Boxing How to Guide – Right Hook to the Body

Boxing How to Guide – Right Hook to the Body

Another in our series of Boxing How to Guides on body punching, this one examining the right hook (or back hand hook) to the body. Knowing how to throw a right hook to the body enables you to deliver massive power to a very specific and precise location; the soft tissue below the ribs on the left side of the opponent’s body.

As a general rule and depending upon your position in relation to your opponent, this punch is designed to find the spot behind the guarding arm of the opponent. Precision is great, but raw power and aggression is the trick to knowing how to get the most from this devastating body punch.

Before we get onto the mechanics of how to throw the right hook to the body, you need to be aware that this is not a right uppercut. I’m sure plenty will decide that this is an uppercut, but really it is not. To see the difference between the uppercut and the hook, go and check out the Boxing How to Guide on the right uppercut to the body.

Boxing How to Guide – The Mechanics

1. From the boxing stance, drop your knees slightly in order to lower your centre of gravity. This is basically a duck.
2. As the duck is taking place, there is an explosive thrust from the ball of the back foot. This thrust provides the energy to deliver massive rotation of the upper body (counter clockwise from the orthodox stance).
3. The bend of your front leg (from the duck) allows the required amount of hip rotation. Without this bend, your hips will complete maybe only 25% of the rotation necessary to give the punch the required ‘bang’ on impact.
4. During the rotation, release your back hand in an arc at an angle of 45 degrees to the ground. Ensure that the shot accelerates towards the target to add to the massive leverage produced during the rotation; this is how to maximize the power generated.
5. The arm and body return to the starting position as per the boxing stance.

Boxing How to Guide – Common Faults

Be aware of your range. Ensure that if you use this shot at longer range the opponent is vulnerable to it. In short, the further you are away from the opponent when using this shot, the greater the risk of you being hit. Limit the risk of long range ‘bombing’ with this punch by stepping in with a jab ahead of letting loose with the hook to the body.

1. Make the punch direct. Don’t allow it to loop too low as this leaves a big opening for your opponent to exploit.
2. As always, make sure that your body weight does not propel forward, resulting in your body weight being over your front leg. Remember the golden rule, never let your nose travel past the line of your front knee.

And there you have it, the MyBoxingCoach Boxing How to Guide on the right hook to the body. This is a proper fight-ending punch, targeting as it does the the spleen and other vital organs. Make a mental note of how you want the impact of the shot to travel through as much of the body as possible, that is why landing the punch at an angle of 45 degrees is a big, big plus. Master this shot and it will slip seamlessly into your ‘body and head’ combinations to deadly effect.

Any thoughts, observations or questions on this boxing how to guide on body punching, or indeed how it relates to other body punching videos/articles, feel free to share them below.

Cheers

Fran

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