How to increase drilling speed

In this article, I’ll tell you what you need to do to increase your punching speed, whether it’s for boxing, Thai boxing, or mixed martial arts. One thing to note is that punch speed is much more than the time it takes your fist to go from A to B, anyone with experience knows that. To increase the speed of your shots you have to look at your game in general, there are no quick fixes and the painful truth is that everything that is earned in the art of combat involves a lot of hard work. Now, hard work doesn’t mean you have to rule out being smart, and you may be focusing your efforts the wrong way right now. So, read what I have to say, make the necessary adjustments, and I guarantee you will increase your drilling speed.

1) Throw twice the number of punches you’re currently throwing per workout: To hit quickly you need to hit efficiently, and throwing a lot of punches is the only way to communicate with the muscle fibers that perform this action. It’s too bad he couldn’t just send them an email telling them to pick things up, but unfortunately, to become more efficient, he must throw thousands of punches. In order to punch efficiently, he needs to activate the fewest number of muscle fibers to execute the action, and he needs the surrounding muscle fibers to relax so that the necessary fibers can function without restriction. Sport-specific repetitive motion is the only way to achieve this.

I would say most good amateur boxers throw around 200 punches per 3 minute round, some of the best can go up to 300 punches per round. If you’re putting 6 rounds in the heavy bag, some double ended bag work, speed bag, shadow boxing, and focus mitts, then you’re probably going to hit somewhere in the 2500 punch range. Now consider that some of the top pros throw 5,000 to 6,000 punches per workout. If you want to hit fast, throw a lot of punches. At the end of the day, efficiency = speed

2) Hit fast when you train: Imagine running four 400m heats against some of your friends. Let’s say they consistently run it in 1:15s, and while you could run it in 60 seconds, you choose to run each set at 85% and get there in less than 1:10s. You could probably do this all day and not get tired. Now launch a guy who executes it in under 55 seconds and see what happens to your energy levels as you try to catch him. I guarantee you’ll be blown away in a couple of tries. Everyone has their speed threshold, and if you consistently train at 85% of your maximum hitting speed, you can expect to hit at 85% of your potential. Too many fighters hit 85% in the gym and burn out in the fight when everything is on the line and speed really counts. Try to constantly push your speed threshold. To be fast, you have to train fast.

3) Work on your footwork – Some people don’t realize this, but there is a difference between hand speed when throwing combinations on the inside and punch speed when closing distance from the outside. Some fighters can combine combinations at lightning speeds, but they lose out when out against a fast-footed opponent. If you’re fighting from the outside, your hand speed is limited by the ability of your feet to get you to your target, in other words, if your feet can’t get you fast enough, your punch will be short. Invest in rounds improving your footwork.

4) Increase your total sparring rounds – I recommend 3 sparring sessions a week if you’re not already at that level. Sparring is the ultimate in simulating a real fighting situation where speed is paramount. In addition, all other aspects of shot speed come into play, such as timing, distance, reaction, feinting, and setups.

Depending on your level and your combat partners, it can be a bit difficult to do so much combat, but you don’t have to train like this all the time. Set a window of a few weeks and stick to an enhanced schedule. Needless to say, there are some gyms that advocate sparring 5 days a week until fight time, I’m okay with this as long as the fighters do the rest of their work and don’t just leave the gym once it’s over the fight.

5) Sprints/Tabatas – It’s easy to have speed in the first minute of a fight, but the best fighters can maintain their punching speed for rounds as the fight progresses. One of the best ways to achieve this is simply to get in better overall shape and have your body conditioned to deliver speed over and over again. The most effective way to do this is to incorporate speed work into your training. Try to do two speed workouts per week. My recommendation is the Tabata sets; this is where you run for 20 seconds and then rest for 10 seconds. Traditional tests have kept this at 8 total sets per Tabata workout, which is challenging enough, but you can eventually try increasing it to 14-16 total sets and possibly more. If you’re just starting out, then 6 sets is a good way to get into the rhythm.

6) Flexibility – This is the most overlooked aspect of speed. But tense muscles are like tight rubber bands all over your body, they will only slow you down. The more flexible you are in the hips, hamstrings, chest, shoulders, and upper back, the less restrictions you will have on your movement. The only thing that restricts a flexible body is gravity and the air around you.