Relationships Between Punch Impact Force and Upper- and Lower-Body Muscular Strength and Power in Highly Trained Amateur Boxers

Abstract

Dunn, EC, Humberstone, CE, Franchini, E, Iredale, KF, and Blazevich, AJ. Relationships between punch impact force and upper- and lower-body muscular strength and power in highly trained amateur boxers. J Strength Cond Res 36(4): 1019–1025, 2022—This study examined the relationship between upper- and lower-body strength and power characteristics and punch performance in 28 highly trained male amateur boxers. Punch performance was assessed with a custom-built punch integrator using a 3-minute maximal effort punch test that contained straight- and bent-arm punches from the lead and rear hands. Peak punch force and force-time variables including impulse and rate of force development (RFD; calculated to various points) were assessed. Force, power, and RFD of the upper and lower body were assessed with countermovement bench throw, isometric bench push, countermovement jump (CMJ), and isometric midthigh pull (IMTP) tests. Correlation and regression analyses revealed significant (p < 0.05) relationships between peak punch force and forces measured in CMJ and IMTP tests. In addition, peak punch force was moderately and significantly correlated to body mass, but RFD in the lower body was not. Moreover, no meaningful relationships between punch performance characteristics and any upper-body strength or power parameter were identified. The results of this study show that lower-body strength but not RFD had a moderate to strong positive and significant correlation to peak punch force production. Although upper-body strength and power are expected to be important in boxing, they did not discriminate between boxers who punched with higher or lower peak force nor were they correlated to peak punch force. Training that improves lower-body strength without increasing total body mass (to maintain weight category) may positively influence punch capacity in highly trained amateur boxers.

The prevalence of pre-conditioning and recovery strategies in senior elite and non-elite amateur boxing

“…Improved sprinting, jumping, throwing, and striking performance have been reported following PAPE activity [14,15,19,20]. Throwing and hitting sports comprise loosely similar kinetic sequencing to that found in punching [16,17], which could suggest an acute PAPE conditioning activity may influence subsequent punch-specific performance. The production and dissemination of research specific to boxing may be needed, if this strategy is to be adopted more widely in the sport.…”

“…However, access to the above performance staff and their resources may differ between elite and non-elite boxers. An effective punch in boxing requires rapid proximalto-distal sequencing, culminating in high peak fist velocities toward the target prior to impact [16][17][18]. Recent research has demonstrated acute increases in the velocity of combat striking and throwing techniques, following a PAPE conditioning activity comprising elastic resistance [19,20].…”

World Heavyweight Championship boxing: The past 30+ years of the male division

“…Heavyweight boxing has long been associated with an increased focus on KO’s and stoppages, though without across division comparisons, this remains anecdotal. Considering Newton’s second law of motion (F = ma), the increased body mass of heavyweight boxers may result in greater force production capabilities when compared to other divisions, as observed in amateur boxing [ 28 , 29 ]. Loturco and colleagues [ 30 ] reported a large correlation (r = 0.58) between body mass and punch impact force in Brazilian elite level amateur boxers.…”

Developing muscle power for combat sports athletes

“…Dunn et al [76] reported positive relationships between boxing punch force, punch impulse and punch force at 5ms and lower-body strength characteristics, but not with lower-body rate of force development or upper-body strength and power variables in male amateur boxers. Specifically, peak punch force for was positively correlated with CMJ force (r = 0.683) and isometric midthigh pull force (r = 0.680), suggesting that maximal strength development is related to punching performance.…”