The Left Jab

The power of this punch is executed from the simultaneous rotation of the hip and shoulder, and pushing or driving off the ball of the rear foot, while stepping forward with the front foot. At the time of impact of the straight right, the right shoulder is closer to the opponent than the left shoulder. The hips are square, the chin down and the eyes on the target. The fist rotates the arm explodes in a straight line and punches through the target. Be careful not to wind up, lifting the rear elbow and telegraphing the punch. The left fist stays up to protect the chin. This punch takes more energy and time to execute. The body will push off balance more easily and it is important to tighten the abdominal muscles to maintain the center of balance and proper alignment. The body and head are left open to counter punches and it is important to return to your protective balanced stance as quickly as possible. The right cross is somewhat similar to the straight right, but the right cross has a slight arc as the punch is thrown across because of the slipping movement of the body while the punch is being thrown. Some basic combinations using the straight right include: The one-two punch, (a fast left jab, then sliding the left foot forward to stay in range, rotate and a strong straight right), and double jab and straight right to the target, (two fast left jabs, sliding the foot forward to stay in range and the a fast straight right).

Classic stance, weight is on rear leg, knee slightly bent, transfer of weight to left foot, the left foot swivels inward on the ball of the foot as hips and shoulder start to rotate and body pivots. This creates a significant force that is transferred through the punch. The elbow of the hooking arm is bent at 90% and the inside of the arm is parallel to the floor. The punch is thrown fairly close to the opponent (close range), but too close or your hooking arm will end up wrapping around the back of the opponent’s neck. Thumb is up and knuckles point outward. The chin is kept tucked and the chin is protected by the left shoulder and right fist is kept high in a guarding position. This punch is thrown outside of the opponent’s vision and is difficult to defend against. Right hook leaves you wide-open and better a combination would be a straight right with a left hook. A good punch to execute after the left jab has pushed the opponent back. Jab and then a quick left hook can be practiced on the heavy bag. Develop a hook off the jab.

The right uppercut is a very powerful and effective inside punch. The target must be at short or medium range punch distance. The uppercut is directed either high, towards the head under the chin, or low to the body, often in the solar plexus area. The uppercut can be thrown effectively with either the right hand or the left hand, with the right uppercut being slightly more powerful. To throw a right uppercut, start in the classic boxing stance with the back (right) knee bent. Lower the right shoulder to drop the right side of the body in a semi-crouch position. Remember to keep the left fist up by the chin to protect the head. Now as you rotate the hips forward, push the ball of the back foot, (the right foot), and punch the right fist up towards the target. The right side of the back and the right shoulder will follow through with the rotation of the hips. The hips finish being squared to the front. The right arm always stays close to the body and moves upward in a semi-circle. To throw the left uppercut from the classic boxing stance, start with squared off hips, left knee bent and the left shoulder lowered. The body weight is then transferred to the ball of the left foot as the punch is delivered with a bent arm at a right angle and the hips will rotate into the classic boxing stance. Remember when practicing this punch to stay close to the target. If the punch is thrown from the outside, the opponent will be able to easily detect that the punch is coming and counter with an effective straight punch. An uppercut from the outside also loses some of its power because the arm is no longer bent at the elbow and cannot effectively transfer the total body’s force in the upward movement.