A key lesson from this little story is the importance of hand speed. It’s a lesson I’ve seen time and time again in sparring. I have encountered quite a few strong, muscular guys with really slow hands. It’s actually rather amusing when they spar with seemingly out-of-shape partners who happen to have really good hand speed. Guess who tends to get more strikes in?

Shadowboxing and/or Bagwork: Obviously this can make a big difference. A key thing is to keep your body relaxed until the point of impact. The aforementioned strong, muscular guys with really slow hands tended to “push” their punches, as if they were doing a bench press. You want more of a whip effect. Also, using light hand weights when shadowboxing can be useful. Just don’t use weights heavier than two or maybe three pounds at most.
Wing Chun Trapping Drills: Trapping has become a dirty word in some circles. Whether or not you will ever be able to pull off complex, compound traps in a fight is open for debate. That being said, classic trapping drills with a partner can help you to develop hand speed and overall coordination. So can…

Hindu Push-Ups aka Dands: I can't actually think of a logical, biomechanical reason why Hindu push-ups help with hand speed, but they certain make a difference for me. Perhaps it has to do with the fluidity and relaxation component?

These are just a few examples of techniques that I have personal experience with. There are plenty of others. Juggling, for example, probably helps hand speed. However, I can’t juggle so I don’t really know.
A great thing about developing hand speed (besides the fact it might save your life one day) is that it doesn’t really rely on brute strength. I have trained with plenty of older people who have very fast hands despite not being especially strong or athletic.
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