How to throw a punch

Step 3 Lower body dynamics

The lower body is one of the most important things to get right. You may have seen some of the hockey fights on TV - the reason that they don't get hurt more than they do is because they are on ice, so their punch does not have as much power behind it. An old karate saying is that "Your power comes from the ground."

A good stance is one where the feet are shoulder width apart, with the the toe of the back foot in line with the heel of the front foot. While a wider, deeper stance will give you more power in your punch (many martial arts favor a deeper stance), it takes away some of your mobility. Your body type makes a difference in what stance would be best for you.

Another big issue is, do you punch with the lead hand or the back hand? (If your left foot is forward, your left hand is the lead hand and your right hand is the back hand). Both have advantages - your lead hand is faster, while your back hand has more power. This is where "the ol' one-two" comes in - a fast jab with the lead hand to the face to make them close their eyes followed by a reverse punch (back hand) to the midsection.