Strike sharpness training. Developing foot speed at home. Medicine ball push-ups

In order for a blow to become more powerful, you need to understand how its force is generated:

• technique, impact trajectory;
• speed;
• body mass.

Setting up equipment

It is the technique of striking that primarily affects their strength. If you want to succeed in this, then you need to contact a coach who can explain to you what trajectory your arm or leg should follow, when you should tense or relax your fist as much as possible, and how the body should behave at the moment of impact. Let's look at some points further.

Feet

1. Should be slightly wider than shoulder width.
2. The heel rises first.
3. When hitting, the foot must be turned in the direction of the hand movement.
4. When striking with the right hand, the left foot is in place, and the heel of the right is raised and vice versa.

• Your knees should be slightly bent and your body weight should be shifted forward.
• Rotate your hips towards your opponent at the same time as you strike.
• Full body movement upon impact, with a close throw of the arm, is more effective.
• Never reach forward, sharply turn your torso.
• When swinging, do not move your arm back, as this can easily expose you.
• The fist must be clenched as tightly as possible upon impact.
• Exhale with each stroke.

All of the above requirements must be met simultaneously.

The technique can be improved throughout your life, from which the blows will become stronger. Pay attention to this component as the main one.

Developing strength, speed and explosive energy

Kicking the ball

Find some free space to do this exercise. Try to find a heavy ball that boxers use in training. If you don't have one, use a basketball one.

Initial position: feet shoulder-width apart, body straight. Raise the ball high above your head. Hit the ball hard on the floor and catch it after it bounces. Repeat the exercise at least 15 times.

If you live in an apartment, then it is better to refuse this exercise, otherwise you may break the ceiling of your neighbors.

Jump Squats

Initial position: stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart, arms at your sides. Squat down until your knees are level with your hips. Jump up as much as possible while raising your arms. Repeat the jumps until you run out of strength (for a better effect, you can pick up dumbbells).

As for the upper body, the triceps, back muscles and shoulders play a big role for a powerful blow.

Pull-ups

When doing pull-ups, you should keep your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. If desired, you can hang weights on your belt. Try to do as many pull-ups as possible.

Push ups

Try to keep your hands as close to each other as possible. Don't arch your back, keep it straight. Push-ups develop the triceps, back and chest muscles. The bench press works on the same principle. To strengthen your hand, try doing push-ups with your fists.

Reverse push-ups

Find a bench, stand with your back to it, lean on your palms, squatting slightly. Start lowering and rising on your hands. Perform three sets of twenty times.

Raising the kettlebell forward

Place your legs at your sides. Take the kettlebell with one hand and hold it between your legs with your arm straight. Bend your legs slightly at the knees. Sharply jerk the kettlebell forward to a level of 90 degrees relative to the body. At the highest point, your back should be straight. Repeat for up to eight kettlebell raises with one arm. Then switch hands. You should feel tension in your muscles.

Jerk

The exercise is similar to the previous one, with the only difference being that the weight is now raised above your head. After 8-12 repetitions, change hands.

Snatch and jerk

Place the weight between your legs. Place your hand on it, pushing your hips back. Pull upward sharply, positioning your arm so as to throw the weight over your shoulders. Now use a push to lift it above your head. Return to the starting position. Do ten lifts of the weight with one hand.

Lifting a kettlebell up from a seated position

Place the weight over your shoulder in a squatting position. Place your left hand forward, this will help you maintain your balance. Lift the weight up. Wait a second, then do a second lift. Change hand. Make sure to keep your calves and buttocks tight.

Lifting a kettlebell from a lying position

Lie on your back, take a kettlebell in one hand and lift it. The hand should always be in a vertical position. From this position you need to try to rise. First bend one leg, then the other. You can help with your free hand. Do the exercise about ten times.

Two kettlebell push

Place two weights on your shoulders. Inhale, then jerk both weights above your head. Slowly lower them. The abs should be tense during exercises.

Other options for developing impact force

• Use a wrist expander regularly. Buy the hardest implement and work alternately with both hands. Be sure to squeeze the expander sharply, applying all your strength. The exercise helps develop the interdigital muscles and forearms. As a result, the fist will become stronger and more powerful.
• Every day, jump rope with your hips high. Try to reach your chest with your knees.
• Exercises with a sledgehammer are no less effective. Take a tool (it’s best to do this near the garage) and start hitting unnecessary tires. During the exercise, exactly those muscles that are involved in striking are activated.
• Ask your partner to help you. It is necessary to work on your “paws”. Hit as if the target was a few centimeters further than the paw. Try to penetrate the projectile as if through it. This exercise will help you not lose speed and hit your opponent harder.
• The most effective blows are the ones you least expect. You need to hit unexpectedly so that the enemy does not have time to react. The “shadow boxing” exercise will help you develop speed and sharpness. Perform the exercise daily for at least ten minutes. Additionally, you can add 1-2 kg dumbbells to your hands.
• You can use a rubber band or cut straight pieces from a car tire. Tie one end of the material to a wall or something that is securely fastened. Take the other end in your hand and strike, resisting the back pressure of the rubber band.
• To develop an explosive strike, you can do push-ups on your fists and palms off the floor. Three approaches of ten times are enough.
• To increase your speed, try jumping. Start with one hit and gradually increase. So, it should be possible to deliver 3-4 blows before your feet touch the floor.

All of the above exercises help develop punching power, make the muscles and tendons of the arms stronger and more resilient. If you do them regularly, the results will be noticeable within a week.

A strong blow is necessary, but it should only be used for defense. Always be aware of the consequences that may arise.

The Importance of Hitting Accuracy

No matter how strong your blows are, if they are delivered to protected areas, they will be of little use. It is important to hit vulnerable spots. From an anatomical point of view, knockout is a critical load on the cerebellum. An impulse from the central nervous system shuts down the body. A direct impact on this center of the brain is carried out by a blow to:

• jaw;
• temple;
• the back of the head.

In addition to the head, there are other vulnerable spots, the impact of which can demoralize an opponent. A powerful attack on such zones interrupts the normal functioning of the body, depriving the enemy of consciousness and capacity:

• liver– “depot” of blood and blows to this area cause spasm, suffocation and loss of consciousness;
• solar plexus- a large bundle of nerves, an accurate hit guarantees a temporary cessation of breathing and makes it impossible to act;
• under the heart: powerful penetrating impact with a fist or foot leads to tachycardia, blockage of the respiratory center, and sometimes cardiac arrest;
• lower abdomen and groin- no comments.

The knockout threshold is individual for each person, but it is known that even a blow with a force of 150 kg can knock out an opponent if it is delivered precisely and suddenly. And for the lower part of the jaw, 15 kg is enough! In classical boxing, they teach you to hit the following vulnerable spots on the human body:

You will need

• - hard rubber ball of small diameter;
• - dumbbells weighing 0.5 kg;
• - metal sledgehammer;
• - a barbell with a thickened neck;
• - car tire;
• - badminton lessons;
• - a bag of sand;
• - medicine ball weighing about 5 kg;
• - stopwatch.

Instructions

Work with rigid wrist expanders daily. The best is a simple elastic rubber ball. Constantly squeeze it with force, as if you are trying to crush it. Try to keep the movement sharp. Perform the exercise with both hands alternately. This way you will pump up the interdigital muscles, which will make your fist heavier and your blow sharper.

Plyometric exercises are essential for developing speed. The simplest of them is push-ups with cotton. Place your fists on the floor and assume a prone position. Slowly bend your arms and lower your body. At the lowest point, sharply push your body up and try to clap your hands under your chest. Land on your fists. Bend your arms slightly when landing to avoid injuring your elbows.

It is very important to develop wrist strength. To do this, you will have to work with a barbell with a thick bar. It is enough to simply hold such a barbell in your freely lowered hands for as long as possible. Hold the barbell with an overhand grip, relax your shoulders, and look straight ahead. The main load should fall on the wrists and hands.

Perform the shadow boxing exercise daily at a fast pace for 10-15 minutes. To make the exercise more effective, pick up light dumbbells. Their weight should not exceed 500 grams, otherwise you can easily knock down the equipment blow.

Hang a pillow or sandbag on a wall or stable support. Try to strike quickly and sharply. One set – 60-70 frequent strikes. Do at least 10 sets daily. Allow no more than three seconds for each blow. Practice with a stopwatch first to get the rhythm of your strokes.

One of the fastest fighters, Jet Li, called daily badminton training the most important training for his explosive reaction. Don't neglect this wonderful game. Not only will you develop excellent reflexes, but you will also improve your eye and master your pushing footwork.

Work with a heavy medicine ball. Throwing a heavy ball hard at a wall or floor will help you develop power and sharpness. blow. Throw the ball so that it bounces into your hands. Believe me, this is not at all as simple as it seems.

Try to exclude biceps exercises from your workouts. Pumped up biceps strengthen the arm at the moment of extension, which prevents the application of a sharp and strong blow. Better include work in your training. Apply strong blows with a metal sledgehammer to a car tire that is buried in the ground or mounted on a stable support. This exercise has been considered the best since the 19th century.

Sources:

• how to train punch speed

The ability to take a punch will help you in any fight. And despite the fact that professionals advise against taking a blow, the ability to take a blow is the main advantage of a talented athlete.

Instructions

Master the techniques of various defenses. For example, the “dive” technique is to dive under a hand coming at you; “stand” technique - expose any part of the body to attack (most often, the arm); "Twist" technique - group yourself as much as possible - it will be difficult for you.

Methodically prepare your torso for possible impacts. Stretch other muscles too - this will protect your internal ones from damage. Moreover, the more often you experience them, the sooner your body will get used to them. This is in professional language "to fill the body." Naturally, the blows should not be intense enough so as not to incapacitate you for a long time.

Video on the topic

Helpful advice

It is necessary to work on defense techniques methodically and persistently. The defense must become not only strong, but also active, that is, create an advantageous position for a retaliatory strike.

Whoever a person is - an athlete or a mere mortal, sometimes he has to literally “keep hit» enemy. Often, such a skill is a necessity for survival in our difficult conditions. There are several simple techniques that will help you do this most effectively.

You will need

• Physical training
• Psychological stability
• Coach or mentor

Instructions

If you train in any section or just do it for yourself, then you understand that the first important condition in a fight is retention hit and the enemy. It’s hard to say what’s more difficult: attacking or defending. But the key to success in battle is psychological and predicting the enemy’s actions. Once you learn to hold hit and directing the enemy’s actions against himself will greatly help you in any fight. So how can you learn to hold back its onslaught? Let's look at this in more detail.1. To properly learn to hold hit, you need to initially look your opponent in the eye. This is where most people get pierced. There is only one conclusion: they are not psychologically prepared enough to face danger. This means that you need to work on this moment with special techniques, namely: daily meditation for 20-30 minutes. If you learn to see the eyes of the enemy, you will probably predict his plan. That is, where will they go hit s. In this case, you will be able to react to it much more effectively.

2. As soon as he swings his hand, take several actions to neutralize him, namely: move away from the line of attack, taking a step to the side, and then finish him off with your hand or foot. Place a block with your hand, and with a counter movement, strike it hit to the open area. You can also go into full defense, namely by positioning your hands in such a way that they completely cover your head and half of your torso.

3. Another point that should not be forgotten in battle is counter movement towards the enemy. One of the most productive ways is direct hit kick in the stomach. It is acceptable to do it if the enemy is at some distance from you. In this case, you act first and stop him before hit A. According to Russian SAMBO coaches, this is one of the best ways to defend in this situation.

4. Also, do not forget about personal preparation. Learn to accept and hold hit Daily even small training sessions on strengthening your limbs (arms, legs), push-ups on your fists on the floor, running, exercising in the gym and developing psychological stability will help you. Without it, all training will be in vain. So, by following the above instructions, you will learn to restrain in a short time hit s of the enemy.

Video on the topic

note

On your physical condition and psychological preparation.

Helpful advice

Practice under the guidance of a mentor or experienced trainer. Important: try not to get injured during training.

Sources:

• useful boxing lessons and tips

Establishing basic techniques in martial arts is the key to natural movements in a real fight. To work off blows kicks, no expensive equipment is required. All you need is your desire and willpower.

Instructions

It is best to practice at home in special or old worn-out shoes. When practicing strikes kicks You can use familiar sports equipment or make do with improvised materials and objects. So, instead of " "? you can use a regular plastic bag stuffed with rags, and a chair will serve as an obstacle that will help you practice the accuracy of your strike.

An empty bag can be used when practicing difficult strikes. Throw the bag into the air and, using various blows, prevent it from falling, knocking it off, but so that it does not touch the ground. So, by the way, you can practice striking techniques not only kicks, but also with your hands.

Place a regular chair in the middle of the training room and practice blows, not forgetting that: - the blow should begin with raising the knee;
- after striking, you must not place your foot sharply on the ground;
- after delivering a blow, you must first bend your leg slightly at the knee and only then lower it.

Perform similar exercises at the Swedish wall. In addition, practicing at the wall bars will develop an additional skill in you - the ability to vary the levels of strikes. Perform several hits into the space between the different bars of this projectile at different speeds. If this is still difficult for you, do this exercise first at a slow pace, and then gradually increase the speed of execution. The height of the kick can also be gradually increased, depending on your fitness level.

Near the Swedish wall you can also practice circular blows. Stand slightly to the side of the wall and do the same from level to level? practice the technique of circular strikes, including the lowest one.

Avoid possible mistakes when training. Remember: - in order not to lose balance, you always need to slightly bend your supporting leg at the knee;
- you should not put your body weight on your heel;
- you need to watch your hands: they should not be idle;
- you can alternate punching exercises only with speed exercises, and not with strength ones.

In the combat training of an athlete, it is important to teach him to deliver devastating blows as quickly as possible. Not only its physical characteristics are important, but also its quick reaction to carry out an attack. There is a special set of methods that will gradually form a high-speed strike.

You will need

• - trainer;
• - sparring partner;
• - makiwaras;
• - gym;
• - gloves;
• - helmets.

Instructions

Practice positioning your hands when hitting. At the first stage, make sure that your hands are positioned correctly. Many beginners initially begin to practice their kick incorrectly. Make a fist as tight as possible and press down firmly with your thumb. The fist should be in full contact with the flat surface. Hit only the first two knuckles, without skimming the surface. Fully straighten your arm. This will give the strike accuracy and strength. Let a trainer show you how to do it. Correct your mistakes.

Hit the air for a while. Once you have learned the correct positioning, practice hitting into empty space. Many people underestimate the importance of this exercise. In fact, in many martial arts it comes first. Measure 30 meters. This will be your estimate. Place your hands in position and begin alternately performing high-speed strikes. At the same time, accompany everyone with a step forward. Do the same movement backwards. Complete only 4-5 in this style.

Work with a partner or coach. Now that you can hit the air quickly and correctly, it's time to incorporate makiwara into your training. Ask your instructor to place one makiwara on each hand. Give it a few quick blows first to warm up. Then start moving, just like in the previous exercise. Hit 2-3 hits at a time, no more. Gradually increase your speed and strength. To do this, put your whole body into each blow.

Use high-speed strikes in sparring. Once you have learned the technique and speed of your strikes, it is time to consolidate them in actual practice with a sparring partner. Wear boxing gloves and helmets. Complete the same task, delivering 2-3 hits, but this time to the enemy. Also remember to defend yourself when the enemy hits you. This alternating training will teach you how to quickly strike and defend in a short time.

Video on the topic

Sources:

• hitting speed training

In martial arts, it is important to be able to strike accurately and quickly with your hand. In order for your opponent to feel the force of the blow, and for you to feel minimal pain, you need to train rigidity fist. To do this, there are a number of special exercises that can be done at home.

To make a strong punch, you need to not only train, but also understand how the force necessary to deliver a powerful blow is generated. There are several techniques that allow you to punch truly powerfully and strongly.

A strong blow is formed not only due to high speed, but also due to its own weight. If you invest your full body weight, the result will be as powerful as possible. Avoiding dislocations is possible by following the correct execution technique, which involves never straightening the arm completely, and striking at different angles. They bring truly serious damage to the opponent.

Feet

They play no less a role in the impact force. Their position and movement must obey the following nuances:

1. The feet must be placed wider than the shoulder girdle.
2. The foot is turned in the direction of the movement made by the hand, while the heel is always raised first.
3. When a blow is made with the right hand, the left foot does not move, the heel of the right one rises and vice versa.

Proper foot placement allows for much stronger and more powerful strikes, but is not the only thing to consider.

What else do you need to know to give your fist punch power?

1. Keep your knees slightly bent, shifting your body weight forward.
2. During the strike, the hips should turn in the direction in which the opponent is located.
3. In close contact, full movement of the entire body allows you to increase the force of the blow.
4. You can't reach forward. The body should turn sharply.
5. Pulling the arm back during the swing allows the opponent to predict and prevent the strike.
6. When striking, the fist must be clenched as tightly as possible.
7. Each new blow is performed with an exhalation of air.

These requirements must be met not separately, but simultaneously.

Exercises to develop a strong strike

To punch powerfully and strongly, you also need to train. This is facilitated by a set of exercises.

To perform the exercise, you must have enough free space. The ball should be taken heavy. The one that boxers train with is best. An alternative would be a basketball.

The execution technique is as follows:

• legs are spaced shoulder-width apart;
• the body is kept straight;
• the ball is raised high above the head;
• the ball is hit with force on the floor and caught after the rebound.

Stuffing is done at least 15 times.

Performed according to the following scheme:

• stand straight, legs at shoulder level, and arms at your sides;
• squat until the knees form one line with the hips;
• jump up, raising their arms at the same time.

You need to jump as high as possible. Do so many repetitions that there is no strength left. You can enhance the effect by using dumbbells held in your hands.

Training for triceps, shoulder girdle and back muscles

These muscle groups play an important role in increasing the force of a punch and are trained through the following exercises.

When pulling up, keep your arms slightly wider than your shoulders. To increase efficiency, weights are hung on the belt. They try to do as many repetitions as their own physical fitness allows.

Hands are placed as close to each other as possible. You can't arch your back. It should remain straight. The exercise trains the triceps, pectoral and back muscles. The bench press has a similar effect. To strengthen your hands, you need to do push-ups on your fists.

Performed with a bench. They stand with their backs to her, lean on their palms, and squat slightly. They lower and rise by bending and straightening their arms. Do at least 3 sets of 20 repetitions.

Strengthens the hands and develops the deltoid muscles. The latter have a significant impact on the impact. In addition, the kettlebell is a piece of equipment that promotes muscle growth.

Legs are placed on the sides. A weight is held in a straightened arm between the legs, and the legs are slightly bent at the knee joint. The weight is lifted forward with a sharp movement so that a right angle is formed between the projectile and the body. You need to ensure that your back remains straight at the top extreme point. Do up to 8 repetitions on each hand. Tension should be felt in the muscles.

It is performed similarly to forward lifts, but only the projectile is lifted above the head. The recommended number of repetitions on each side is from 8 to 12 times.

The projectile is placed between the spread legs. Place your hand on it so that your hips remain behind. They make a sharp jerk upward, throwing the weight directly onto their shoulders, and then push the projectile above their head. Return to the starting position. You need to do 10 lifts for each hand.

Kettlebell raises from a seated position

They throw the weight over their shoulder and squat down. To maintain balance, put your left hand forward. They lift the kettlebell up, wait a second, do another lift, and then change hands. The buttocks and calves should be constantly tense.

Lifting with a kettlebell from a lying position

They lie with their backs down on the floor, take a weight in their hand and lift it. The hand is held in a vertical position and then begins to rise. Bend first one and then the other leg. If lifting is difficult, help yourself with your free hand. Do about 10 repetitions.

Two shells are thrown onto the shoulders. Having taken air into the lungs, the weights are jerked above the head and then slowly lowered. During the exercise, the abdominal muscles should be tense.

To make a punch stronger, you can use the following techniques and methods:

• Exercise with a wrist expander. You need to take the toughest one. The projectile must be compressed sharply and with maximum force. Working with an expander helps develop the interdigital muscles and forearms, which makes the fists more powerful and stronger.
• Jump rope every day. You should try to raise your hips as high as possible and reach your chest with your knees.
• Training with a sledgehammer also has quite the effects. It is taken in the hand and hit on old tires, which activates the muscles that also work during impact. This should be done outside, for example, next to the garage.
• Working in pairs, you need to try to hit the “paws”, imagining that the target is a few centimeters further away, trying to pierce through it. This makes it possible not only to hit harder, but also not to lose speed.
• Shadow boxing should not be neglected. This exercise allows you to learn how to deliver unexpected blows, which are the most effective, since the opponent does not have time to react. You need to exercise every day for at least 10 minutes.
• Explosive blows help develop push-ups both on the palms off the floor and on the fists. The number of approaches should be at least three with ten repetitions each.

Summarizing

The above exercises help increase endurance and make the tendons and muscles of the arms stronger, and develop the power of strikes. If they are performed on a regular basis, the results become noticeable within seven days.

Hello, dear readers of the site. Our conversation today will certainly be interesting and useful for men and women, since, in addition to the sports component, it touches on such an important aspect as effective self-defense. Pumped up ones certainly look impressive. However, sometimes it is not impressive enough to avoid or resolve a conflict or acute situation. Agree that from this point of view, training punches will be the ace in the hole that will help resolve the issue in your favor.

From a sports point of view, exercises aimed at developing punching power, as you will see later, are strengthening, train endurance, reaction and much more. Interested? I'm sure so. Then change into your training clothes and follow me.

You can do most of the exercises yourself, and if you have dumbbells and a punching bag, we can do it at home. Therefore, I suggest not to sit for a long time and go straight to training.

How to achieve surprise

Let's start our lesson with making your strike as unexpected as possible. Try from a relaxed standing position, at the sound signal, to sharply gather and strike. How's the reaction? Is he limping? Then work on it in this way, trying to minimize the gap from the signal to the completion of the blow. Carry out a similar training, replacing the sound signal with a touch. Ask your household to help with this. The goal is the same - to reduce the gap to a minimum. Naturally, this is how sharpness is developed.

Another great exercise for speed is hitting the newspaper. Ask someone to hold it or simply attach a sheet of newspaper to the clothesline with clothespins and try to hit it as hard as possible. If at some point you managed to break through the sheet with your fist, you are a master of sharpness and speed.

I advise you to do this kind of training with two or more people, as there are exercises that will require the help of a partner. Is your friend nearby? Well then, remember boxing. Even if you haven’t done it, you’ve definitely seen such exercises on TV or in films.

If you are in a serious mood, then get boxing paws. Let your partner, after putting them on, change the position of his hands all the time: higher, lower, further, closer. The main thing is not to exceed the strike distance. In turn, try to hit as quickly and sharply as possible so that your partner does not have time to withdraw his paw.

Also try to strike to the body, while your partner unexpectedly jumps back sharply. You need to have time to get your bearings and hit before your partner jumps out of the area where you can reach him. Do you agree that this is a great speed workout?

How to achieve punching power

To achieve a knockout effect, in addition to speed, it is also necessary to train the power of the blow. This is where push-ups will come to our aid. Do push-ups on your fists, on your fingers, with clapping. Starting position – hands are shoulder-width apart, maybe a little wider. When lowering, try not to spread your elbows, but to move them along your body. You need to do push-ups sharply, quickly.

When working with the bag, try to punch it. Don't hit it, but hit it inside. Another good exercise is to swing the bag and throw counter punches. When performing any exercises with a punching bag, take care of your wrist.

Incredibly useful both for a strong punch and for the endurance of the whole body. Start with a weight of 1-1.5 kg. Take dumbbells, stretch your arms in front of you and begin to quickly swing: up, down, left, right. Do 3 sets of 3 minutes, spending 30 seconds on each swing direction. This training not only strengthens the shoulders, making them as resilient as possible, but also raises the pain threshold. How? If you do these 3 by 3, you will understand.

You can also shadowbox. Also, with dumbbells in your hands, perform various combinations against an imaginary opponent. The longer the training, the stronger and more powerful the blows will be, the higher the speed without loads, the more resilient and rhythmic you will work.

How to harden your hands

By the way, a very valid question. Indeed, hard, hardened outer parts of the hands are important for knockout. This is where push-ups come to the rescue again. We have already done push-ups with fists. Now try to do the same exercise on the phalanges, on the knuckles. I'm telling you for sure, it will hurt at first. Therefore, start such activities, for example, on a towel.

Over time, the surface on which you do push-ups should become as hard as possible, and the pain should completely disappear. Such training will also protect you from unnecessary, unnecessary hand injuries, and this, you see, is important.

Feeling the strength behind you, the ability to hit an opponent with one sharp movement of your hand, of course, significantly adds confidence. However, try to apply these skills exclusively in sports, and resolve conflicts as peacefully as possible in each individual situation. Believe me, this will not make you respected less.

Strengthen your health, train your body, remember to warm up and breathe properly. I don't say goodbye, because tomorrow we will meet again at the same place. See you.

12 stages of increasing impact speed

Speed. Blinding, mesmerizing, speed is perhaps the most coveted and visually impressive skill in martial arts. Bruce Lee's lightning-fast punches built his reputation. Speed ​​is inherent in most of the great professional boxers, such as Sugar Ray Leonard and Muhammad Ali. Ali's strength was only adequate to his physique, while the speed of his strike was simply phenomenal. And Leonard's hands may have been the fastest the world has ever seen. Also, former full-contact karate champion Bill Wallace never had much punching power, but his lightning-fast kicks earned him a still unbroken professional record in the ring.

Is this magical power inherent in human genes, or can it be acquired and increased through training? According to Dr. John LaTurrette, a black belt in kenpo karate and a doctorate in sports psychology, says anyone can become “the fastest” if they follow a few basic principles.

“Speed ​​training is 90% psychological, maybe 99%,” LaTourrette says. This psychological approach to training seems to have yielded results for the 50-year-old karate instructor from Medford, Oregon. It was officially recorded that he was able to do 16.5 kicks in one second, and he claims that his students can do it even faster. Following the 12-step program to increase speed.

1. LEARN BY WATCHING EXPERTS.“If a person wants to be a fast runner but doesn't go out, he's learning to be a cripple in a wheelchair,” LaTourrette says. “All he has to do is go out, find a fast runner of his age, strength and body physiology and study his movements, doing exactly what he does.”

2. USE SMOOTH, FLUID STROKES. The smooth technique of Chinese-style striking has much greater explosive power than traditional reverse kicks in karate and boxing, says LaTourrette, because the speed of the strike is generated by momentum. You can train your brain and nervous system to strike quickly. To achieve this, perform a “flowing” exercise consisting of a sequence of movements, starting with three to four strokes at a time. Once you begin to perform this combination automatically, add a little more movements, then a little more, until your subconscious mind learns to link each individual movement into one flow, like a waterfall. After some time, you will be able to do 15-20 complete movements in one second or even less.

3. USE FOCUSED AGGRESSION. You must learn to instantly move from a passive state to a state of combat readiness in order to attack before the enemy is able to predict your actions. Any doubts about your ability to protect yourself should be eradicated through mental preparation before you get into a stressful situation.

The reaction time to any action is divided into three phases - perception, decision and action - which together take approximately a sixth of a second. You should perceive information and make appropriate decisions in a relaxed state, so as not to give a hint to the enemy about your subsequent actions. Once you're focused, you can launch an attack so quickly that your opponent won't even have time to blink.

To perform this type of attack correctly, you must be absolutely confident in your correctness and ability to act correctly, otherwise you will lose. As La Tourrette himself puts it: “When chatting, don’t cook the rice.” You must be aggressive and confident in your skill. Self-confidence should be born in a fight with a real opponent to a greater extent than when performing a kata where you attack an imaginary opponent.

You must also maintain a constant state of readiness, carefully observe the events taking place around you, and be ready at any time, in case of danger, to realize potential power. This special physical, mental and emotional state can be mastered by any person, but only in conditions of direct confrontation with the enemy.

Once you have reached this level of preparation, analyze and try to categorize the sensations you have. Later, in a duel, you can retrieve the experience gained from your memory, which will give you a clear advantage over your opponent.

Ask yourself the following questions: What are my biggest distractions? Could there be a distance between me and the enemy? Or his undisguised anger towards me? His way of expressing himself? How does this mental state affect me? What sensations am I experiencing? What did I look like? What was my facial expression? What muscles were tense? Which ones are relaxed? What did I tell myself while in this state? (It would be best if you didn’t “mumble” to yourself.) What mental images did I have? What was I visually focused on?

After you find the answers to the questions asked, reproduce the situation again, try to make the sensations, surroundings and sounds clearly appear in your brain again. Repeat this over and over again until you are able to put yourself into this mental state at any time.

4. USE READY-MADE RACKS THAT CAN GIVE YOU CHOICE. One of the secrets to Wallace's success was that from one single foot position he could instantly execute a side kick, a spin kick, and a reverse spin kick with equal accuracy. In short, your stance should give you the ability to slash, claw, elbow, push, or hammer, depending on your opponent's actions.

Use the fighting technique that you feel suits you best. Learn to take a position from which you only need to make a small movement to move from one target to another. Selecting a natural (natural) fighting position eliminates the need for choosing a stance and allows you to catch your opponent by surprise. And a puzzled enemy is already half defeated.

5. BEWARE OF THE PSYCHOLOGY OF ONE DEATH Blow. This is the conclusion of rule number one. Your initial attack should be a three-hit sequence even if the first hit was able to stop the attacking opponent. The first strike is the “appetizer”, the second is the “main course”, and the third is the “dessert”.

While an unsuspecting opponent is preparing for a direct strike or a kick with a “back” leg, says LaTurrette, you can blind him with a slap to the eyes, a punch to the temple with your left hand, a blow to the other temple with your right elbow. Then you can hit him in the jaw with your right elbow and in the eyes with your left hand. Drop into a kneeling position and strike your opponent's groin with your right fist and strike your opponent's eyes with two fingers of your left hand. This is the end of this story.”

6. USE VISUALIZATION EXERCISES. When doing punching speed exercises, you should think that you are hitting at the speed you want. “If you can't see, you can't do it,” LaTourrette says. Such psychological preparation largely complements physical preparation.

Visualization is not as difficult as many people think. Try this experiment: stop right now and describe to yourself the color of your car. Then an orange. Then your best friend. How did you manage to describe all this? You IMAGINED them.

Many people do not know that they often create “images” in their heads on a subconscious level. The part of the brain that is responsible for creating and reproducing images can be finely tuned even if they are not used to accessing it.

Once you have learned to imagine yourself in a real combat situation, try to see and feel that your actions are achieving the targets you have chosen. Feel that your bent knees add power to your punches. Feel the impact of your foot on the ball as you hit it, etc...

7. IDENTIFY OPEN TARGETS. To learn how to identify open targets and predict enemy actions, you need to train with a real enemy. A sense of synchronicity can be achieved by repeating attacks over and over again until you are confident that you can use it in real combat.

One of the reasons that boxers have such good punching speed is that they practice their technique thousands of times in sparring. And when a goal appears in front of them, they don’t think, they ACT. This subconscious skill can be easily acquired, but there is no shortcut to achieving it. You must practice again and again until your actions become instinctive.

8. DO NOT “TELEGRAPH” YOUR ACTIONS. It doesn't matter how fast you are, because if your opponent has predicted your actions, you are no longer fast enough. Believe it or not, it is harder for your opponent to see a punch coming at eye level than a round kick coming from the side.

The “hook” punch (not the circle, but the hook) requires a lot more movement and is much easier to block. In a word, a correctly executed blow to the bridge of the nose can hit the enemy before he realizes that you hit him. Above all, do not give away your intentions by clenching your fists, moving your shoulder, or taking a deep breath before throwing a punch.

Once you have mastered the physical structure of the exercise technique, practice taking advantage of the person's perceptual limitations by attempting to position yourself to limit your opponent's ability to see and predict your actions. This skill takes a lot of practice, but once you master it, you can attack your opponent with virtually impunity.

9. USE CORRECT BREATHING TECHNIQUES. During a fight, many athletes hold their breath, which causes great harm to themselves. The body becomes tense, as a result of which the speed and power of your strikes decreases. Kiai even harms you while performing the technique, because it extinguishes your impulse. The key to high punching speed is that you must exhale in accordance with the punches.

10. KEEP IN GOOD PHYSICAL FIT. Flexibility, strength and endurance are essential in self-defense, even though most street fights last seconds. If your body is both flexible and relaxed, you will be able to strike from almost any angle, hitting high and low targets without awkwardly changing stances. Leg strength is also extremely important. The stronger your legs are, the stronger your punch will be, and the faster you can close the distance between you and your opponent. It is important to increase arm and forearm strength through weight training and specific hitting exercises. The exercises will help you strengthen your palms and wrists and improve your punching accuracy and penetration.

11. BE PERSISTENT. You should commit to yourself three times a week for 20-30 minutes to noticeably improve your swing speed. Be prepared for the fact that there will inevitably be times when you feel like you're not making much progress. Most people experience five levels of feelings of progress or lack of visible results during training.

There is “unconscious incompetence” (literally) when you are not aware of the problem and how to solve it.

This is the point when you realize that your knowledge and skill are insufficient, and you begin to look for ways to solve the problem. “Unconscious incompetence” means that you can only perform new exercises when your attention is extremely focused.

This is the most difficult stage of orientation, and it seems to you that it will last forever. The process of transforming consciousness into reflexive actions takes approximately 3000 to 5000 repetitions. “Unconscious incompetence” is the only level of mastery where true speed becomes achievable. While you learn to react instinctively. This level can only be achieved through thousands of repetitions of the technique. Most people are in this reflexive or automatic mental state when they drive their car, which allows them to react to road hazards with unconscious composure, without thinking about how to change gears or apply the brake. You won't be able to increase your punching speed until your basic movements are based on reflexes. The final stage of mastery is “the awareness of your unconscious incompetence,” a point that only a few people have ever been able to achieve.

12. KEEP A NATURAL, RELAXED, BALANCED STANCE. The best fighting stance is the one that doesn't look like a fighting stance. As the legendary Japanese sword master Musashi Miyamoto aptly noted, “Your fighting stance becomes your everyday stance, and your everyday stance becomes your fighting stance.” You must know exactly what techniques you can perform from each position, and you must be able to perform them naturally, without hesitation or changing stances.

Practice these 12 principles every day for 20 minutes. After a month of training, you will have mastered a new, devastating speed. LaTourrette says: “There are no naturally fast fighters. Everyone had to train just like you. The more diligently you train, the less vulnerable you are in battle.”