## 4 Discussion
### Acute Effects  
Seven articles in the present scoping review demonstrated improved punches' performance through chronic training interventions [18; 19; 20; 60; 62; 68]; however, four articles demonstrated improved punches' performance acutely through a single training session [64; 65; 66; 59]. Specifically, [PERSON] et al. [64] in a single session using two potentiation exercises  
Figure 4: Contributors to punches’ performance. SSC: stretch-shortening cycle. GRF: ground reaction force. (medicine ball throw with 10% of 5 RM in bench press and bench press with 85% of 1 RM) found improvements in the maximum strength and RFD of the front hand, as well as in the time to maximum force and the RFD of the rear hand between 6 and 15 min after performing the potentiation exercises, with no differences in the recovery time for improving the strength of the punch between both exercises. Likewise, in a second study by [PERSON] et al. [65], in a single training session through a ballistic exercise (squat with jump 30% of 1 RM) and a heavy load exercise (squat with 80% 1 RM) they reported significant improvements in the strength and speed of the punch with the rear hand at 9 min post-intervention compared to baseline, with no clear differences between the ballistic exercise and the heavy load exercise. Finally, [PERSON] et al. [59] in a single training session using a resistance band exercise imitating the punch gesture (jab and straight) and an exercise with a maximum isometric contraction with the punch gesture (jab and straight) reported significant improvements in the impact force of the punch and in the RFD, highlighting a better response in the maximum isometric contraction exercise, although both exercises reached their maximum point of improvement between 7 and 9 min post-execution. In a second study by [PERSON] et al. [66] with the same sample and exercises performed (resistance band with punch gesture and maximum isometric contraction exercise with punch gesture), they reported improvements in punch force, but to a lesser extent than the previous study [59], possibly because the inclusion of the exercises was carried out in addition to simulated combat, measuring the impact force of the punch at the beginning of the simulated combat, at the beginning of each round, and at the end of the simulated combat. The improvements in punches' performance in the single training session articles are supported by the phenomenon of PAPE, described as an acute increase in neuromuscular performance for up to \(\sim\)15 min, through prior muscular activity [45; 46]. This term was introduced by [PERSON] et al. [70], where PAPE refers only to performance improvements in voluntary exercises, while the concept of post-activation potentiation (PAP) refers to strength increases during contraction verification tests. PAPE is one of the main objectives in warm-up protocols [71], being associated with physiological benefits derived from the increase in body temperature, as well as improvements in neuromuscular and cardiometabolic responses [71; 72; 73]. Based on [PERSON] et al. [74], it is theorized that the main mechanism related to potentiation is the phosphorylation of the regulatory myosin light chain, a muscle memory mechanism that increases sensitivity to Ca2+, thus favoring transient increases in maximum force and in the RFD. [PERSON] et al. [64; 65] in their respective studies used ballistic exercises and high-load non-ballistic exercises (80% to 85% of 1 RM) for the upper and lower body, reporting improvements in the strength and speed of the punch with the rear hand and the front hand, between 6 and 15 min for upper body exercises and 9 min later for lower body exercises.