bjones
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That sniffling sound boxers make when throwing a punch is made partially consciously and partially unconsciously as a result of the force in the punch. A good punch is produced by using the entire body, not just the arms. In one study, it was found that 38% of the force of a punch comes from the legs, and 37% comes from the trunk. Only 24% of the power comes from the arm. To gain more power, boxers keep their core tight which requires a momentary holding of the breath. These factors are combined with the fact that boxers must breathe through their nose. Opening the mouth to breathe makes it extremely vulnerable if struck. It is a simple matter to dislocate the jaw of someone with an open mouth. So, as a boxer punches, they release the force they have built up in not only their arm, but their legs and core. As they release the force they also release their breath through their nose. This creates the sniffling sound that you hear when boxers throw a punch.
Furthermore, the sound itself may help to focus the energy of the punch through the fist. Sounds are used to focus the energy of a strike in almost every martial art. The Japanese word for this sound has come to be used in most every language – kiai. Kiai (pronounced like “key eye”) is usually heard or written something like “hee-yah” or “hi-yah.” The sound is said to focus the ki, or energy, inside the body and transfer it to an external source, the target of the strike. Like boxing, the martial arts kiai is also a way to release the breath after contracting the abs for support in the strike.
 Posted 5146 day ago
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