We have probably all heard our instructors tell us to keep our elbows close to the body when throwing a punch but, why is it that this is so important? For starters, keeping your elbows down and close to the body conceals the punch by not telegraphing it as you would if you raised your elbow out to the side as you punch. Keeping your elbows down and close also forces you to throw the punch from your hips rather than from your arms which leads to a faster and more powerful punch. However, there is another reason why keeping your elbows close to your body is so important and that is that doing so greatly reduces the risk of elbow injuries.
When we throw a punch at full speed and miss the target, there is a risk of injuring the elbow joint if our punch is not executed correctly. Even just a slight outward movement of the elbow in the initial stages of the punch are enough to put the elbow in a vulnerable position when the punch is fully extended. Sometimes it is hard to even notice that you are throwing your punches incorrectly because at full speed, a slight outward movement of the elbow may go unnoticed.
However, if you look at the end result of your punch and see that the boney point of the elbow is pointing outward, then that means that you didn’t keep your elbow down and close to the body as your threw the punch and instead, the elbow floated outward. This puts you at risk of injuring the elbow.
On the other hand, if you keep the elbow down throughout the motion of the punch and only rotate your fist over at the point of impact, you will find that the boney point of the elbow is pointing downward and not outward. This is a sign of a good punch. You will also notice that your shoulder stays down and relaxed allowing your punch to travel much faster. By keeping your elbow down, you force your hips to do the work of generating power and throwing the punch while the arm delivers the punch in a quick and relaxed manner, only tensing at the point of impact.
If you can do this, not only will you have reduced your chances of injuring your elbow, but you will have also increased the speed and power with which you can execute your punches. To see a demonstration of the material contained in this article along with a more detailed explanation, check out the following video on YouTube.com: https://youtu.be/HtmbSFHO2XI.
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