In the latest in her series of Fight Right™ articles for Writer’s Digest, Carla Hoch teaches us how to throw a punch. “Just because you have punched something doesn’t mean you did it correctly,” she says. “Also, if you have ever written that your character ‘punched’ a punch or punched ‘hard,’ bookmark this post because neither of those are technically correct.”
You could probably guess that you throw a punch with your dominant hand, but you might not know that foot position is important. “That is because punches start in the feet,” Hoch explains. “The moment a fighter’s ankles start to wobble or their heels rest on the mat, their movement and balance are compromised, and their ability to throw a productive punch wanes.” Hoch walks through how a fighter should stand, anchor themselves, and pivot.
Hoch also has advice about punching with your bare fist. “In short, it ain’t smart,” she says. “Boxing gloves are there to protect the fighter’s hands not their opponent’s face.” Even with gloves and training, boxers can break their hands.
Next, Hoch explains how to make a fist (protect your thumbs!) and throw the punch. Stance is important, as it supports your momentum when you rotate your hips and drive your shoulders forward to throw the punch. Finally, Hoch explains why you don’t punch hard but with force.
“Force is the product of mass x acceleration,” she says. “So, to punch hard we need to get as much of our weight (mass) behind our punch as we can and throw that punch as quickly as possible (acceleration).” Fighters compete in weight classes because heavier athletes can naturally create more force with their greater mass. “The greater the disparity in weight, the less likely it is for the smaller fighter to close that gap with speed,” Hoch notes.
Why does this matter? Because your character’s ability to fight and success are dependent on know-how and environment. “For example, if a writer knows the importance of friction between the feet and the surface below to create a forceful punch, they will understand that if their character is on slippery ice, the punch will be less forceful and the character might slip,” Hoch says. “A right-handed character will have their right side away from their opponent. So, if that right-handed character is stabbed, it will likely be on the left side of their body because it is more accessible to their assailant.”
