Punching Speed
It is possible to measure punching speed by using a radar gun or video analysis, both of these methods are described below. See also the punching power test. Note: we do not sell this equipment or provide testing of punching speed/power.
test purpose: to measure maximal punching arm/hand speed.
equipment required: Radar Device or video setup (there are some commercially available video analysis systems)
pre-test: Explain the test procedures to the subject. Perform screening of health risks and obtain informed consent. Prepare forms and record basic information such as age, height, body weight, gender and test conditions. Perform a standard warm-up. See more details of pre-test procedures.
boxerprocedure (radar): radar can be used for measuring throwing speed, so it should also be able to determine movement speed of any object, including the hand. The radar should be placed in front of the person being tested, in direct line of the punch. Peak speed only is recorded. See more information about radar for sports testing.
procedure (video): To determine hand speed (distance/time), you need both a distance and time measure, both can be measured from video. First of all you need to have collected the video footage in the correct manner. The camera should be placed so that you get a side on view of the boxer. The camera should not be moving (no panning), so it is best to have it set up on a tripod. The zoom function should also not be used.
- distance: You must have in the view of the video a standard distance measure for calibration - this can be a yardstick or some other object of known length that you hold up in the video frame, or markings on the ground a known distance apart. Using the on screen calibration measure is just like using a scale measure on a map. If a three foot (36 inches) distance is one inch on the screen, the calibration ratio is 1:36. Everything in the same plane as the calibration measure will be 36 times bigger than what you can measure on the screen. Now simply measure how far the hand moves on the screen, and multiply that by the calibration ratio.
- time: to convert the distance measure to speed, you need to know how long it took to move that distance. You need to find out frame rate of the video (frames per second), usually 24, 25 or 30. The higher the frame rate of the video the more accurate measures you can get. For example the frame rate may be 25 frames per second, which means that there is 0.04 seconds between each frame. If the hand moves 2 inches between frames, the equates to a velocity of 50 inches/sec or 4.2 feet/sec.
scoring: the standard unit of speed is meters per second (m/s) or feet per second (fps)
target population: boxing and other combat and hitting sports.
Similar Tests
- Measuring punching power
- Quick Strike Test — punch a boxing bag as fast and as hard as possible for a set time period.
- Arm Crank Egometer Test with 2 x 15 second intervals.
- Plate Tapping Test — move the hand back and forth between discs as quickly as possible.
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