While our martial art tradition stems from Asia, all of us involved with the North Shore Martial Arts Club in Whitefish Bay, Shorewood, Glendale, and other local neighborhoods look to all types of legitimate sources for expertise. Here is an article by Jack Dempsey who was not only a powerful boxer, but a good teacher. His description below explains what made his punching so devastatingly effective.
Quite a fellow, actually. After the article is are a couple of links to old films of his fights.
(Photo from Wikipedia.)
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( From Wikipedia.) William Harrison “Jack” Dempsey (“The Manassa Mauler”) (June 24, 1895 – May 31, 1983) was an American professional boxer and cultural icon of the 1920s. He held the World Heavyweight Championship from 1919 to 1926. Dempsey’s aggressive style and exceptional punching power made him one of the most popular boxers in history. Many of his fights set financial and attendance records, including the first million dollar gate. He is listed #10 on The Ring’s list of all-time heavyweights and #7 among its Top 100 Greatest Punchers. In 1950, the Associated Press voted Dempsey as the greatest fighter of the past 50 years. He is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame; he was inducted into Ring magazine’s Boxing Hall of Fame in 1951. (Wikipedia)
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What Is a Punch? – Jack Dempsey
Nature has given you, a normal beginner, the three requisites for a knockout punch. They are:
1. WEIGHT-THE WEIGHT OF YOUR ENTIRE BODY.
2. POWERFUL MUSCLES IN YOUR FEET, LEGS AND BACK – THE MEANS OF HELPING TO PUT YOUR BODY WEIGHT INTO MOTION.
3. ARMS AND FISTS.THE MEANS OF EXPLODING YOUR MOVING IA’EIGHT AGAINST AN OPPONENT.
For practical purposes, I divide a punch into two parts: (a) setting the weight in motion, and (b) relaying the moving weight to a desired point on an opponent with a stepped-up impact or explosion.
All full-fledged punches must have that (a) and (b) combination.
It is only in what might be called “partial” punches that the body-weight does not play a stellar role. Partial punches are those delivered with only the weight or arms and fists short backhands to the4 head, chops to the or to the back of the neck, or mere cuffs to the head when in a tight clinch.
Since were concerned primarily with the stunning, full-fledged knockout punch, let’s move on to it. Let’s examine the first fundamental. How do we set the body-weight in motion?
THERE ARE FOUR WAUS OF SETTING THE BODY-WEIGHT lN MOTION FOR PUNCHING PUNCHING: (1) falling forward; (2) springing forward; (3) whirling the shoulders by means of the powerful back muscles, assisted by shifting weight from one leg to the other, and (4) by surging upward, as in deliverying upper cuts. Every punch combines at least two of those motion-methods.
Best of all the punches is the “stepping straight jolt” delivered with either fist from the “falling step.” lt has fall, spring and whirl.
That stepping jolt must not be confused with the “ordinary straight punch” that is delivered at medium range without moving the feet and that depends almost entirely on shoulder whirl. The stepping jolt is a much more explosive blow.
Hooks and uppercuts are short-range blows that can be just as explosive as stepping jolts. However, the hooks and uppercuts are less desirable for fist-fighting, in which one-tries to keep at long range as much as possible in order to avoid clinching and wrestling.
Jack Dempsey, a Tribute: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdE2esUQzd4
Jack Dempsey and Jess Williard, 1919, Toledo OH. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3BTycNuY44&feature=related