bimmu

Hey,

I've started taking Muay Thai classes within the past month, and the instructor has told me quite a few times to "snap" my punches when I jab and throw my right cross. What exactly does that mean, snap your punches?

Dempsey Roll

Focus on punching fast, not hard. When you just try to punch really hard you'll end up tensing up your muscles and it'll come out slower than it should. If you, instead, focus on punching fast, fluidly and with good technique then it should end up being more powerful regardless. A nice crisp *SMACK* when you hit the bag or pads means you're hitting hard, not how far the bag moves.

Also, your hand, when you're bringing the punch forward, should be corkscrewing in to your target. Don't set it so that your knuckles are paralell to the ground then punch it forward.

Outside of that, I dunno. It'd be easier to tell if I could see a video of you throwing some punches.

__________________
"I don't want them to like me, because when I'm in the ring, punches fly to the face. It is not a tenderness time. I am not falling in love. And he knows that when the fight starts I am kicking faces."
- Wanderlei Silva

Zemelya

when punching not properly - your punch might be feel more like your pushing with your hand which is far less powerful and damaging...
I think by SNAP your instructor means you should kind of throw (not push) your fist forward - try to relax your arm, do not try to control or limit it's reach - you just need to get a feel of it, then when you know what you are looking for it will be easy to control it.

Hard to explain - has to be shown. Ask instructor to show you how it should look and feel like.

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HONESTA MORS TURPI VITA POTIOR

HeavyRob

It also means to snap your hand back to your defensive position. Don't leave it hanging out there cuz you'll get smacked in the head. After a punch, always bring your hands and arms up to your guard to protect your head and body.

So I think your instructor's implying that you should snap your punch out and then snap it back. It sounds simple, but after a while it gets exhausting. With practice, it becomes second nature and you won't think about it.

69nites

that's what i would think it would mean in context.

I don't know why someone would ask us tho. That's the reason you're paying for your instructor! No one knows what he means better than him.

HeavyRob

hey! no kidding. ask your instructor and get back to us. Maybe we're wrong...

bimmu

Hehehe, well, your right, I should ask the instructor...but you know how it is sometimes, you're the new guy and you don't want to sound too stupid not even being able to throw a proper punch. So, when the instructor says to snap your punches I'm like "OK, I'll try that thank you." Mean while, I'm thinking what did I just say OK to?

I did ask him and basically, you're all right. I'm extending my arm out for too long and it turns into more of a push than a punch, so I need to "snap" the punch than retract it back into a defensive position.

I think part of it is instict to punch that way, and part of it that I used to take Kung Fu, and a lot of that it pattern based, so for a pattern, you usually left your arm extended longer for visual effect or something? It's sctually quite difficult to throw a proper punch, who knew. Skipping rope is also something I'm TERRIBLE at, I used to be able to skip, if I had two people holding the ends, I'd jump in, say a few rhymes and then jump out...but that's not really the type of skipping were doing in class, though it would be funny if it was.

Bloodlusting

More Velocity!

acceleration X mass = force... since the mass of your arm and body remains constant, the speed must increase for change.

I guarantee if you relax you will be faster. Completely relax the arm and shoulder, and dont tense at all until impact.

It works because you're learning to fully relax the antagonistic(opposing) muscles of the punch. And the tension at the end adds more SNAP as well as bracing the arm for a solid impact.