A new study has shown that the makeup of the brain determines how powerful a person can punch and not the strength of their muscles, as it is widely believed.

Researchers from Imperial College London and University College London, who studied Karate experts found that the make-up of the brain is the key determinant of the power of a hit when punches at close range. They studied karate black belts, who are trained to punch also analyzed punches of physically fit members of the public.

They studied 12 karate black belts with an average of 13.8 years experience and fitted them with infrared markers on their arms and torso. The results were compared to 12 control subjects of similar age who were not trained.

The researchers found that the white matter of the brain correlated directly with punching ability. The researchers noted that the timing and synchronized movement between the wrist and shoulders determines the power of the punch and more the strength of the muscles.

Study leader Dr Ed Roberts, from Imperial College London, said, "The karate black belts were able to repeatedly co-ordinate their punching action with a level of co-ordination that novices can't produce.

We think that ability might be related to fine-tuning of neural connections in the cerebellum, allowing them to synchronise their arm and trunk movements very accurately."

The study published in the journal Cerebral Cortex.