Originally posted by Yiliquan1
First, the punching skills of boxing should not be under or over estimated. They do what they do. It is not the punch alone, but the application of it by a skilled boxer that allows the punch to be so effective. It is really no different in MA. But it must be kept in mind that their are several issues that cause the two training areas to be significantly different.
Boxing punches are trained with wrapped hands/wrists and while wearing gloves. The wrapping of the hand and wrist eliminates the need for the student to develop the proper wrist strength and alignment that will allow his punch to be strong without the wrap. Didn't Mike Tyson injure his hand in a street fight while he was still an unconvicted non-felon? Why? Because he has never had to learn to hold his fist in the correct position - it was held there with canvas wraps. The gloves also figure into the equation of an effective unprotected punch. The point of contact of the glove can be anywhere from 1/2 inch to 2 inches from the actual fist. This destroys the understanding of distance in the technique, and may well cause punches to miss (and the arm to be hyperextended) altogether, or they will be buried too deeply eliminating the "shock" effect of MA punches when they penetrate just below the surface of the target.
I would reiterate what I said previously...
1) Wrapped hands do not allow for the proper strengthening that occurs from MA training.
2) Regular boxing gloves will throw off the distance of a punch, disallowing the transfer of shock desired in a MA punch.
This having been said, I would quote Chufeng's comments to reinforce the messages being sent here...
Do Not Underestimate the punching power of a "well-trained" boxer.
And
...this is what separates the experienced form the inexperienced boxer.
As I stated at the beginning of my post before, and at the beginning of the quote of my own post above, "the punching skills of boxing should not be under
or over estimated. They do what they do. It is not the punch alone, but the application of it by a skilled boxer that allows the punch to be so effective."
Boxing is as much a martial art as judo, iaido, Shaolin chuan-fa, tae kwon do, pankration or anything else... It must always be understood that our comments, as generalized as they are, are meant to be applied to the rank and file, the unwashed masses, not the exceptional individuals that rise out of the morass of mediocrity to go beyond the limitations of their environments to develop truly noteworthy skills.
Just my opinions, for what they are worth...
Gambarimasu.
:asian: