No, we aren’t talking
about gigantism. For anyone who is a fan of combat sports, you will often here
the expression ‘heavy hands’ given to fighters who possess dangerous knockout
power. Along with this term is the general acceptance by most coaches that some
people are born with it, and some people are born without it. Is there truth to
being born with heavy hands? Science says yes.
There are two types of
muscle fibres: Type I and Type II (not really, it is a continuum, but
identifying each end of the spectrum simplifies things a lot). Type II muscle
fibres contract quickly and have the ability to generate large amounts of
power. This is in contrast to Type I fibres which contract slower and cannot
produce power like their Type II counterparts.
Evidence suggests that
the proportion of slow/fast twitch fibres is determined by genetics - that some
people are born with a predisposition to succeed as a sprinter, and some to
succeed as a marathon runner. Similarly, some people are born with heavy hands,
and some are not.
Wait, you may not be
doomed…
-
Everybody
has Type II fibres. These are also called high threshold motor units because
they are only activated when muscles have to produce a high amount of force.
Learning to activate these high threshold motor units is done via
strength/power training
-
Some
evidence suggests that performing exercises that require large amounts of force
can cause a transformation from Type I to Type II fibres
-
If you do
have more Type I fibres, your muscle is more fatigue resistant so you will
probably be able to outlast your heavy handed opponent.
-
Taking the
fitness component of punching out, developing good technique and focusing on
your accuracy may make you more dangerous than someone born with heavy hands.
Even with a genetic disadvantage, everybody can improve their power output. The key is training with the correct training protocol. Using strength and power exercises is critical for any combat athlete!
