Small vs. Big Hands | What Produces More Punching Power?

The smaller or bigger hand debate is very much comparable to the broad shoulder one, as it’s one of those physical attributes that seem to have something with how hard a fighter can hit.

The question is, does having large or small fists actually matter at all in a fight? I try to answer this question as best as i can further down in the article.

Small hand advantages

Smaller hands provide smaller area for an impact to disperse, and even thought they could also carry less weight behind them, that might still help in hitting harder and lead to more likelihood for a knockout to happen, as the damage is more focused on a smaller point.

Having lighter fists could also help you in throwing more punches and combinations without fatiguing yourself as quick, which could obviously result in a better overall outcome.

Big hand advantages

Larger fists may help in dealing more actual pain with strikes like body shots as the area is more spread out.

Having bigger paws probably means bigger arms and bones, therefore the chance of any type of hand injury could be reduced.

My Verdict

Personally, i think that it doesn’t matter at all how big your hands are when it comes down to delivering the most amount of power with your punches.

A great example is the heavyweight boxer Nikolai Valuev – he arguably had the largest hands in the heavyweight division but still wasn’t as good with them as someone like Anthony Joshua, who’s fists are arguably smaller.

At the end of the day, boxers fight in gloves so no matter how big or small your hands are, they’re still going to go inside them and match your opponent’s ones.