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Punch (strike)

 
Punch (strike)

 
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Punch (strike)
 
 
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A punch is "a thrusting blow, esp. with the fist
Fist

A fist is a hand that has the fingers curled into the palm and the thumb retracted. This is typically used in unarmed combat, such as fist-fighting....
." In some sports and disciplines, such as boxing
Boxing

Boxing is a combat sport where two participants, generally of similar human weight, fight each other with their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee and is typically engaged in during a series of one to three-minute intervals called rounds....
 or martial arts, where punches are regularly practiced, hand wraps or other padding such as gloves may be employed to protect athletes and practitioners from injuring themselves.

Punching styles
Many martial arts such as karate
Karate

or , and often mis, is a martial arts developed in the Ryukyu Islands from indigenous fighting methods and Chinese martial arts kenpo. It is primarily a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands and ridge-hands....
, taekwondo
Taekwondo

Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. It is the world's most popular martial art in terms of the number of practitioners....
, muay thai
Muay Thai

Muay Thai is a form of hard martial art practiced in large parts of the world, including Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries. The art is similar to others in Southeast Asian such as: pradal Serey in Cambodia, lethwei in Myanmar, tomoi in Malaysia, and Lao boxing in Laos....
 and wing chun
Wing Chun

Wing Chun , also romanization as Ving Tsun or "Wing Tsun" is a Chinese martial arts that specializes in aggressive close-range combat.The characters "forever spring" are also associated with some other southern Chinese martial arts, including Jee Shim Weng Chun Kungfu and White Crane Weng Chun ....
, among others, combine punches with kicks and other strikes, whereas boxing
Boxing

Boxing is a combat sport where two participants, generally of similar human weight, fight each other with their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee and is typically engaged in during a series of one to three-minute intervals called rounds....
 and Fistfight
Fistfight

Fistfight is a Russian ancient combat sport similar to the modern boxing. It existed since the times of ancient Rus, but lost most of its popularity in the 20th century....
 utilize only punches.






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Encyclopedia


A punch is "a thrusting blow, esp. with the fist
Fist

A fist is a hand that has the fingers curled into the palm and the thumb retracted. This is typically used in unarmed combat, such as fist-fighting....
." In some sports and disciplines, such as boxing
Boxing

Boxing is a combat sport where two participants, generally of similar human weight, fight each other with their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee and is typically engaged in during a series of one to three-minute intervals called rounds....
 or martial arts, where punches are regularly practiced, hand wraps or other padding such as gloves may be employed to protect athletes and practitioners from injuring themselves.

Punching styles


Many martial arts such as karate
Karate

or , and often mis, is a martial arts developed in the Ryukyu Islands from indigenous fighting methods and Chinese martial arts kenpo. It is primarily a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands and ridge-hands....
, taekwondo
Taekwondo

Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. It is the world's most popular martial art in terms of the number of practitioners....
, muay thai
Muay Thai

Muay Thai is a form of hard martial art practiced in large parts of the world, including Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries. The art is similar to others in Southeast Asian such as: pradal Serey in Cambodia, lethwei in Myanmar, tomoi in Malaysia, and Lao boxing in Laos....
 and wing chun
Wing Chun

Wing Chun , also romanization as Ving Tsun or "Wing Tsun" is a Chinese martial arts that specializes in aggressive close-range combat.The characters "forever spring" are also associated with some other southern Chinese martial arts, including Jee Shim Weng Chun Kungfu and White Crane Weng Chun ....
, among others, combine punches with kicks and other strikes, whereas boxing
Boxing

Boxing is a combat sport where two participants, generally of similar human weight, fight each other with their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee and is typically engaged in during a series of one to three-minute intervals called rounds....
 and Fistfight
Fistfight

Fistfight is a Russian ancient combat sport similar to the modern boxing. It existed since the times of ancient Rus, but lost most of its popularity in the 20th century....
 utilize only punches. Punches vary in technique, speed, range, and momentum. A list of some types of punches may be seen as outlined below. Instructions on how to punch are beyond the scope of this article, though descriptive sentences may be used for illustrative purposes only.

Boxing


In boxing, punches are classified according to the motion and direction of the strike; contact is always made with the knuckles. There are four primary punches in boxing: the jab
Jab

A jab is one of the four main punches used in boxing. Several variations of the jab exist, but every jab shares these characteristics: while in a boxing, the lead fist is thrown straight ahead and the arm is fully extended....
, cross
Cross (boxing)

In boxing, a cross is a power-punch like the uppercut and hook . Compubox, a Computer punch scoring system, counts the cross as a power-punch....
, hook
Hook (boxing)

A hook is a punch in boxing. It is performed by turning the core muscles and back, thereby swinging the arm, which is bent at an angle near or at 90 degrees, in a horizontal arc into the opponent....
, and uppercut. For more information, see the article on "Boxing
Boxing

Boxing is a combat sport where two participants, generally of similar human weight, fight each other with their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee and is typically engaged in during a series of one to three-minute intervals called rounds....
".

Karate


Punching techniques in Karate
Karate

or , and often mis, is a martial arts developed in the Ryukyu Islands from indigenous fighting methods and Chinese martial arts kenpo. It is primarily a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands and ridge-hands....
 are called tsuki
Tsuki

, is the Japanese language word for "thrust," coming from the verb , meaning "to thrust. It also means Moon and Month "...
 or zuki. Contact is made with the first two knuckles (seiken). If any other part of the hand is used to strike with, such as the back of the fist (uraken) or the bottom of the fist (tetsui), then the blow is classified as a strike
Strike (attack)

A strike is an attack with an inanimate object, such as a weapon, or with a part of the human body intended to cause an effect upon an opponent or to simply cause harm to an opponent....
 (uchi).

Karate punches include the thrust punch oi-zuki made using the lead-hand, straight punch choku-zuki, reverse punch gyaku-zuki, made from the opposite hand, and many other variations.

Basic Types of Punches


This is not a comprehensive list of all punches, due to the large diversity of schools of practice whose techniques, employing arm, shoulder, hip and leg work, may invariably differ.

  • Jab
    Jab

    A jab is one of the four main punches used in boxing. Several variations of the jab exist, but every jab shares these characteristics: while in a boxing, the lead fist is thrown straight ahead and the arm is fully extended....
    : "The jab is a straight blow delivered (generally from a distance) with the arm above the lead foot ... The punch is quick and explosive."
  • Cross / Straight
    Cross (boxing)

    In boxing, a cross is a power-punch like the uppercut and hook . Compubox, a Computer punch scoring system, counts the cross as a power-punch....
    : A direct punch, like the jab, delivered with the rear hand.
Lead Hand Uppercut
*Hook
Hook (boxing)

A hook is a punch in boxing. It is performed by turning the core muscles and back, thereby swinging the arm, which is bent at an angle near or at 90 degrees, in a horizontal arc into the opponent....
: A punch involving the use of turning to aim toward the side of the head or body.
  • Uppercut: The fist is raised vertically towards the target, usually the head or upper body. Since most guards are held with the arms in a vertical position, the uppercut can be used to avoid the opponent's attempts at blocking.
  • Hammer Fist: A compacted fist is brought down upon the target, usually using the side of the hand or wrist.
  • Long fist: By tucking the fingertips against the bottom knuckle of each finger, a long fist is formed. They offer decreased strength but increased reach.
  • Backfist: A backfist is performed by forming a fist and striking with the tops of the two largest knuckles. A spinning backfist is performed when the attacker swivels 360 degrees before landing the punch, adding extra momentum to the attack.
  • Haymaker: A punch in which the arm is whipped sideways from the shoulder joint with minimal elbow bend. The name is derived from the motion, which mimics the action of manually cutting hay by swinging a scythe
    Scythe

    A scythe is an agriculture hand tool for mowing grass or reaping agriculture. It was largely replaced by horse-drawn and then tractor machinery, but is still used in some areas of Europe and Asia....
    . Since a haymaker's power is derived from weight transfer and momentum instead of muscle contraction, a long windup is required to generate sufficient force. Haymakers are frequently used from a mounted position
    Mount (grappling)

    The mount or mounted position is a grappling position#Ground grappling position, where one combatant sits on the other combatants torso with the face pointing towards the opponent's head....
     in mixed martial arts
    Mixed martial arts

    Mixed martial arts is a Contact sport combat sport that allows a wide variety of fighting techniques, from a mixture of martial arts traditions and non-traditions, to be used in competitions....
     as part of the "ground and pound" method, as the legs cannot be used to generate power.
  • Overhand: The blow is thrown with the hand above the shoulder. Generally, the body is moving downwards, similar to a slipping motion. This is a punch that used commonly against taller opponents. For examples, see Rashad Evans
    Rashad Evans

    Rashad Anton Evans is an American mixed martial arts fighter from Lansing, MI currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he is the promotion's current Light Heavyweight Champion....
     vs. Chuck Liddell
    Chuck Liddell

    Charles David 'Chuck' Liddell , also known as "The Iceman" is an American Mixed martial arts who fights for the Ultimate Fighting Championship....
     or Randy Couture
    Randy Couture

    Randy Duane Couture , also known as "The Natural" and "Captain America," is an American actor and mixed martial artist, Greco-Roman wrestling, and former collegiate wrestling, and the former heavyweight champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship....
     vs. Tim Sylvia
    Tim Sylvia

    Timothy Deane Sylvia is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He is a former Ultimate Fighting Championship Heavyweight champion....
  • Chambered Punch: A strike commonly performed in karate, kung fu, and tae kwon do, originating from a "chambered" position.
  • Upset Punch: Starts with the fist in the chambered position, with the palm facing downwards, delivered to the abdomen or solar plexus.


  • Shovel Hook: A close range punch that is halfway between a hook and an uppercut. Shovel hooks are most commonly used to strike the body. For example, a liver shot can be done using a shovel hook.


  • Chop Slap: A showboating move. Come down with an open hand and strike the face on the way to chopping the neck.

Other types of hand strikes


In multiple martial-art styles, other hand strikes are taught and used in combination with punches. More information can be found in the "strike
Strike (attack)

A strike is an attack with an inanimate object, such as a weapon, or with a part of the human body intended to cause an effect upon an opponent or to simply cause harm to an opponent....
" article.

Long-term effects on practitioners


Contrary to popular opinion it is joint overuse, in addition to other factors such as improper technique and serious trauma, that is responsbile for conditions such as osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis , is a group of diseases and mechanical abnormalities entailing degradation of joints, including articular cartilage and the subchondral bone next to it....
. Athletic activities involving punching can be quite beneficial to joint health and function.

Records


The Guinness World Record for the most punches in one minute is held by Jim Fung
Jim Fung

Jim Fung was a practitioner and teacher of Wing Chun kung fu and founder of the 'International Wing Chun Academy'. He had been training under his master, Chu Shong-tin , since 1960....
's student, Robert Ardito, who performed 702 punches in one minute at the International Wing Chun Academy in Sydney on the 18th of March, 2007. Video:

See also

  • Martial arts
    Martial arts

    Martial arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of training for combat. While they may be studied for various reasons, martial arts share a single objective: to physically defeat other persons and to defend oneself or others from physical threat....
  • Strike
    Strike (attack)

    A strike is an attack with an inanimate object, such as a weapon, or with a part of the human body intended to cause an effect upon an opponent or to simply cause harm to an opponent....
  • Hand to hand combat
    Hand to hand combat

    Hand-to-hand combat is a generic term often referring to weaponless fighting conducted from a military based point of view. This distinguishes it from combat sport....
  • Kick
    Kick

    In martial arts, combat sports or violence, a kick is a strike using the foot, Human leg, or knee . This attack is often used in hand-to-hand combat, especially in stand-up fighting....
  • Fistfight
    Fistfight

    Fistfight is a Russian ancient combat sport similar to the modern boxing. It existed since the times of ancient Rus, but lost most of its popularity in the 20th century....
  • Boxing
    Boxing

    Boxing is a combat sport where two participants, generally of similar human weight, fight each other with their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee and is typically engaged in during a series of one to three-minute intervals called rounds....


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