hook punch

[Dragn]

Lately I use 2 distinctly different methods 4 throwing my left hook.

At close range i hold the fist vertical, arm bent 90 degrees and really using my hips to generate power. usually by shifting my weight onto my rear foot and lifting my left heel off the ground to allow the hips to rotate fully.

A typical boxers hook.

The other method is a longer range hook, where I hold the fist horizontal

and shift my weight onto my front leg. Its thrown kinda like a jab but on an angle, really using the snap of the shoulder to generate power.

Both ways are effective. But are used in slightly different situations and in different combinations.

[juey palancu]

The typical, "textbook" boxers punch is done with the palm facing downwards. The term usually used by trainers is "turning over the punch".

[juey palancu]

I meant, typical, textbook boxers' "hook".

Also, to be considered a "hook" in boxing it has to be executed with the leading hand. If done with the trailing, power hand, it's called a "cross".

[bushido_man96]

I meant, typical, textbook boxers' "hook".

Also, to be considered a "hook" in boxing it has to be executed with the leading hand. If done with the trailing, power hand, it's called a "cross".

I don't think that this is the case. You can throw a rear hook; the criteria is that the arm has to be bent, and the punch comes from the side, not straight forward. The cross is a straight punch.

[bushido_man96]

The typical, "textbook" boxers punch is done with the palm facing downwards. The term usually used by trainers is "turning over the punch".

Traditionally, I think almost all of the boxer's punches were thrown with the fist vertical--the rotation of the wrist is a fairly modern version in boxing (I think).

[Andrew_Patton]

Traditionally, I think almost all of the boxer's punches were thrown with the fist vertical--the rotation of the wrist is a fairly modern version in boxing (I think).

yes, I believe the palm down fist is a modern thing, old style boxing guard had the palms of the hand facing your face IIRC and the punches still turned but ended up vertically oriented instead, still having that quarter twist that they have nowadays just with a different orientation

[juey palancu]

Boxers have been turning over their hooks since they saw how successful Jack Johnson was doing it, quite a few decades ago. that's when the old pugilism style went away to never come back. That hardly qualifies as 'new' stuff. There an exception, though: if the target is far enough away, it turns more into a haymaker, so the palm faces in to get mroe reach. This is quite diffferent from the oriental arts 'hook'. Some boxers do this differently because of their preference or style, but the 'texbook' technique for the last 40+ years has been to turn it over.

A hook HAS to be executed with the leading hand to be called that. At least during my 9 years of boxing that was the common usage. That's what I learned. A curved punch done with the back hand is either an overhand (over the top), an uppercut (under) or (what most people throw) a haymaker. With the trailing hand, you cannot bend the arm so much because the traling hand, by definition, is far away from the opponent. A properly bent hook done with the trailing hand wont even hit the target. Look it up.

[juey palancu]

Oh, there is also somethingcalled a 'shovel-hook', which is kind of like a low level haymaker thrown with the trailing hand. That's where the confusion might come from.

[cathal]

I've not boxed before. Is a hook the same as a cross for boxing?

[juey palancu]

Cathal,

A hook is an horizontal punch that goes around the guard of the opponent, either over the guard (to the head), or under (to the body, ribs, kidney, liver, etc). When thrown from up close the hips move first, when thrown from far away the hand moves first. It is done with a bent arm, and because of this, it only reaches the target effectively if done with the leading hand. If the feet are squared up, then either hand can throw a hook, I guess, but squared up is something boxers dont do very much since it leaves many openings.

The cross is an (usually) straight punch done with the trailing hand, but it can be slightly looping in order to reach the target.

or, at least, this is how I learned when I did it.