About the Right Cross
Before looking at the video, ensure that you have understood the boxing stance. After looking at the video, be sure to read about the mechanics of moving in and out and leave a comment.
As an orthodox boxer, the right cross is the straight shot that carries the power. The right cross very often follows on from the jab but can just as easily be thrown in isolation with the same results. The reason that the right cross carries power is due to the amount of rotation of the hips via drive from the legs. However, if the right cross is not thrown correctly, it leaves the boxer vulnerable to attack and can result in a significant reduction in the boxer’s confidence in the shot, something I’ve witnessed regularly over the years.
In providing this demonstration of the right cross, I’m not saying that this is the only way to throw the punch. As with all of the demonstrations of punching on this site, the aim is to encourage you as a boxer to distinguish between punches, however subtle the differences. I am particularly referring to the similarities between the right cross and the long-range right hook, which in essence is a right cross which approaches the target along a slightly different (wider) angle.
The right cross is part of the ‘bread and butter’ of boxing. The ability to ‘soften up’ a target at long range makes the task of delivering a wider range of combinations (incorporating hooks and uppercuts) much easier.
The Mechanics of the Right Cross
The mechanics of the right cross can be explained as follows:
- From the boxing stance the first action is a push from the back foot which generates the power to rotate the hips. As previously mentioned, there is a significant rotation of the hips around the vertical, central axis. If you think of the stance being held on the face of a clock on the floor, the left hip would be in the starting position at 11 o’clock, whilst the right hip would be in the starting position at 5 o’clock. Following rotation, the right hip will arrive at 2 o’clock and the left hip would arrive at 8 o’clock.
- As the rotation is taking place, the lead leg (left) is bent slightly at the knee. This bending of the knee enables the hips to rotate as required. The rotation takes place around the central axis as described in the video.
- As the rotation is taking place, the right hand accelerates toward the target along a straight line, seeking to follow a line through the opponent’s gloves and onto the target.
- As the fist approaches the target (having covered about 75% of the distance), it rotates inwards so that the palm is facing down towards the floor. At the last moment, the fist clenches and ‘snaps’ on to the target.
- The fist returns along the same line as before, returning to the ‘home’ position as per the stance.
Common Faults with the Right Cross
There are a number of common problems that can occur when throwing a right cross:
- Rather than a push from the back foot which ‘drives’ power through the leg and into the hips, the boxer may often ‘spin’ the back foot. This results is a significant reduction in the potential power delivered by the shot.
- The punch is ‘telegraphed’, or tell-tale movement takes place before the punch begins it’s journey. The most common giveaway on the cross is a ‘drawback’, the result of trying to hit too hard. When the shot is telegraphed, it is very unlikely to land cleanly.
- The boxer allows the punch to become an upper-body movement. Ensure that the rotation of the upper-body is generated by the drive from the back leg and that you don’t end up with an ‘arm’ shot.
- The boxer ‘bends’ the body off the central axis. Again this will reduce the power of the shot.
- The final common fault is that often the left hand will drop from the ‘home’ position close to the cheek. I’m sure there’s no need for me to point out why this is a bad thing!
Enjoy the video and if you wonder what punch can fit nicely after the right cross, check out the article on the mid range left hook. This is the last video published which you may need sunglasses to view, my family have taken to describing me as Casper the boxing coach…there’s nothing like support is there!
Cheers
Fran
by 
Hi Fran,
After using your fantastic demos for study and practice for the best part of 2 years, I’ve finally got reasonably fit and started training at a boxing gym. One of the things the coach suggested when throwing this punch was to keep the shoulder high, in addition to resting the chin on the chest, the order to protect the jaw on the side of the punching arm. Is it necessary to purposely have the should high when punching or should keeping the chin low be sufficient?
Many thanks,
Phil
*shoulder high*
Hello Phil
Well done for building up to getting into the boxing gym pal. I tend to coach relaxing the chin downards, looking through the eyebrows. I tend not to focus too much on shoulders during the actual shot really. If you are punching head height with a straight shot the shoulder will naturally give protection I reckon👍
Fran i just want your opinion on this. By staying on the balls of your feet and keeping your heels off the ground in your stance would you say that power is leaked out? I had one of the trainers at my gym say to keep my feet flat on the ground because staying on the balls of my feet will make my punches less powerful. Do you agree with this?
Yes. When you flatten feet, or square the stance, then you sacrifice mobility in favour of power.
I have a question. I’m left-handed, so box southpaw. Often, my cross hits the bag in front of my right shoulder instead of in a straight line to the bag. I hope this makes sense. In a way, the cross kind of crosses over my body and impacts in front of where my right shoulder would be prior to throwing the punch (think southpaw stance). Please let me know what suggestions you have.
Hi Will
The later in the rotation of your upper body you release the arm, the straighter the punch will be. The shot you are throwing is probably a good shot. It cuts across the target, that’s fine. For it to be straight leave the arm release later. Also, your upper body should be ‘bladed’ (at long range), so the difference of it landing in front of your right shoulder should be negligible. Hope this helps Will.
Great! That makes sense. I overhead a coach telling another guy that he should shoot his arm out after the hip starts turning, similar to what you’re saying. What do you mean by “bladed”? Do you mean turned with the shoulder of the punching arm pointing towards target and rear shoulder more or less behind it? Thanks again for the advice.
Yes Will, that’s pretty much what I mean.
Hi Fran,
Great site with lots of helpful information. I have a question about stepping up with the 1-2. How do you maintain that thrust from the back foot while still bringing it forward with you / closing distance?
-P
Hi Pavan
So there are a few ways. For me the most effective is to move in with the 1 (jab) and plant the feet with the back hand for the power. So you go from the edge of range, into long range with the jab and then the back hand👍
Will strengthening my legs help me with the rotation of my body into punches like the right cross or hook? I am having a hard time rotating and staying on balance, it also feels weak. Stronger legs means a stronger push right?
Well, yes, I suppose stronger legs would mean stronger push, but technique is the real key. Make sure that you are bending your front leg to accommodate the hip rotation and also make sure that your front foot stays at 45 degrees to keep your balance. Bear in mind that this does take a bit of time to master.
Hi Fran,
Upon the moment of impact with any powerful back hand punch, is it acceptable to plant the heel of the leading foot briefly to enable more stability? Or is keeping weight on the ball of the foot sufficient?
Hello Phil
Sorry for the delay. Yes, sure, no problem with the front foot flattening…can work well also as a basis for a nice left hook follow up😀
Hi, just seeking some advice.
When I rotate my body and rear foot into my cross, I notice that my front foot will also pivot forward very slightly. Is this a bad habit I need to focus on changing?
Hi Aaron. Always good to keep your front foot at 45 degrees. If it straightens when you throw your backhand you can overbalance.
Awesome website. Lots of great information for learning techniques, you are the best coach I have come across online. Im wondering about a question, and I think you can answer it. In the end of this post when you mention clench the fist on impact, what if your opponent moves into the punch before you expect impact while your fist is still loose? This happened to me in sparring before, I threw a hook expecting to clench on impact, but my opponent dipped his head into it before I expected impact to clench. Despite having wraps and 16 oz gloves, My hand hurt a lot after. Do you have any tips on how to prevent this? Do I just need to improve my reflexes to see when an opponent may move into the punch and clench as soon as I see this?
Personally I keep my fist tight the entire time. I think it’s possible to make a tight fist without tensing up the whole body. I was never able to master the clench on impact due to hand injuries like you have explained, but it is faster to punch with the way of clenching before impact. If your fist are tight but the rest of your body is relaxed, I think you are okay. I got used to Keeping it clenched the entire time without tensing the rest of my body and overtime my punches became faster with this method. That’s just my personal opinion, but I did not box that long. I could be wrong about this.
Since I’ve found this site, I will go ahead and ask you a question coach. Do you agree with me that it’s possible to make a tight clenched fist in your guard and still be relaxed and fast? I’ve read from jack dempseys book to keep a relaxed fist until the point of impact to keep relaxed, but even when I make a tight fist in my guard I make sure to not tense up the rest of my body.
Perhaps this video should help you both.
https://youtu.be/UfP8KYvFCng
Anonymous,
That video does catch my attention. Tony Jeffries says to do a tight fist, then punch. He also says the same thing as Daniel, you can be relaxed with a tight fist. Interesting on these theories.
I coach keeping the fixed relaxed Daniel. The glove itself will keep the hand in a fist shape, so not a big step to tense it sightly to make that fist.
Hi Tony. Hand injuries happen I guess. Maybe keeping the fist tight constantly would reduce the risk, I don’t know. But mis-timing shots, whatever the reason for mis-timing, does happen. Something to experiment with I guess. Thanks for your question.
First off would like to say I’m a massive fan and this is why I’ve came to this website for hopefully a answer. Do you still fully rotate and commit your right hand if your planning on setting up a left hook from a 1 23 combo?. Sometimes I go for speed to land that left hook but notice I lose power in the right when doing so because I’m already thinking if left it that makes sense.
Hi Ashley
Good question. Short answer, yes, absolutely. Make every shot the best it can be. There are absolutely times when you use dynamic punching i.e. changing the speed and power of a punch to improve the chances of landing another shot. But, you must do that with full awareness that you are doing it. Otherwise, make every shot the best it can be within any combination.
Should you focus on pushing/throwing the right shoulder forward, or pulling the left shoulder back, for full body rotation?
I usually go for the former Noah (driven from the feet) but will use the latter as a corrective coaching technique if there is under-rotation.
Having watched your videos and practicing the back hand, I just now realized what I have been doing incorrectly for years now…I was incorrectly taught quite a while ago to transfer my weight to my front foot and after reading all the questions and feedback I picked up a key word here “spinning”…I always spin my back foot and transfer my weight forward at the same time and it never felt right! This makes total sense now that I just practiced keeping my weight on my back foot…big difference! Thank you to everyone for asking the questions that never crossed my mind to ask…I love this site!
One thing I am noticing is when I rotate my hips my lead foot is straightening out a bit…definitely losing my 45 degrees…is my weight maybe too far back causing my lead foot to be too light thus spinning straight?
Probably not bending your front leg to allow the rotation. Slow things down, bend that front leg and make sure you focus on that front foot. Bit of repetition and muscle memory building and it will be sorted.
Very sorry for the delay Dan, mad busy.
Thanks so much for the feedback, really positive and helpful!!!
Hey Fran,
First off thanks a lot for putting together these videos and articles! They have certainly been of great help for a beginner like myself! Secondly, would it be correct to say that the straight back hand will hit the target at a slightly lower point than the lead jab due to the lead leg being slightly bent at the knee when executing the back hand?
Also, speaking from an orthodox fighter’s point of view, does the left hand jab hit slightly to the left and the straight back hand slightly to the right, due to the two hands being on opposite sides of the body?
Thanks!
Quang
Hi Quang
You’re welcome, thanks for the positive feedback. When throwing straight shots to the head, aim for the pint of the chin or the tip of the nose. Realistically the mechanics will enable you to land the shot precisely and with power. What you say is logically correct but from a practical view point you should set your target and hit it, the technique will support you. Hope this helps.
Hi Fran,
Thank you for the videos and instruction. Really helpful.
Although a common fault with the cross is leaning into the shot instead of rotating, is it acceptable for the center of gravity to shift forward slightly providing the rotation is done correctly and not all of the body weight is on the front leg?
Mamy thanks
Phil
Hello Phil
Thanks for your comment pal, appreciate you taking the time.
In principle yes. It’s just a case of bearing in mind that that momentary shift forwad of the bodyweight can add your weight to incoming punches, so there is risk. You get a little bit of extra length on your own shot, and that’s the trade off. It’s also perfectly valid to have your bodyweight slightly forward in your basic stance, this is a stance that has an ‘offensive’ posture and can be good at drawing the lead – something Mayweather has used to good effect and is often coached in the amateurs too.
Hope this helps Phil.
Hi Fran,
Another small question (sorry, English is not my main language) :
Does the lead knee bend at the same time or immediately after the torso is starting to rotate?
Thanks again!!
Mark
Hi Mark
Your English is good. The knee bends as the back leg provides thrust – one motion.
Cheers
Hey, Fran. I’ve got a question on basic punching technique principles.
I’ve been looking at various martial arts styles, and a lot of the Chinese fighting systems and Systema from Russia tend to aim for striking with the arm as basically a dead weight that’s motivated solely primarily by the legs and hips. A good quote for that is that the arms are like weight on the end of a chain.
Do you think this principle applies to boxing, and can be used effectively in the ring? Roy Jones Jr. had whipping strikes that look like they’re done with loose, relaxed arms.
Much thanks,
Dave.
Hey Dave
Thanks for the question. Absolutely. Acceleration and snap. I often liken it to the crack of a whip accelerated onto a target. Well worth pursuing Dave.
Greetings Fran, I have a query.
I do MMA, but I still have a problem in the “boxing section”.
I’m left handed (my left hand is more powerful and precise), so, for a boxing stance I have to use my right foot as the leading foot.
Using my right foot as the leading foot isn’t comfortable for me, I don’t feel balanced or stable.
What should I do? Train my right foot to be the leading foot or train my right hand to be more powerful and precise?
Hi Gregory
Thanks for the question. Generally if someone writes with their left-hand then I would call them left-handed (southpaws). If they write with their right-hand then they are right-handed (orthodox). If you are lefty then lead with the right leg and vice versa. If it feels awkward then work through it until it doesn’t, but if you stick with the simple ‘writing’ rule then you will get results.
Hope this helps Gregory.
Thank you so much for these great videos and instructions. It really means a lot to me and others, who don’t have the means or time to attend a boxing gym during the week. I also appreciate the fact that you take the time and answer the questions that people send you. Congrats on the site and keep on the good work !
Thank you Tadej
Great videos! My boxing coach is really fantastic, but these videos help me mentally process the details of the motions when my brain is functioning more clearly outside of the gym.
Glad they help Peggy. Thanks.
Thanks for your generous comments. At this point I only know how to throw good individual strikes and combos but I’m still learning how to use it. I haven’t sparred enough so I’m still a very novice fighter.
“Thanks again George, great comment and I’ll put some thought into punching without the back foot on the floor”
You’re already effectively doing that now with the tips of the toes lightly touching the floor so pulling it completely off the floor shouldn’t feel much different. It’s an interesting experiment that can confirm whether you need to push off on impact or only push to get the body moving. In my experience I found that there is no need to push on impact and it’s snappier/faster punch.
I’ve switched to using the toes on ground like you for the standard right cross and it feels great and offers a little more stability. I only take the right foot (rear foot) off the ground if I need to step forward to follow the right cross with a left kick. Being able to step forward while punching saves time and lets me go into the next move faster.
You said in the video “It’s about rotation, it’s not about driving the weight forward” which I agree 100%. You also demonstrated a pivot on the tip toes of the back foot with a bent rear leg which indicates you are putting very little weight on the back foot and you most certainly are not pushing off the back foot. Again I agree 100% with your demonstration in the video.
Yet you contradict the video by saying.
“Rather than a push from the back foot which ‘drives’ power through the leg and into the hips, the boxer may often ‘spin’ the back foot. This results is a significant reduction in the potential power delivered by the shot.”
I think it’s a combination of both. It starts with a push off the back foot to initiate the movement but quickly transitions to a spin on the back toe to facilitate more hip rotation, longer reach, and higher velocity fist.
Hi George. I think that you nail the point in your final paragraph, it’s about the initiation of the punch being an explosive push from the foot rather than the spin. Is there some spin of the foot? I guess that there is. But the question for me is does that spin result in maximum (hip) rotation, or could it be provided with the explosive push and the bend of the front leg to better effect? I suppose that there are a number of ways to approach it. Great comment though George, thanks for taking the time.
At the time of impact when the punch lands, there should not be any pushing. In fact the video (if you watch slow motion) shows that you are doing the proper form where you’re on the toes of the back foot. I’m certain you can’t push while on the tip of your back toes when your fist lands.
The punch should come from the transfer of kinetic energy from your body. For a right cross, the kinetic energy should be in the twist of your hips and torso and it should not come from too much forward motion because that will throw you off balance and open you to an easy & devastating counter.
Of course the twisting motion initially came from a push but once you’ve pushed off you just let the body fly and the arm is merely along for the ride. When the fist lands the arm is near full extension so it doesn’t really need a lot of effort from the triceps.
This is a very important point because too many people push at the time of impact. People who push the punch are mostly just wasting a lot of energy and they don’t have the same impact velocity because they’re not letting the body fly.
I can even do the right cross while dragging the back toe forward or even have the back foot off the ground at the time of impact. I can land an very hard right cross with my back foot off the ground and it allows me to keep my legs under me and allows me to punch while moving. Given your mastery of the technique and how little weight you have on the back toe on impact, I’m certain you can try the same thing and land a very snappy powerful right cross. Give it a try and let me know your experience. Thanks!
As for bending of the front leg, it doesn’t help me spin because my hip sockets don’t allow my foot to twist inward. I’m a ballet dancer with feet that twist way outwards but not inwards and that’s typical of all of us. I can hit like a ton of bricks because I have good functional strength and very strong legs :).
So accommodate the twist of the hips, I actually have to spin (or pirouette like a dancer) on the flat front foot. I can do it with bent or straight front leg. I use a straight front leg if I’m trying to hit a tall fighter’s head because it’s easier to line my shoulders up with the target so that I wouldn’t have to punch upwards. Some people don’t believe that it’s right to punch without weight on the back leg and I try to explain that I can deliver a lot more energy with a muay thai roundhouse kick even though I’m on one straight leg and I’m even up on the balls of the feet.
BTW, your video was very helpful for me for my technique and understanding. I was having intermittent problems whenever I tried too hard rather than relax into the punch. I did fine with the rear foot off the ground because it stopped me from pushing the back leg when I had the rear foot down. But once I saw you up on your tip toes in the rear foot, it became crystal clear to me that I was incorrectly pushing on impact whenever I fail to relax. I switched to a tip toe rear foot like you and it’s working great.
The reason it’s bad to push throughout the punch is that it prevents the body from twisting forward. It’s crucial to push and release the body to fly.
Some great analysis and explanation there George. Thanks so much for taking the time.
I was reading through your first post and wondering how on earth I was going to throw a back hand punch with my rear foot in the earth. Then I read your next post and it all made sense…
I’ve always felt that the kind of work that ballet dancers do could benefit boxers greatly. I’ve always felt that the power to weight ratio of a dancer who had been well coached as a boxer would be immense. Maybe you are the proof (albeit a well coached kickboxer).
The snap of the punch is what it’s all about, and the natural rotation of the body from that initial explosive action is what allows the snap.
Thanks again George, great comment and I’ll put some thought into punching without the back foot on the floor 🙂
Hi,
Ive been boxing for about a year, and my trainer has always told me to “spin” the backfoot when I throw a right cross instead of “push” off the backfoot. Your video has really opened me to a whole new world.
I have some questions about pushing off though, for the first time in a year I’m trying to push off the back foot, but when I push off, I feel like my whole balance is falling forward and that I will fall forward and trip. So I don’t think I’m doing it right. Am I supposed to push forward, or push sideways?
Thanks so much for your time.
Hey Jackon
Thank you for the question. Make sure that you are bending that front leg as you drive off the back foot. That could be the cause of that feeling of overbalancing, and it also causes under-rotation reducing both the length and the power of the shot. Another reason for the feeling could be that you are letting the body ‘follow’ the punch, taking your body weight forward and over the front leg. Really keep in mind that central axis (the steel pole going down through your body). You rotate around that. Work some simple drills on that rotating action without the punch. Then, when you feel that you have it, let the punch go at the very end of the rotation.
Hope this helps.
Thank you fran, your awesome, so basicallt by following all three of the “long range punches” it can be in the “2” motion? which means a simple 1-2 can be thrown with these techniques and still be a regular 1-2?
That’s it J. Variety is the spice of life!
Whats the difference between a right cross and straight right?
Hi J
There is no difference really, it’s just terminology. On this site I’ve put three types of long range right hands (or back hand):
The Straight back hand
the long range hook
The long range uppercut.
All slight variations on the straight shot.
Hi Fran
I thank you for another amazing video. I just started boxing and I realy love the sport. The down side is that I am physicaly weak. I can’t do a full 3 set of fifteen pushup. I hear that the right cross is a good power shot and I practiced alot but I can’t seem to put power in the punch. I don’t think I’m doing anything wrong but just in case I keep on rewatching the video. Do youhave any sugestions how to make this shot better? Is there other variations that I might be able to use? I thank you in advance.
Andrew
Again, thank you for the kind comment. Have a look at the long range right hook, it will help give you another way of looking at the back hand.
I’ve been boxing for quite a few years but unbelievably was never taught to throw this shot properly. I would always load up and try to transfer my weight from back to front rather than doing the hip swivel.
I think this is the correct way but also as you state in other videos its about efficiency too to deliver the force to the target.
I really enjoy these videos and learn something new every time I watch them
Cheers Paul
Always good when active boxers go through this stuff and find it helpful. You can build it in with what you know and if it gives you another way of looking at things then that’s great. Versatility works mate, and skills pay the bills as they say.
So with the cross, is there a shift in body weight? Before I would have my weight on the back foot, and I would transfer it to the front as I rotated. I see at the 4:30 mark you say it’s “about rotation, not driving the body forward”. So does the weight stay centered, or is it still on the back foot?
Ideally Brett, try to keep the weight on the back foot even as the shot lands. There is much more control and you absolutely do not lose power. Great question mate.
Hi Fran,
Great video!
One question I have:
Is there any rough guide for how soon into the body/hip rotation that the arm should start extending to deliver the punch?
I imagine that too late into the rotation, you’ve already telegraphed the punch quite a bit, but too early you probably won’t get much power.
Hi Ross, thanks for the question. Little rule of thumb. For a straight shot or an uppercut, leave it later in the rotation. For a hook, release the arm sooner in the rotation. Don’t worry about telegraphing the shot, as long as whatever shot you throw is technically correct it won’t catch the opponent’s attention before it needs to. The point of release is about the trajectory that the shot takes to the target; later release=straighter on the ‘vertical plane’. Earlier release=angled approach. Thanks Ross, hope this helps
Another quick question, and it’s building on something else I asked you a while back!
You’ve said that you prefer people training punches at normal speed instead of slowing them down; I can understand that, it focuses on explosiveness.
But if I really, really want to work on my form because some punches feel awkward, would, perhaps, practicing most of the punch slow and exploding out for say the last three inches work? I saw this in an article about JKD once; I beg your opinion on the matter!
Thanks, Fran.
Dave
Dave. We all have different ways of learning, so absolutely I’d recommend trying anything that allows you to build the muscle memory for the move. Slowing things down can work really well, so jump in and do it. Saw something interesting on TV last week. The quote was “Slow is smooth, smooth is fast”. This works for me during drills and practice.
Hey, Fran.
Been a while, but I’ve got another question regarding the stance and the straight. In one of my questions on the stance instructional, I asked you whether you prefer having your weight even on the feet or on the back foot, which makes a lot of sense.
My question with that is: if you’ve got your weight on the back foot and you throw this punch, should you be moving your bodyweight onto the front foot somewhat (probably no more than even), or should you try to keep your weight on the back foot? With the powerful hip twist from the back foot push, I could really see you getting power without your bodyweight shooting forward.
Oh, and off topic- do you think you might do a write-up about Jack Dempsey? He had a very good record, although if you compare his book and your stuff on technique, there’s a lot of difference! (I personally think your stuff is better, though!)
Dave
Spot on. If you can try to focus on avoiding that body weight going forward, you’ll get power and control. After landing that straight backhand, you could unload as many more punches as it took just because you’ve tightly controlled your balance. Well in Dave, great spot.
On the Dempsey thing, love the man. I actually used to work with a man who met him in his restaurant in NY. I will endeavour to do something on Big Jack, can’t give a time, but I’ll fit it in.
Thanks Dave
Fran,
First, I want to thank you for all the informative articles/videos you have posted. They’ve really helped me improve my sparring.
Second, I wanted to know about the proper foot placement an orthodox fighter should employ when throwing the jab-cross combo against another orthodox boxer.
When an orthodox boxer fights a southpaw, coaches usually advise him to keep his lead foot outside the southpaw’s lead foot so that the orthodox boxer’s right foot is in-line with the southpaw’s chin (thus enabling him to hit him with the right cross).
Is there a similar rule regarding foot placement for when an orthodox boxer fights a fellow orthodox?
Paul
Thanks for the comment and apologies for the delay in responding. I’d say the main reason why an orthodox should aim to keep the lead foot ‘outside’ that of the southpaw is to manage the ‘strike zone’. By this I mean that by having the foot outside the opponent’s lead foot means that you are out of the strike zone of the southpaw (minimizing your risk of taking incoming) but he is in your strike zone (especially for the straight back hand). There is no similar rule for an orthodox that I am aware of. A tip though, try not to worry too much about foot placement. Your feel for range will come, just relax and throw the one-two – moving in with the jab and then holding the feet for the straight back hand. If you haven’t already, check out the Tag Boxing Drill article and see if one of the guys in the gym will have a go with you.
Hope this helps Paul
Fran, I have a question regarding straight shots, and wanted to see if you had any advice. Do you have any recommendations on distance, footwork, angles, etc when practicing the one-two on the heavy bag?
I feel that when I do a one-two on a heavy bag, both the distance and angles are different from the focus mitts or an actual sparring partner. Here are a couple of specific examples of problems I’ve run into.
First, my basic straight right is aimed through the guard. I generally feel that this punch has more range than my jab. I find these distances work fine for me when executing a one-two with a sparring partner (who will often move back slightly after the jab) or mitt holders (who usually hold the straight right target slightly behind the jab target). However, a heavy bag doesn’t move backwards, so I feel I really need to stretch the jab to land both punches at full extension and rotation. Is this something other boxers feel, or does this just mean I need to work on extending my jab?
A second problem I’ve come across is that I often use a right hand that goes around the guard (eg, a cross that enters at an angle aimed at the left side of their jaw). I’ve been looking for a way to practice this on the heavy bag, but because the angles of the jab and right hand are different (compared to the straight right that goes through the guard, where the jab and right hand both enter at basically the same angle) I really haven’t found a way to practice this combination without a mitt holder. Perhaps this question is difficult to answer without a video demonstration, but I was wondering if this is something you’ve thought of before.
Jeiteki
Thanks for the comment and sorry for the delay in responding.
Firstly, a straight back hand should with the correct body rotation give you the same range as the jab (it will fall short if you don’t rotate fully and there is no movement of the opponent or you). However, it cannot give you greater range. You may feel that this is the case, and this is not a bad thing as we can be fairly sure that you are throwing the shot correctly. Under-rotation on the right cross/straight back hand is a common and bothersome problem.
It sounds to me like you need to think about 3 things:
1) Where you start (i.e. the edge of range).
2) Moving in with the jab
3) Ensuring that your feet are stationary when throwing the straight back hand.
Have a little look at the ‘heavy bag punching (old man)‘ article. Are there any points on that that might help? You should be able to sort this on a heavy bag without too much trouble.
Onto your other point about the ‘right cross’. This sounds to me exactly like a long range right hook. Again, this is something that should fit really nicely onto a heavy bag. Trying the one-two-one-two with the first ‘two’ being straight and the second ‘two’ being the long range right hook. Try reviewing the technique of this shot and let me know.
Thanks Jeiteki, I hop that my response goes some way to answering your question.
I can not say how much this website helped me, thanks for your great advice. I came back to boxing after 4 years of retirement and I found you always on my side like a personal trainer.
Thanks,
Mehdi
That’s great Mehdi. I hope that the site continues to be of help. I’ve got some more free stuff planned for the next few weeks, looking at body shots and some other bits. Thanks for the comment and I hope that your comeback goes well!
Great videos, such competence and the willingness to share it is a rare, admirable event. You make it look easy, but all of us who have dabbled in boxing know how much work it takes to achieve any level of smoothness. I also need a clarification which is by no means an attempt to argue about terms, but where does the straight (backhand) right fit, obviously in your video it is identical with the right cross. I have always believed that there is a clear distinction between a straight punch, a cross and a hook, be it long, mid or short range (and tried to perform those punches according to my view). As far as uppercuts are concerned, I couldn’t agree more. I truly admire your technique, a terms disambiguation is all I ask . Keep it up and keep us educated.
Hi Ivan, thanks for the comment. Good point on the cross/straight back hand/long hook. I have come to see the right cross and the straight back hand to be exactly the same shot. We could debate that there is a difference, but I think that there is little enough of a difference to stretch the description. However, you are right on the money with the long range right hook. I hope that if you check out the long range right hook video and article this may make the point better than I can here. If you have any further questions or would like an expansion on this point, let me know.
Thanks again Ivan
First of all, thanks for this great website. Recently I started to train boxing and your videos and text explanation helped me a lot with the basics. I’m training in a professional gym but still trainer does not allways have time to correct me because there are so meny of us. I can see that you realy know what you’re doing and what is more importan for me you can explain it to beginners like me. I wolud like you to explain how hand behaves during punch. I konw it should be relaxed, but should I tighten the muscles and fist for a split of second during contact with target? If not while figting with out of gloves (self defence) I can hurt my fingers.
Hey Lukas
Please accept my apologies for not replying sooner, an oversight on my part! The hand stays relaxed and forms a fist at the last moment before impact. With the right cross, this would be as the fist rotates at the end of the shot.
Thanks for the question, if you need any further help please let me know.
I’ve heard of shadow boxing, but not ghost boxing.
Great content. Keep it coming :o)