A superman punch is a technique used in Sanda, Lethwei, Muay Thai, ITF-style

Taekwondo ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean martial arts, Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast k ...

, kickboxing,

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

fighting and

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

. The technique involves bringing the rear leg forward to feign a kick, then snapping the leg back while throwing a

cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...

, resulting in greater power behind the punch. Superman punches are allowed in boxing as long as they are performed in a proper way and targeted above the belt. The technique adds extra power to the punch, but is not commonly used by world-class boxers because it is easy to anticipate. The move is also known as the Cobra Punch, Jumping Punch, and Diving Punch. A superman punch in mixed martial arts was performed by

Bas Rutten Sebastiaan "Bas" Rutten (; born 24 February 1965) is a Dutch-American actor, former mixed martial artist, kickboxer and professional wrestler. He was a UFC Heavyweight Champion, a three-time King of Pancrase world champion, and finished his ca ...

UFC 20 ''UFC 20: Battle for the Gold'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on May 7, 1999 at the Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham, Alabama. The event was seen live on pay per view in the United States, and later rel ...

against

Kevin Randleman Kevin Christopher Randleman (August 10, 1971 – February 11, 2016) was an American mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, and former UFC Heavyweight Champion. Randleman's background was in collegiate wrestling, in which he became ...

. A variation involves pushing off from the fence with the opposite foot prior to the punch.

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

hockey player and later

Hockey Night In Canada CBC Television has aired National Hockey League (NHL) broadcasts under the ''Hockey Night in Canada'' (often abbreviated ''Hockey Night'' or ''HNiC'') brand that is primarily associated with its Saturday night NHL broadcasts throughout its hi ...

analyst

Kevin Bieksa Kevin Francesco Bieksa (born June 16, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He most recently played for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL) after starting his career with the Vancouver Canucks. After ...

is known for performing a variation on skates. Professional wrestler

Roman Reigns Leati Joseph "Joe" Anoa'i (born May 25, 1985) is an American professional wrestler and former football player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Roman Reigns. He is the leader of The B ...

uses a ( feigned) Superman Punch as a trademark move. The move was performed by the fictional character Superman in the film

Superman Returns ''Superman Returns'' is a 2006 American superhero film directed by Bryan Singer and written by Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris from a story by Singer, Dougherty and Harris based on the DC Comics character Superman. It is the sixth and fina ...

, which popularized the name 'Superman Punch' as a name for the attack

References

Bibliography

*Blanchet, G., ''Boxe et sports de combat en éducation physique'', Ed. Chiron, Paris, 1947 *Delmas, A., 1. ''Lexique de la boxe et des autres boxes'', Document de formation d’entraîneur, 1981-2005 – 2. ''Lexique de combatique'', Ligue Midi-Pyrénées, 1975-1980. * Dempsey, J., ''Championship fighting'', Ed. Jack Cuddy, 1950 *Lerda, L., Casteyre, J.C., ''Sachons boxer'', Ed. Vigot, Paris, 1944 *Petit, M., Boxe, Paris, Ed. Amphora, Paris, 1972 Punches (combat) Muay Thai Kickboxing terminology {{mixedmartialart-stub

See also

References

Bibliography