White Man Fighting Tip 8

Anatomy of a punch

It's surprising how little information is out there on proper mechanics for your fist when punching bare knuckle and there is confusion because of various combat sports, boxing and MMA and that the fist is sometimes put into different positions when punching with those gloves on.

I've attached three photos of the most common fist configurations we see or are taught when punching. Most people will tell you to put your thumb as deep into your fist as you can, where it often ends up around the middle finger. Do that right now and tense your fist/wrist and I want to see how hard it is to bend your wrist.

Then choke up on your thumb, stopping it shy, probably somewhere on your pointer finger with about a 45 degree angle. Now I want you to flex your wrist and fist and try to bend it again. You'll notice you have much more strength in your wrist, with your thumb stopping shy on the pointer finger. Unfortunately, modern boxing gloves set your thumb outside of your fist so you can't do it in those gloves, but in bare knuckle or some MMA gloves, you should try to punch with your thumb at about a 45 degree angle on your pointer finger.

Anatomically, your wrist will be in a much better position to support your fist. By flexing, and tensing your wrist properly, you not only prevent injuries, but more of your energy is transferred out of your body and into the opponent.