I agree it looks quite manly when done in the movies but in real life you will most certainly break your hand, especially in cold weather. (Remember, in boxing the gloves are for protecting your hands not the other guy).
Instead hit him on the nose with the palm heel of your hand, if possible from below. It will cause hell of a pain, make his eyes water and will disrupt his balance.
Spinning away might also not be the best of ideas. Just imagine what he might do to you if your punch missed and you suddenly have your back turned towards him.
Better shower him with punches while driving him backwards until he goes down.
Gonna hafta agree with Kevin about using the heel of your palm.
Yea the fist will work so go for a punch if you want, but I work in a hospital. I dont know how many times a week we have people come in with broken fingers or (more commonly) broken knuckles from hitting someone else NOT from being hit themselves.
Using the heel of your palm will (generally) give a more forceful blow, and your not as liable to break something in your hand. The idea is hurt the OTHER guy, not yourself.
Alot of very powerful punches can be thrown from a variety of directions and positions using some of the elements you describe here. In my limited experience in martial arts (2 years) I’d say the most important factors are 1) stepping into the punch and pushing off with the rear leg 2) twist your torso using everything from your hips to your shoulders, and 3) focus the tension of the punch on the point of impact.
Using these techniques, you can throw punches that will make a good sized (100-200 lb.) punching bag dance all over the place. If you do it right, you can throw these punches in quick succession without leaving yourself too open, and also without leaving your opponent very much time to react. Even if he blocks the first five shots, your next eight will pummel him to the ground.
As for hard objects, you can replace the heavy bag with harder things such as wrapped wooden planks to toughen your hands. With enough toughening the bones get incredibly strong, but the downside is that they’ll be somewhat deformed and there’s not much of a way for your bones to go back to normal so far as I’ve seen.
Great post though, and I hope more guys get out to their local gym and meet the ever lonely heavy bag.
To tell the truth I agree with everybody on here. I must add the key 2 throwin a successful power punch is also about oppurtunity and timing. I’ve seen so many fights where 1 guy will throw his first punch and put everything into that punch and miss and the other guy will counter and most of the time the fight goes in that other guys favor(the one who counters the punch). Its about oppurtunity don’t just swing with everything hoping you will hit. You got to wait till the time is right and you see an opening in which u can really deliver the crushing blow. Also its about timing too. I’ve heard and seen a great way to get a good clean hit; sumtimes a persons whole body is open when they throw a punch. With enough speed and an understanding of timing you can deliver a great hit to his face before his punch even decides to take flight
Speaking from experience, do not hit a guy in the back of the head; you will break your hand.
ROFL, this article feels so basic that I didn’t really get anything out of it! If you threw a punch like this without adequate practice, you could easily throw a haymaker instead of an overhand or straight or cross. And committing to this punch leaves it much more of an all or nothing punch, so if you’re gong to throw this shot, MAKE SURE YOU HIT WITH IT!
Kicking your opponent in the nuts is more than effective, and if some manliness obsessed wanker tries to tell you that a nut-shot isn’t manly, kick him in the nuts as well.
Thanks for the info, but I’m too old to be throwing punches.
@Jason
Keep in mind though that regardless of age, someday someone could be throwing a punch at YOU. It’s a good thing to stay up on, if only for self-defense.
Cheers,
Will
Two techniques I learned in Ninjutsu, at the most basic. (I am a Ni-Dan, and have been teaching for 5 years. Not that that means anything over the ‘net.)
A) If you’re going to hit someone in the face, first sweep away their defense with your jab hand (Left, if you’re right handed.) This leaves them very vulnerable. Follow *immediately* with a right to something soft on the face. Nose, eyes, and cheeks are all very tender areas to be punched in, and they won’t cause quite as much damage to your hands. Note: When thowing this Wheel punch, Both hands should be moving at the same time. Make a wheel toward the opponent starting with the left and connecting with the right.
B) The quickest way to knock an opponent out of a fight is to use either the heel of your palm or your elbow and strike the Solar Plexus (just below the sternum.) Use the wheel technique above and instead of throwing a punch, use a palm strike or collapsing elbow (Punch, then snap forward with the elbow strike using your own momentum,) or both, as the palm and collapse are compatible. This will at the very least knock the wind out of them, probably knock them out and will hurt like a mother.
@ Jason
You’re never too old to throw a punch Jason.
Check this story I read recently that literally had me on the floor laughing.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1196479/Pictured-The-battered-bruised-face-burglar-got-wrong-72-year-old-boxer.html
Sometimes ……
SOMEtimes!
The news can really brighten your day!
Gentlemen, a good solid punch to a man’s jaw, chin, or nose will not break your hand in a street fight if executed correctly. One must learn to make a proper fist and attempt to evenly distribute the force of the blow to the “flat” of the hand. A good way to achieve an effective fist is to hold something in your hand as to prevent the breaking of your knuckles(roll of quarters is very effective…avoid using a lighter, they can explode). It is very important to keep your wrist as straight as possible. Make sure you do not over extend your arm as to prevent damage to your elbow. Punch straight, not from the side, and make your elbow follows your fist as straight as possible. I have been in quite a few street fights, I have studied mma techniques and I can say I have never punched a man properly who did not go down, nor have I ever injured my self on a man’s face. If you believe you run the risk of injuring your self from punching someone perhaps you should not be in a fist fight. That is not to say that very good fighters have not broken their hands in fights. I believe in these cases the person sporting the broken hand had either weaker bones than the person they hit, or they threw an incorrect punch. Drinking plenty of Milk is an excellent way to strengthen your bones. I have drank 2 or 3 glasses nearly ever day of my life, and I have extremely high bone density. If you have to crack someone aim for their nose, jaw, or chin. Throw as many strong and accurate punches to the face as possible, make sure your left leg is in front of you(for right handed guys). When moving it is better to “shuffle” in in as opposed to walking or running. Never compromise strength for speed. Do not flail like a mad man, or an experienced fighter will find an opening and end the fight either through knockout or submission. If you see their legs are straight you can kick their knee in and break it. Hope this helps.
Dave,
You never hit with the flat of your fist, never ever. That is the weakest most vulnerable way to throw a punch. The strongest, least vulnerable fist is the hammer fist. I was a gold glove boxer in my youth in the state of New York, and as everyone knows there is no shortage of quality boxers and trainers in that section. You say to impact the flat of your fist with your wrist straight. That is not possible. With your wrist straight your fist makes an arrowhead shape with the second row of knuckles making the impact. Thia has and always will be the least vulnerable way to throw a punch and not break you wrist or hand.
What I by meant by punching with the “flat” of the hand, is to attempt to evenly distribute the blow to your top row of knuckles. You obviously misunderstood what I meant by keeping one’s wrist as straight as possible. The idea is to throw a hard punch by striking with your top row of knuckles while avoiding bending your wrist as much as possible as to prevent damaging your wrist on impact. I dont know how your wrist is shaped, but mine remains fairly straight with a slight angle downwards when I strike…thus exposing the top row of knuckles to take the impact…Only a fool would suggest punching a man with his second row of knuckles.
Dave,
The only thing you said that I disagree with is “Never compromise strength for speed.” I have only trained a few months for mma a number of years ago. However, I have been boxing for a number of years now. It is likely that one will telegraph when trying to throw a very hard punch. I also believe that someone could still do a lot of damage with a punch half as hard, while not losing their balance and throwing faster. I have never been knocked out boxing but I have been much closer from five half strength punches to the head coming fast than one or two hard punches. I think it only takes a few seconds to recover from a hard blow. If you can land a lot of fast punches you are likely to overwhelm the guy and he will probably drop his guard if he is untrained. At that point sure, throw the money maker. I just say don’t come out swinging for the fenses.
An overhand power punch is great in a boxing match — where the combatants are using handwraps and padded gloves. But in a bareknuckle dustup, it’s a disaster. If you hit someone in the skull with a power punch, you virtually guarantee a broken hand.
Some previous commenters complained about the risk(s) of broken hands from hitting an opponent’s jaw. I have to disagree; it is perfectly safe to hit someone on the jaw. However, it is not as easy to do as you might think. Nobody sets out to hit the forehead or to hit an elbow, but it can happen if you are not careful with your wild overhand power punches. Better to use precise straight punches or short-range hooks when you can see exactly what it is that you are aiming at.
Elbows are much, much better to throw than fists, but require you to be closer.