Clenching the fist before punching?

[white devil]

It has been proven that clenching the fist only at the moment of impact creates a ''snappy punch'' and therefore a more damaging one...how come so many martial artists (especially in boxing/thai boxing) keep their fists tightly clenched even before throwing a punch?

[Shard]

With gloves on you don't really see anything... And you must remember, a closed fist and a clenched fist isn't the same. It doesn't have to be open to be relaxed. As far as i know, most boxers keep a closed but relax fist.

[EmptyneSs]

a mma fighter from my gym told me once that when fighting, you should keep your hands open with your palms facing your oppoenent, as it will help you relax more than clenching your fists.

[EmptyneSs]

also, i dont really remember what the reason behind it was. he said something about your nerves working better and being more relaxed when your palms were open and facing outward. i think he may have said something about putting less stress on the nerves in your back in shoulders. im not sure, mabye a sports medicine major on the forum can tell us. but either way, the fighter who told me this has awesome standup so id say his advice carries some weight.

[J-Luck]

Strictly boxing, clenching protects the wrists and prevents hyperextension(more difficult to fully extend when the forearms are tight. MMA, not really the best option. So, I guess it depends on what you're doing.

[white devil]

Strictly boxing, clenching protects the wrists

so what are the handwraps for?

[EmptyneSs]

keeping hands open allows you to parry shots coming in at you too. it takes like less than a second for your open hand to become a hard fist, so you may as well keep it open to parry and then clench right before you counter attack.

[J-Luck]

so what are the handwraps for?

Extra protection... also did you see the other part where I said it's to prevent hyperextentions?

[J-Luck]

keeping hands open allows you to parry shots coming in at you too. it takes like less than a second for your open hand to become a hard fist, so you may as well keep it open to parry and then clench right before you counter attack.

Not in boxing... are you talking MT or MMA?

[HtTKar]

keeping hands open allows you to parry shots coming in at you too. it takes like less than a second for your open hand to become a hard fist, so you may as well keep it open to parry and then clench right before you counter attack

.

Not always a good idea. If someone grabs your open hand and your fingers are still extended, they can practically break all your fingers with their other hand. Better to keep your fingers and thumb in tight, but not clenched. If your palms are facing your oppenent you also loose some snap. And as said, clench as tight as possible at the moment of impact, the torque creates a tearing action.

[Beach Head]

Not in boxing... are you talking MT or MMA?

Yes Boxers do it too you just don't see it because they have their gloves on. Bruce Lee always emphasized to punch like that also by closing your fist tightly at the point of impact. More power is developed that way because the punch is coming faster. If you tighten your fist while you fight your punches will be slower.

I box which is part of my MMA training and thats the way I have been punching for years. A lot of MMA fighters you see on TV just can't box withe exception of a few so thats why you see all the sloppy slow punching.

[Beach Head]

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Not always a good idea. If someone grabs your open hand and your fingers are still extended, they can practically break all your fingers with their other hand. Better to keep your fingers and thumb in tight, but not clenched. If your palms are facing your oppenent you also loose some snap. And as said, clench as tight as possible at the moment of impact, the torque creates a tearing action.

Wrong! Your hands are supposed to be open but in a relaxed state and they should be in a cup like position. That is how you can parry punches and close your fist on time for impact. They are not supposed to be wide open like you are talking about or clenched tightly. No pro boxer fights with their fists clenched tight.

[MSand114]

sounds silly to keep fists clenched entire time