The 6-Week Punching Plan to Better Fitness - Week Five

The Hook Punch

Added:Fri, 27th November 09

Now it’s time to unleash the power!!!

5 weeks, 5 lessons and hopefully with regular training you have mastered the techniques and improved your fitness levels all round.

We have looked at the can opener (The Lead Jab), the spoon that digs the meat out (The Straight Cross) and now it’s time to look at the hammer that knocks the wall down - “The Lead Hook”!

The hook punch counts for most knockouts in boxing and kickboxing bouts.

Out of all of the four basic punches, the Hook has to be my favourite punch of all due to the variations of the punch which are the head hook, the body hook, the rear hook, the long range hook, the spring hook and my personal favourite the shovel hook.
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The Hook can be thrown from either the lead or rear hand but predominately from the lead, with strike areas being the body - mainly ribs and to the chin. Other strike areas are the nose, neck and temple. Hitting these can cause a lot of damage or death to a person – so let’s remember that we are here to get fit, get toned and hopefully lose weight.

The Lead Hook

is normally thrown in a combination familiar with boxers/kick boxers called the one-two-three combination – Lead Jab, Rear Cross and Lead Hook.

is rarely the first punch thrown because of the wide angle it has to come from, which will open up your body for a counter attack.

Is thrown from the same hand, so we less often see it thrown immediately after a lead jab (although personally I love to do this – it is a technique I have practiced over many years! With quick footwork, I have really got my speeds up)

If you want power in the punch, you must reset your body position before starting the second strike.

Hand Position

There are a couple of ways to form your hand when punching

a) strike with the palm of the hand facing inwards towards your body
b) face the palm downwards towards the floor.

Personally I throw a body hook with the palm facing inwards and a headshot with the palm facing the floor; it works for me so try which way suits you better or use both variations like myself

EXECUTION OF “THE LEAD HOOK”

There are many variations of the Hook. For this lesson we will look at the basic “Lead Hook” thrown from whatever leg is forward to the head or chin area.

1

Begin in your fighting stance (left orthodox or southpaw right). Decide on your preferred hand position before executing the punch. As this is a head shot, my hand will be with the palm facing downwards as I prefer. Remember to keep your knees bent and stay relaxed.

2

Begin by raising your elbow to chin level with your hand facing palm downwards. Do not take your arm too far away from your body as this will leave you open for a counter punch. Keep your rear hand glued to your chin. At the same time lift your heel up on the front foot slightly and begin to pivot with the foot, shoulder and hip inwards and transfer your body weight forward as you start to execute the punch. Use the rotation of your leg and body to add momentum and power to the punch.

3

Continue the rotation at quick speed to execute the punch. The body should make a rotating twist with the arm moving in an arc parallel to the ground. As you pivot on the front foot throw your whole body into the punch when delivering the strike. Keep your heel off the floor until the strike is complete. The faster the body rotation the faster the punch, and remember keep the arms close to your body and not flailing out wide.

4

Finish by snapping your fist and arm back into fighting stance with your guard up to cover face and body. Both feet should be the correct distance apart with your heel placed back to the floor.

Remember, the arms are much faster than the body!

Lots of people “cheat” and throw punches using arm power – this lessens the effect on your opponent. The body has much more mass than the arms so use it in conjunction with the arms to deliver that power shot.

Synchronization between your arm and body is of the utmost importance in all punches - not just the hook.

Get it right and you will know how much power you can generate even if you are not the biggest of people.

Technique; technique; technique

- my favourite word when teaching.

Quick Tip!

Use the whole of your body not just your arms. Using arms only is a lazy ineffective punch.

Rotate with speed with the whole body and you will generate tremendous power.

Hooks are more effective as a part of a combination especially when thrown in pairs.

The most common mistake is to drop your guard below chin level when throwing a lead hook. If you make this error you will leave yourself open for a counter strike of maybe an opponent’s lead hook and knock you out.

Keep your chin tucked down behind your shoulder

Guard; guard; guard!

- my other favourite word!

Practise

Now we have three punches to play with, you can throw various combinations. Experiment on the focus pads with a training partner and see what works for you. Throw the one-two-three combination, double up your hooks, frequently change your stance and move around as you would do in a sparring bout. The more punches you throw the more you will work your body for the desired fitness you are looking for.

Lesson six is the last round in the use of the four major punches “The Uppercut”.

Train hard and you will be ready for the final round. Good luck!