you know that break up of a punch being 1/3 strength, 1/3 waist whip, 1/3 legs

[ant256]

I think you should be slightly on the ball of your back foot in order to be able to do a small pivot so you can use some force from your hips.
Punching is based mostly in techinique, less on power.
Kind of like how a lineman can't throw a football harder than the much smaller quarterback, this is another move based on technique.
Firmly planting your feet basicly disables your bottom half of your body which could be aiding in your punch.
But if you can punch better by planting your feet solid, by all means do it!
I perfer not planting my feet, that is how i punch the hardest.
But i feel that standing too high on the balls of your feet will also ruin your punch.

 

[BigPhysicsBastard]

ant, the feet only plant once fully rotated and just before impact. Of course as your hips are rotating your heel is going to be off the ground, but at "impact" it should be touching the ground and your back knee you should be as rigid as possible. This is what translates the power into your opponent and not into you, turning you into a dampener.

 

[weasel]

I have been taught that in order to have optimum power you need to hit with 5 joints locking at the same time. If you look at a boxer you will have ankle, knee, waist and/or hip, shoulder and elbow for the best power. Check some of Mike Tysons knockouts in slow motion and see. Now different styles will generate force differently. Bruce Lee's 1 inch punch ( which is derived from Wing Chun) uses knee, hip, shoulder, elbow, and wrist. With this punch he would propel people much larger than himself 6 feet or more through the air. ( by the way done if done properly and not for show like Lee did people won't fly through the air but absorb the force and sustain much more damage to their internal organs) Lee used more like a 1 inch push not punch but he did it more for show. This is the reason some stlyles punch flat footed and some are on the balls of their feet. It all depends on your style.

 

[bigguns7]

no offense thaibox, but you're absolutely wrong. Going up on the balls of your feet when you hit something turns your body into a shock absorber, which is what you don't want. You want all the force you generated from the punch to be transferred into what you punched. By your back foot going up onto it's ball, you're making a weak link which in turn will abosorb the shock from the impact, thus making you rock slightly back upon impact. Coming up on the balls of your feet is only ok when you're moving toward the target "swiftly"......your forward momentum will make up for the loss in rigidity. But from a standstill, your back knee should explode toward the target, but your feet should remain flat, or as flat as possible.......with the back being "near" lockout just at impact. For other type of attacks it's ok to come up, but for the "power" punches, if you're trying to finish someone off or you're trying to break something, you have to make sure your body doesn't become the absorber of the impact.

Tell that to Bruce Lee. I agree with TB on this way. To spring up on the ball of your rear foot provides for the best transfer of energy. Concentrate on moving chi from the bottom of your rear foot, through your torso, and out of your fist. You will be impressed.