The Left Hook

The Left Hook - 3

The infamous left hook (or right hook...). The hook is an inside power punch and is very tricky to learn to do correctly. It is not a sweeping motion initiated by the arm, but rather a punch which is initiated and delivered by an entire side of your body. Your arm and fist are simply the tips of the sword which make impact.

I mentioned it is a power punch which as you probably guessed means there is a weight transfer. Again, be careful as anytime you transfer weight you are unstable for a fraction of a second.

To Deliver

From your boxer's stance, to deliver a left hook, bring your elbow out and up so it is almost parallel to the floor. Your palm is facing down for very close targets or facing in for targets slightly further away. Once your arm is in place, torque your whole left side, pivoting on the front left foot. It is a powerful, quick turn which involves your leg, torso, and finally your arm and fist.

Like all punches, your fist is relaxed and tenses up just as impact occurs. When your front left foot pivots, think of it as if you are squishing something under it - your little brother, sister, spouse, dog, cat, whatever you want.

Follow through with your hook, when you torque your body around, go through the target and end up bringing your fist to your chest with your elbow pointing towards the target. This does two things, first, it protects your head as there is probably a left hook coming at you from your opponent as it is the counter for a left hook. Two, if you miss with your fist, there is a chance your elbow will hit the target, not legal but accidents do happen.

From there, recover. Accelerate through the punch, SNAP, accelerate back. Protect yourself.

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