Andrea 
The striking technique in combat sports and the 4 reasons why technique is more important than muscles in striking.
The power of striker shots is a crucial component useful in every fighter and on which you have to give space in training.
In most cases, it can make the difference between victory and defeat and also when you have a strong shot the opponent always has a more cautious attitude that allows you to leave more room for your strategy.
The power of the shots is part of one of the qualities of the strikers, such as having the knockout blow, being cashers, being fast, having great precision, etc., all important qualities.
The power of the shots is in many cases the best equalizer in any fight but harnessing your “power” to the full is not as simple as someone simply imagines going to put on a little more muscle.
The key to harnessing muscle strength in true stroke power is to focus on the science of movement.
Contents
- 0.1 In combat, striking technique and attribute development turns good punches into knockout artists.
- 0.2 The power of blows is a natural gift that cannot be taught or trained but certainly improved.
- 1 1) Behind every blow is the science of movement
- 2 2) The key to learning is key
- 3 3) You can’t hurt what you can’t hit
- 4 4) A technique in the best striking means being more energy efficient
- 5 Conclusions
In combat, striking technique and attribute development turns good punches into knockout artists.
It is all too easy to fall into the trap of prioritizing the power of blows over the development of technique and attributes.
Everyone wants to perform in exciting shots and earn respect but above a certain level all fighters pull strong.
The charm “of power is strong”, especially in striking where knockouts is the best you can get.
But what you have to realize is that the striking technique isn’t just more important than power in striking, it’s the catalyst for power.
An important clarification! When I talk to you about technique it’s not just how you perform a Jab or a middle kick, but understanding what and what parts of your body are activated to bring that shot and to that target, now leaving out all the talk about attributes and therefore the ability to actually perform the technique against an opponent.
With good technique, the executive form of a fighter improves, the movements become narrower and more compact which results in an optimal flow of shots with more direct trajectories that leads the fighters to have more incisiveness and power as well as a more efficient use of energy.
The power of blows is a natural gift that cannot be taught or trained but certainly improved.
The power of the shots is somehow a gift, or do you have it or not, but is it really so or is there good room for improvement?
As you see in the cover photo the two fighters look and are the same but the punch that represents the power is not the same but one way to harness all the power that nature has given you is to focus on the technique.
With technique any kind of power you possess is amplified and maybe you also find that you have stronger shots than you think but you simply had the wrong technical execution.
You want to be a stronger and tougher fighter.
Focus on your execution, rather than your muscles.
1) Behind every blow is the science of movement
Behind the blows there is a science and it has its own complexity that requires it to be studied and applied in order to be able to master it.
Contrary to the “popular” belief, hitting an opponent consists of throwing a punch or a strong kick, but how? with the utmost strength in the hope of getting to the target. yes but how?
Often they do not know it in the sense that it is all imagined in the strength of the muscles of the arms or the “momentum”.
It doesn’t work like that!
Being able to pull a shot as hard as possible and on target requires a knowledge that is not only in pulling the shots as hard as possible but the control of several components chained to each other, because in addition to the shot there is the distance, the target that moves, etc. so a set of elements that must be considered because the technique itself is only the basis , somehow we’re still in theory.
These are just some of the nuances that make up the science behind the shots to be inserted to the attributes that must necessarily be developed if you want to make the technique work.
Continuous flow in the body’s kinetic chain
If you punch incorrectly you may not get the desired result because a break in the motion chain can block, stop or slow down the blow that is of hand, foot, elbow, knee, etc..
One of the differences you see in good fighters is that they make the most of the movement by generating power from the thrust of the feet to direct all the power through the movement recalled to the part that comes into contact with the target.
Shots executed with proper technique and increasing the speed of connection between shots by combining them, the power behind every single shot executed correctly when it reaches targets will incredibly increase the impact power with a better chance of taking down your opponent or creating damage that allows you to take advantage. Instead of just focusing on increasing muscle power with the idea of increasing the power of your shots, focus on improving the technique in each training session.
To this you have to add the hitting the target where it is needed to make your shots effective.
Technique in striking as you see is fundamental.
2) The key to learning is key
As with any art, sport, etc. not only in martial arts, learning and understanding the basics are absolutely critical to your development as an athlete.
This statement in martial arts is very true.
In striking in particular the learning curve is particular from the base to the advanced where the fundamentals are simple and easy to learn but very difficult to master.
Most strikers take years to refine and make their technique effective to reach an advanced level, it is no coincidence that most successful professionals have started training at a young age.
At the beginning of your martial journey you put the primary attention on the technique, pay close attention to learning and mastering the fundamentals as soon as possible before going in search of advanced techniques.
The foundations
I understand the curiosity, it’s normal but first focus on the fundamental shots.
This requires many hours of repetitive training, even better with a trainer observing each movement, so you have a different perspective from an expert.
If you have the option to film with your smartphone!
You’ll see how many things you discover about yourself.
Once you’ve proven mastery of basic skills then you can move on to advanced techniques – anything that will help you progress and improve the effectiveness of your shots.
Don’t be in a hurry! First master the basics.
3) You can’t hurt what you can’t hit
In boxing, there’s a way of saying:
“You can’t hurt what you can’t hit.”
This way of saying encompasses a level of dualistic truth where it tells you that if you are not touched you cannot be hurt and that if your shots do not come into contact you cannot hurt.
The clean and effective shot is always favored over the amount of shots both for effectiveness but also for the score that is awarded because it is part of one of the categories of scores.
No matter how difficult or simple the shot you pulled, you have to be able to hit your opponent and if you can without being hit then your effectiveness is very successful.
Strategy and technique
The only way to improve the accuracy of the shot is to focus on strategy and technique, combining the two together to form a smart offensive and defensive style.
Ps. It’s okay to focus on the shots but don’t forget about the defensive/evasive system and footwork.
You have to combine shots, single shot even if pulled many times hardly leads to a result, so the main goal you need to learn before thinking about dealing damage to an opponent must always be to connect shots in combinations at a high pace.
It is not enough to shoot hundreds of shots every round, you also have to connect the shots to make sure you create the spaces to get them through and go to target to get points for victory or lead the way to the KO.
Once you’ve cleaned up and refined your combinations, better identifying the exit points after the combination and working on how to maximize the effectiveness of the shots (power) by prioritizing the technique but seen in the broadest sense (technical, strategy, footwork, etc.) you will see how the shots to target and therefore the knockout potential increase.
4) A technique in the best striking means being more energy efficient
Most fighters don’t know (or don’t want to admit) that they’re wasting a lot of energy and then start finding stupid excuses like:
“Oh, I just need to relax more” or “I need to work on my cardio.”
No, man… you’re getting tired because your technique sucks.
A better technique allows you to have a more efficient energy expenditure and usually fighters with good technique when you see them at the end of matches are often cooler than the decomposed fighters.
You’re losing fights and you’re doing shitty sparring not because of your cardio but the way you fight, you waste energy unnecessarily and eventually you find yourself gasping after a few rounds.
This is especially important when an opponent is a tough one because being sure you have more energy to finish the fights allows you to go out and prevail over your opponents in the final parts of each round or match or otherwise stay efficient.
Focusing on executing your combinations with an appropriate technique improves energy expenditure management.
The limited supply of energy
Remember that you have a limited stash in every official sparring or match match, do not waste energy making unnecessary movements that burn calories.
A bit like with your smartphone, you know it and you know that if you want it to last you all day because you need it for an important phone call you don’t have to do certain things but you have to use the energy of your battery to support your strategy.
If you want to change strategy you need to have more energy and then you need to have spare energy.
With a better technique, you can maintain a constant energy level throughout the fight, and it will be difficult for your opponents to keep up because the energy parabola staying constant if not growing allows you to handcuff a volume of blows and lucidity that are important during the match.
Many fights especially in the beginner and intermediate competition levels come to a positive outcome for the best conditioned athlete and the one that employs better energy management that usually wins fights.
Pulling each shot with power is not a good way to manage energy levels and that’s why technique is more important than anything else.
The technique alone is not enough to fight because the real work is on the attributes but knowing how to perform the shots, dodges, parades, steps, etc., is fundamental to build a level fighter.
Pay attention to energy levels.
Conclusions
The technique in striking.
It’s important to work and train but it’s also important to linger and reflect on how you’re training and the progress you’re making to see if everything is working out.
This analysis of progression you have to do clearly with theobjectivity of the time you dedicate to us and the commitment because I often feel blamed masters and gyms but few times you have the courage to look at yourself and understand that the only culprit was you.
If there is any technique that does not come to you it means that you have to pause to understand it because there is no technique that you can not learn, some are simpler and more intuitive, others also require the development of other characteristics that you have to have or that you have to develop over time such as elasticity because as you can understand the technical execution of some shots they need necessary physical characteristics For example, High Kick without some muscle elasticity you can’t pull it.
Behind the blow is a science made of multiple components that you need to know and exploit to bring your potential to the top!
