Punching - How to Take a Solid Punch to the Abdomen

[Preston Gary]

Many aspects about taking a punch are just as mental as much as
physical.  You have to be able to refocus pain, or ignore pain
for a split second or two.  Let's face it, getting punched is
going to hurt, but you can lessen the degree of pain and damage to
your internal organs by doing the following things:
1. Think "gravity" instead of "body builder." The last thing you want
to do when getting punched is to stand up as tall as you can and puff
out your chest like you are in the military.  When you stand tall
it spreads out your ribs, exposing your internal organs more, but even
worse, it creates a very thin muscle barrier between those organs and
the punch.  You want to push down and out.  Pull you
shoulders down towards the earth.  Tighten up your abdominal
muscles as much as you can, but also push your stomach out.  This
creates a much bigger space between the fist and your internal organs.
2. Get killer abs- Not only is core strength important to daily
health, but it is also critical to taking a hard punch.  You need
to develop the ability to tighten your core in a split second and to
react as soon as someone throws the punch.  You can practice
tightening you abs for long periods of time as you walk around or sit
at work.  Try to concentrate on your breathing while you are
doing this.  Do not hold your breath.  This will take some
time to master.
3. Work on your breathing- in order to react quickly to taking a
punch, you must have control over your breathing as well. As soon as
the punch makes contact, let out a small, strong breath of air in the
time it takes to say "ha." You will tighten up every muscle in your
core region as hard as you possibly can for just that split second and
then move back to a relaxed state.
4. You must be able to punch back- If someone is going to hit you that
hard you should not just have to stand there and take it, unless you
are trying to win a bet or something.  You will need to defend
yourself with a punch that will make the attacker remember never to do
that again.  The quickest and best way to develop a fist of steel
is to use makiwara training. A makiwara will train your fist to make
rock-solid contact without injury, and most importantly, trains your
bare knuckles.  You most likely will not be wearing gloves when
you need to punch someone back.
-Joshua Black

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