Ding Ding!! The final round of our 6 week punching plan to better fitness. Are you floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee? Is your footwork so good that you think you can take on our resident feature writer Amy Guy in a Fencing bout?

Now it’s time to unleash the final punch in the equation. We’ve had The Can Opener (The Jab), The Spoon (The Cross), The Hammer (The Hook) and now we have the Cigar - The Uppercut!

Funnily enough there is a manufacturer of cigars called Punch and they have named one of their cigars Uppercut. It hails from Honduras and promises to be a robust, medium to full bodied experience - just the same feeling your opponent will feel when you strike them with the uppercut.

Why cigar? Simply, it is another one of the main knockout punches, that after you have knocked out your opponent; you can relax with a cigar! Not that we smoke - We’re famously fit!

Like the hook you can throw the uppercut from the lead or rear leg, although predominately from the rear as it generates more destructive power. It can be classified as a close range punch because of the angle that it travels, directly upwards to connect with an opponent’s chin, solar plexus or floating ribs. At close range it can cause more damage especially when striking the chin. It is thrown upwards through the middle of your opponent’s guard.

The uppercut in general tends to be a neglected punch by a fighter. When performed well it can be a nasty punch that counts for a lot of knockouts. It is only when a fighter is on the receiving end that they realise the great potential of having a very effective weapon in their arsenal. It can be a swift punch to stun your opponent or it can be a power punch to finish a fight, depending on how it is thrown.

The power of the uppercut is generated by turning the shoulders and hips and also by bending the knees and then straightening them just before impact to your target. If the sequence is performed seamlessly, the impact of the punch will be devastating!

EXECUTION OF THE REAR “RIGHT UPPERCUT”

For the final lesson we will look at the right uppercut with left leg forward, thrown from the rear to the chin, solar plexus or floating rib areas.

1

Begin in orthodox left fighting stance, or if you prefer right southpaw stance. Don’t forget - GUARD UP! I know I keep repeating this and drilling it into your head, but it is so important in all punching and kicking techniques to protect yourself against a counter attack.

2

Next, bend your knees and slightly lift the heel of your rear leg. At the same time drop the hand you will be punching with about two inches, lowering the shoulder of the punching arm at the same time. As you lift the heel, also begin to pivot inwards towards your opposite knee. Keep your non punching hand glued to your chin.

3

Carry on pivoting inwards. Turn the palm of your hand inwards towards your body. At the reached pivot point generate maximum power by straightening your knees at the same time as turning your shoulders and hips to produce an upward surge with your whole body and strike the target area. When striking, the palm of your hand must face inwards towards your body. If facing outwards or to the side you could cause an injury to your wrist. Keep the non punching hand against your chin area.

4

Return quickly to your fighting stance and maybe use other punches or kicks in a combination. Again always return with your GUARD UP!

1. Never drop the arm to low. This is a common mistake as people tend to think the uppercut is a big swing upwards to create power. All it does is leave you open to counter attacks! It is a short sharp punch. The rotation and upward surge of the body creates the desired power.

2. The most common mistake is to not face the palm inwards towards your body when punching. If the palm is facing outwards or to the side you will cause damage to your wrist.

3. Always stay close to your target when throwing the uppercut. If you throw the punch from the outside of your opponent, they will be able to easily detect it and counter with an effective straight punch. You will also lose power because the arm is no longer bent at the elbow and cannot effectively transfer the total body’s forces in the required upward movement.

Practice

Now that you have all the knowledge of good footwork and how to throw the four basic punches you can practise the techniques in a variety of different combinations, the easiest being jab, cross, hook and uppercut in that order.

Train with a partner on the focus mitts working on your footwork, speed, distance, timing and power which come with all these elements put together.

Great Work Out Routine

If you really want a good workout try this. Work with a partner and get them to hold the mitts for you. Remember to warm up first before having a go at the following.

• Do 1 jab and then drop and do 1 press up
• Jump up and do a jab cross
• Drop and do 2 press ups
• Jump up and add on another jab
• Drop again for 3 press ups and so on, adding on a punch/press up each time
• Get all the way up to ten punches and ten press ups.
• Follow this routine with hook punches, but use squat thrusts instead of press ups up to ten again.
• Next use uppercuts and sit ups, 1 uppercut then 1 sit up and odd on 1 each time up to ten.
• Finally do all four punches as 1 set and use star jumps, add another punching set and star jump each time up to ten.

This is a great workout that I use with my students, with great results in improved fitness.

Good luck!

Train Hard! Fight Hard! Sleep Easy!

Dave ....