As fighters, we want to kick faster, punch harder, and overall, become better at what we love to do.  I have listed some strategies that will further develop your overall speed and power through explosive technique.  These drills as well as variations of these drills have helped me in the past and they continue to help me today.
1000 Count Drill
In the 1000 count drill, you will perform one thousand repetitions of the techniques listed below.  How you do this is up to you, but I would recommend breaking them down into sets of ten.  Five hundred of them will be in the air.  The other five hundred will be on a heavy bag, or pads.  If you do not have either of them, I would recommend getting one. They are inexpensive.  Perform each technique below with correct form, for both sides.  Imagine a sparring partner in front of you to help develop your aim.
Jab – 100 reps x 10 sets = 1000 reps
Back Fist – 100 reps x 10 sets = 1000 reps
After you have performed the above workout, you should have accumulated 4000 punches.  The two techniques above are meant to be faster and harder to detect then other punches.  Even though every punch should be dynamic and fast, the jab and back fist should be the fastest.  But we are not finished yet.  We still want to make our other punching and kicking techniques fast, we just do not have to be as ambitious as before.
1000 Count Phase II
Perform the following drills for both fighting stances.
Cross or Back Punch – 10 reps x 10 sets = 100 reps x 2 = 200 reps
Hook (Lead Arm)- 10 reps x 10 sets = 100 reps x 2 = 200 reps
Uppercut (Lead Arm) = 10 reps x 10 sets = 100 reps x 2 = 200 reps
Hammer Fist (Rear Arm) = 10 reps x 10 sets = 100 reps x 2 = 200 reps
Punch Out (Rapid Punch) = 100 reps x 2 sets = 200 reps
After you are finished, you would have perform 1000 punches all together.  Perform the workout above without heavy bags to work on improving your speed.  After you are finished, perform it again, but on a heavy bag.
Conclusion
These drills should help you develop the explosive power and speed you need to get to the next level of your fighting skills.  We will discuss ways to improve the explosiveness within your kicking techniques in a future article.