Punch

A strike delivered with the back of the knuckles using a snapping or spinning motion, generating power through centrifugal force rather than linear extension.

The Boxing Punch family covers the punching techniques of Western boxing — the most refined and scientifically studied striking system in martial arts, developed over centuries of professional prizefighting. [1] Boxing recognises four fundamental punches — the jab (lead straight), cross (rear straight), hook (lead or rear arc punch), and uppercut (upward punch) — each with multiple variations in range, angle, and application. [1,2] Boxing punching mechanics are considered the gold standard for hand striking across all combat sports: the integration of footwork, hip rotation, shoulder torque, and weight transfer into a unified kinetic chain produces maximum force with minimum telegraph. [2,3] Every modern striking-based martial art (MMA, kickboxing, Muay Thai) has adopted boxing's punching system as its hand-striking foundation. [3]

Punches that travel along a circular or angular path to the target, bypassing the opponent's guard by attacking from the side or below.

The Fundamental Punch family covers punching techniques that span multiple martial arts traditions beyond Western boxing — including backfists, hammer fists, spinning backfists, and superman punches that appear across karate, MMA, kickboxing, and other striking systems. [1] While boxing provides the four foundational punches (jab, cross, hook, uppercut), many martial arts have developed additional fist-based striking techniques that use different striking surfaces, trajectories, and tactical applications. [1,2] The backfist (uraken) and hammer fist (tetsui) use the back of the fist and the bottom of the fist respectively, offering strikes that can be delivered from angles inaccessible to standard boxing punches. [2,3] In MMA, the spinning backfist and superman punch have become signature highlight-reel techniques that blend traditional martial arts with modern fighting. [3]

The Kung Fu Strike family within the Punch group covers fist-based striking techniques from Chinese martial arts (kung fu/wushu) systems, which have developed an extraordinarily diverse array of punching methods beyond the Western boxing framework. [1] Chinese martial arts use multiple fist formations — the standard fist (quan), phoenix-eye fist (feng yan quan, striking with the protruding second knuckle), leopard fist (bao quan, striking with the second knuckles of all four fingers), and the one-inch punch (cun jin, generating power from extremely close range). [1,2] Wing Chun's chain punches (lian huan quan) deliver rapid straight punches along the centre line, while Shaolin systems include a vast vocabulary of fist strikes targeting specific anatomical points. [2,3] These techniques emphasise different striking surfaces and force-generation principles compared to Western boxing, reflecting Chinese martial philosophy of precision targeting and energy flow (jin/qi). [3]

Punches traveling in a direct linear path from the guard position to the target, generating power through hip rotation and full extension of the arm.

An explosive lunging punch where the fighter fakes a kick to lift off the ground and throws a straight or overhand punch while airborne, using the momentum of the entire body.

The TKD Punch family encompasses the hand striking techniques (jirugi — punches, and taerigi — strikes) of Taekwondo, which are classified separately from the punching systems of boxing, karate, or Muay Thai. [1] In Taekwondo's technical taxonomy, hand techniques are divided into jirugi (thrusting/punching) and taerigi (striking/swinging), each with distinct hand formations, trajectories, and applications. [1] While Taekwondo is primarily known as a kicking art, hand techniques remain part of the ITF and WT curricula and are used in patterns (tul/poomsae), self-defense applications, and breaking demonstrations. [1,2] In WT competition, punches to the body score points but are used less frequently than kicks due to the scoring system that awards higher points for head kicks and spinning techniques. [2] In ITF competition, hand techniques play a more balanced role alongside kicks. [1,2]