Which Martial Art Has The Most Powerful Punch?

Striking has been around since the beginning of time. Men have been punching each other since humans walked the earth and striking with fists can be seen in other animals such as apes and monkeys.

However, we all know that some punches are stronger than others. For example, a haymaker is going to be stronger than a jab. There are many different martial arts, some that share punches, and others that use strikes differently.

In general, you are always going to have a trade-off. The more powerful the punch, the longer the setup and trajectory will be. The less powerful and accurate punches will often have a very short throwing time and less hip movement. This is not to say that weaker punches are useless, but they have a much lower chance of stopping an opponent or leaving them unconscious.

There is obviously a lot of crossover amongst punching techniques since so many striking martial arts have very similar rules. However, we have grouped each punch to the sport which best suits its origins. For those interesting in increasing their punching power, this Everlast punching bag combines quality with affordability.

Superman Punch – Lethwei & Muay Thai

The superman punch is an effective strike when the opponent is not expecting it. If the opponent has any idea that a superman punch is coming, they will easily avoid it. To land a superman punch you must have thrown a variety of punches and kicks already with the opponent being not quite sure what is coming next.

Despite its striking visual quality, the superman punch is really not that powerful. Whilst it can sometimes be a knockout punch, the fact that your feet are not planted on the floor makes it difficult for your upper body to generate power. This may seem strange to beginners since the punch looks like your entire body weight is being thrown into it. But once you understand the fundamental principles of punching you will realize that this punch is not too powerful.

Pros

• Covers distance extremely quickly.
• Extremely unpredictable punch that sometimes catches the opponent off guard.
• Is a potential knockout punch since the opponent doesn’t realize what is coming next.

Cons

• No lower body power at all. It’s very difficult to engage your hips.
• If your opponent has any idea what’s happening they will easily dodge this punch.
• You are now vulnerable to counterattacks. You will be off-balance when you land after throwing this punch.

Spinning Back Fist – Karate & Muay Thai

The spinning back fist can be an extremely effective punch when thrown properly. The technique is very difficult to master against a moving target since it’s a very unnatural strike to throw. When thrown correctly it is similar to its cousin, the spinning heel kick. Both of these strikes possess genuine knockout power, although the kick is a lot more due to the torque of the hips.

Whilst the spinning back fist looks incredibly powerful, it is also a technique that is built on surprise. In general, punches are very different from kicks and requires a different technical setup to produce power. The spinning back fist is no different and is mostly a technique used to catch the opponent off guard. A standard setup would be to throw several spinning back kicks. This way the opponent is expecting a spin followed by a kick to the mid-section. If they drop their guard then the spinning back fist can find an easy target on an unguarded jaw.

Pros

• Can cover a big distance in a very short space of time.

• Has a big arc and has genuine knockout power when clean contact is made

• The opponent is more likely to lower their guard compared to other punch setups

Cons

• If the opponent knows what is coming you will surely miss

• It is very hard to hit a spinning back fist against a moving opponent

• You may unbalance yourself when throwing this punch

Overhand or Haymaker – Western Boxing

The haymaker or overhand is an inaccurate punch associated with incredible knockout power. The haymaker gets its name from hay farming in the middle ages. Farmers would swing a scythe in an arcing fashion to cut down straw. The punch is thrown in a similar way to this.

The overhand punch is often thrown in the late stages of boxing matches, especially when a knockout is needed to win. Whilst it isn’t exclusively used in western boxing and can also be mixed in with other types of punches. The haymaker has earnt its reputation from pulling victory from the jaws of defeat.

There is no doubt that this is one of the most powerful punches in all of martial arts. You are essentially trying to put as much bodyweight as you can into a single punch. The punch starts behind your shoulder, involves a big twist of the hips, and is often thrown over/around the guard of the opponent into their head. This differs massively from a punch such as a jab which is thrown from the shoulder and aims to get from A to B as quickly as possible.

Pros

• A massively powerful punch that uses a maximum amount of bodyweight and torque

• Can be thrown around or over the guard of the opponent so is difficult to block

Cons

• Is fairly easy to dodge since it’s thrown from so far back

• Can easily throw you off balance once it misses

• Very inaccurate

Rear Uppercut – Western Boxing & Muay Thai

The rear uppercut is another punch that possesses great power since it is thrown from almost behind your hips and uses them to great effect with its power. Unlike other punches on this list, the rear uppercut requires a constant guard of your head, since it is so far forward when throwing this strike. There is also a direct counter if the opponent angles laterally and throws a cross jab. This punch will be unable to be defended since you’re already throwing the uppercut.

With that being said, the rear uppercut is not a gimmick punch. It is however very high risk, for a very high reward. Compared with the other punches reviewed, the rear uppercut is a higher risk though since you are putting your head in great danger to land a headshot of your own.

Pros

• If the punch lands cleanly then there is a very good chance of a knockout
• Great use of torque in the upper and lower body
• Very rarely used, so is certainly unexpected

Cons

• An extremely low percentage strike given the distance it needs to cover
• Unlike other punches from distance, you still put yourself in a position to be hit by your opponent