One of the biggest mistakes of beginners who start boxing is that they do not care about the proper punching fist. However, the correct form is crucial to prevent injury, whether you hit a bag or spare with someone. Of course, the position of hands affects the power and accuracy no matter if you do bag work or fight with an opponent.
Learn the proper fist for punching
- Firstly, bend your fingers except for your thumb. Starting with your little finger, curl your fingers into your palm.
- Then, place your thumb across the second knuckles of your middle and index finger. If you have a shorter thumb, it’s going to be just on your index finger, but that’s no problem.
- To prevent injuries, you should always keep your fist tightly closed, and your fingers should be closed in your palms.
A common mistake: Never place your thumb under your fingers inside your palm. That’s the best way to break your thumb.
An alternative technique to make a punching fist
Recently, I bumped into an Instagram post in which an old-school boxer method was mentioned.
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- In this case, we also start with an open hand. We curl the last three fingers like we usually do. So, the index finger is still pointing upwards.
- Next, we fold the index finger, but we don’t bend it.
- The straight index finger point towards the wrist.
- Finally, fold the thumb about it.
I tried this method during the punching bag training. But I’m so used to the traditional punching fist that it was hard to keep that fist structure.
More about how to make a fist to punch
To keep this tight and closed fist, static muscle work is required that affects the wrist and the forearm. This way, if you hold your fist too tightly, the traction of those muscles will harm the speed of your punches. Plus, it has a disadvantageous impact on muscle coordination. Hence, your punches will be not as efficient.
When you hit something, a huge pressure is generated that has an impact not only on your fists but also on the muscles, bones, and joints of your forearms. That is why the relationship between the fist and forearm is so important. That means the top of the punching hand and your forearm should form a plane. Also, the fist and wrist should form a tight unit. Because the fist can only defeat the imposed loads if the collision force gets into the impact line connecting the wrist and the elbow collinear.
Note: Reduce the risk of injuries and pain by using wraps. All of the moveable bones and joints of your fingers and wrists are secured by hand wraps. Wrapping help to distribute shock over your entire hand by fastening all your joints together. Whenever your hand hits the heavy bag or your opponent, you don’t want your joints to be moving independently.
How to make your fist strong?
With time, your fist gets stronger, and your hand gets used to the proper form. But, you can use a hand gripper or do exercises like dumbbell or barbell wrist curls to make it stranger. Pull-ups and chin-ups are also excellent bodyweight exercises to build a strong grip.
Which knuckles to punch with?
Try to hit the target with your first two knuckles when you throw a punch. Since the index and the middle finger are longer, naturally, the knuckles pop out more. But, there is always a debate about this topic. When you punch, line up your forearm and fist. That leads to a more solid punch.
So, the next time you work out, do not forget the proper boxing fist before punching anything. It is crucial to avoid injuries and maximize your punches’ effect.