Power in the AMs

[Hearnsz]

I always get the feeling power is a bit underrated.

In sparring I feel like i have most trouble with guys who hit hard. When someone hits me hard (even if it's on my guard) I tend to be more careful and go more on the defense. I'm this nearly everyone has this tendency.

I've personally been told by my trainers and sparring partners that I can hit hard, but my trainers tell me to focus on speed instead. So that's what I try to do.

However, when I'm in there sparring, focusing on speed and they are just in a double guard, I can't really get any decent shots in. Sure I can hit them once in a while with a quick punch, but because there isn't much power behind it, they just ignore it and continue to make me back up.

I've tried to use my power a couple of times before and it really helps imo. My opponents suddenly back up themselves and allow me to control the fight. I honestly can't achieve this by focusing on speed.

Note that I do try to find a balance between speed and power, when I say "using power" it's not slow as ****.

I haven't had an amatuer fight yet but I figured a good tactic would be to let your opponent feel your power at the start, and then maybe start focusing on speed more. Every time you want control back over the fight, you use your power. Am I right?

So in short: Most people tell me speed is more important than power. But while sparring I think it's the other way around. As power gives you that control. I'm not talking about going for the KO btw, I'm just talking about letting your opponent feel that power so he'll respect you and don't come in overly agressive.

So to all the experienced amateur boxers: how important is power in the AMs?

PS: I know technique, relaxation etc... is the most important thing so no need to tell me that. I'm just talking about power and speed here.

[Dynamite Glove]

You're talking about being in the ring sparring and the guy having a double guard...The answer to that problem is feinting a quick cross upstairs and then coming with all your weight into a nice left hook to the midsection, it will vibrate on a guy's liver once you perfect the punch, and **** his **** all up. That's the shot you wanna use if a guy is in a doubleguard and you feel like laying some power down...plus it's good for sparring because you don't wanna kill your sparring partner. Another thing would be to feint a jab then go into the motion of the liver shot and perform it, however I generate much more power for the liver punch when I use a right feint or just lead with it...when I liver shot off the jab, it feels considerably weaker

[Danny_123]

I always get the feeling power is a bit underrated.

In sparring I feel like i have most trouble with guys who hit hard. When someone hits me hard (even if it's on my guard) I tend to be more careful and go more on the defense. I'm this nearly everyone has this tendency.

I've personally been told by my trainers and sparring partners that I can hit hard, but my trainers tell me to focus on speed instead. So that's what I try to do.

However, when I'm in there sparring, focusing on speed and they are just in a double guard, I can't really get any decent shots in. Sure I can hit them once in a while with a quick punch, but because there isn't much power behind it, they just ignore it and continue to make me back up.

I've tried to use my power a couple of times before and it really helps imo. My opponents suddenly back up themselves and allow me to control the fight. I honestly can't achieve this by focusing on speed.

Note that I do try to find a balance between speed and power, when I say "using power" it's not slow as ****.

I haven't had an amatuer fight yet but I figured a good tactic would be to let your opponent feel your power at the start, and then maybe start focusing on speed more. Every time you want control back over the fight, you use your power. Am I right?

So in short: Most people tell me speed is more important than power. But while sparring I think it's the other way around. As power gives you that control. I'm not talking about going for the KO btw, I'm just talking about letting your opponent feel that power so he'll respect you and don't come in overly agressive.

So to all the experienced amateur boxers: how important is power in the AMs?

PS: I know technique, relaxation etc... is the most important thing so no need to tell me that. I'm just talking about power and speed here.

Normally i always spar coming forward, i love to use the peek-a-boo style so you end up chasin your opponent down.
But i have faster hands than the guys i box with...

So the other day i sparred a guy and decided i'd use my speed instead, this guy was a pressure fighter, but i danced away from him, punched in nothing less than a 3 punch combo, (granted they werent "hard" punches, but the guy couldnt hit me, he was constantly defending).
The key is punching in combinations, even if they arent your "hard" punches, the more you hit the guy, the harder they'll start to feel against his face.
When he comes forward, this works especially well on the ropes, change angles and sort of push him the way he was going with your hand, then come at him with a power shot or some more combos.

Anyway, in the amateurs its point scoring so using your speed is ideal for winning those points, so long as your not just wailing away but you're landing fast clean combinations.

But also note that you have to have great cardio for this technique cause i'm not up to scratch at the moment, and i felt kinda tired after a couple of rounds.

[Hearnsz]

Thanks for the advice so far.
I indeed need some help vs that double guard. I'll try out the livershot.
Also a great point about the combinations. I indeed also noticed it's combination punches that back people up.

But how would this be for a tactic in an AM bout:
Start off by a couple of hard shots to let your opponent know he can't just rush in and flail away at you.
Then when you have that control and you're going forward. Use those fast combinations.
Whenever your opponent tries to come forward himself to get that control back, you start punching hard again, even if it's on his guard. Just to let him know you're still in control again.
Would that work?

[fraidycat]

There is a gym near here that teaches their guys to fight essentially for points. They'll rain blows on you that won't break an egg, but they win matches. A lot of matches.

I'm a brawler. What I've found is that couple of cannonballs fired at a points fighter -- even into their guard -- will often make them less trigger-happy, and it never hurts to learn to brawl in close, because some of these Olympian-wannabes just don't have the g****s for sustained close combat.

If a guy comes in throwing light, snappy straights obviously trying for points, I'll launch a couple of shoulder-fired missiles into his guard just to let him know that A.) I'm not playing his game; and B.) if he screws up, I will drive his head through the wall.

I get right in his face, put my gloves on his, put my chin on his shoulder, and we start waltzing. I spend as much of the fight there as I can, and try to whittle him down. I throw heavy, tight shovel hooks and uppercuts, shoulder him around, smother him, clinch him, step on his feet (not intentionally, but I'm a southpaw so it happens), bull him around the ring, even hook his arms and gloves and spin him. I do everything I can to demoralize him, frustrate him, confuse him, scare him a little bit, and most of all rob him of his precious jab and cross.

Eventually we break; he throws another snappy, textbook jab or two and I get right back into his soup. After a few dances, I often get guys swearing through their mouthguard and saying things like, "Get the **** off me!" To which I reply, "Why, so you can win?"

It is legal to fight this way, but it's exhausting and painful. Plus, the crowd hates it, the true Boxer hates it, and the refs hate it. On top of that, it's ugly and mean-spirited and it won't win you many friends. And there's always the chance that it may not work.

You can train for this by tying yourself to your sparring partner with a length of rope at a distance of 12-18 inches or so. It gets interesting real fast.

Not a lot of points are scored when you're in that close but you can inflict a fair amount of blunt force trauma and grind him down enough to either get the shot that will end the fight, or to take his game away so that you can start getting points, yourself. A guy who's not acclimated to getting hit hard will tense up and run himself out of air after a few heavy bodyshots, even if those shots land on his arms. Once he's winded, step it up.

The last time I fought a guy from the aforementioned "points" gym, it was a charity smoker. I won by retirement; he didn't come out of his corner for the 3rd round. He had the fight won handily but he lost his nerve. To be fair, it was an off-the-books exhibition match and he stood a good chance of getting injured in the next round, as worn down as he was.

A warning, though: there are some savvy fighters out there, especially the seasoned ones in the Open class, who CAN take a beating but go for points anyway. You'll know in the first round if he's one of these guys. Then, if you're a brawler, you'll need to K him TFO or you're screwed.

[Hearnsz]

Hehe you do know what I'm talking about fraidycat

I'm not really a close combat fighter though.
Infact; currently I'm one of those guys who spars "for points". I hit someone, but I don't hit them hard at all because I'm simply focussing on speed.
The problem I'm having is that when I spar people that stay in a double guard and come out at the right moments to throw hard shots.

When they stay in their double guard I can't really do much against them. I throw these fast but soft combinations because I was told to focus on speed instead of power. So my opponent isn't really affected by it. Plus he isn't really getting hit either because everything lands on their guard. My punches aren't hard enough to crack through.
Then when they come out they punch hard, hard enough to crack through my guard sometimes. So then I'm the one getting hit. Even though I have been throwing faster and more punches.

That's why it seemed to me, that power can do more than speed. Maybe it's only like this in an early stage though, with boxers that aren't very progressed yet.
Or is it the same way in the advanced amateurs? I'm figuring it is as George Foreman started boxing at age 17 and won olympic gold at 19, using mainly power. Or am I totally wrong?

[EDD1]

you should always throw punches in proper form, if you do this during training you will get more efficient at thowing fast hard punches, your power will come naturally as long as you use proper form. your coaches should be telling you this, not strangers on a forum. during sparing you should be using sparing gloves and head gear, this should allow for you to go full power, this gear should be bigger that the gear you will use in your bout.
If you get trained BY YOUR COACHES to use proper form when you are sparing and hitting the bag then you will be prepared on fight night. your bodys muscle memory will do the job of hitting hard and fast for you while you deal with the realization that you are in a ring with a kid that wants to win also.

[fraidycat]

That's why it seemed to me, that power can do more than speed. Maybe it's only like this in an early stage though, with boxers that aren't very progressed yet.
Or is it the same way in the advanced amateurs? I'm figuring it is as George Foreman started boxing at age 17 and won olympic gold at 19, using mainly power. Or am I totally wrong?

Power comes with technique. Physical strength helps, but I know a couple of stickmen who hit hard enough to make you see an Indian with a spare horse beckoning you into the woods.

Keep your form and the power will come. Meanwhile, you are best off concentrating on being a Boxer (as opposed to a Swarmer or a Puncher.) Learn to fight close so you get used to it but if your coach is a Boxer, learn to box.

At my age, I'm not in this for trophies, glory, or a profession. I like boxing, and I LOVE close fighting. It's fun. Making some flashy hotshot badass get all whiny and frustrated gives me the kind of giggly feeling that I used to get when burning ants with a magnifying glass. YMMV.

[Hearnsz]

you should always throw punches in proper form, if you do this during training you will get more efficient at thowing fast hard punches, your power will come naturally as long as you use proper form. your coaches should be telling you this, not strangers on a forum. during sparing you should be using sparing gloves and head gear, this should allow for you to go full power, this gear should be bigger that the gear you will use in your bout.
If you get trained BY YOUR COACHES to use proper form when you are sparing and hitting the bag then you will be prepared on fight night. your bodys muscle memory will do the job of hitting hard and fast for you while you deal with the realization that you are in a ring with a kid that wants to win also.

When you throw with the right technique you can still focus on speed or power. The thing is my trainers tell me to focus on speed, and that the power will come by itself. I just don't believe that.
Because it's obvious (in the pro's especially), that there are fighters with good technique that focus on either power or speed.
For example:
Gerald McClellan: Power
Paulie Malignaggi: Speed (he focuses on speed and he doesn't have much power, => so power doesn't always come by itself!!!)

Let me put it this way:
When I focus on power: my punch is a bit fast and very powerfull. (by my standards)
When I focus on speed: my puch is very fast and not at all powerfull.

[Hearnsz]

Power comes with technique. Physical strength helps, but I know a couple of stickmen who hit hard enough to make you see an Indian with a spare horse beckoning you into the woods.

Keep your form and the power will come. Meanwhile, you are best off concentrating on being a Boxer (as opposed to a Swarmer or a Puncher.) Learn to fight close so you get used to it but if your coach is a Boxer, learn to box.

At my age, I'm not in this for trophies, glory, or a profession. I like boxing, and I LOVE close fighting. It's fun. Making some flashy hotshot badass get all whiny and frustrated gives me the kind of giggly feeling that I used to get when burning ants with a magnifying glass. YMMV.

I feel like I do get my power from my technique mainly though. I'm 5'9 and weigh under 130 so needless to say I'm not built. I just still have the feeling I can focus on either power or technique.
I should probably clear this up by saying it's mostly in combinationpunching.

When single punching, my hardest punch is usually also as fast as possible. But when throwing combos its different. Either I get my whole body into it; resulting in a slow but powerful cobination; or either I limit my body movement and throw fast "armpunches".
Perhaps I should just throw a fast combo but end with a hard punch putting my whole body in it?